White Copper Zhenwu Emperor Open Ring

Zhenwu is the god of the north, also called Xuantian Shangdi or Xuanwu Dadi. Under Emperor Zhenzong of Song the name was changed for taboo, xuan to zhen, and he became Zhenwu. Veneration peaked in the Ming. When the Prince of Yan raised troops he claimed the protection of Zhenwu, and later Mount Wudang became his seat, its palaces and temples mostly built in the Ming and running all the way to the Golden Summit. Folk tradition puts his birthday on the third day of the third month, with temple fairs north and south, and Wudang is busiest then.

The bezel is a figure in relief: hair loose, armour on, right hand pressing a sword, a tortoise and snake underfoot. The figure is small and the face only a few cuts, but the stance is clear and the posture recognisable at a glance. The ring is open, the two ends not joined, so it can be eased a little and will not clamp the knuckle after long wear. The bezel stands a step above the band, as if inset, though it is cast in one piece.

The advantage of an open ring is that the fit has some give. A finger changes through the day, thin in the morning and a little swollen at night, and the gap follows. The drawback is that the opening catches knitwear and hair, so mind it with a sweater. The bezel is wide and has some weight on the finger, and anyone unused to a wide band should try it first rather than wearing it all day from the start. Both ends of the gap are rounded; hold the two ends when easing it, not the bezel.

Two colours, yellow and silver. The yellow is warm, like an old coin, and holds its own against dark clothing; the silver is cool, close to the natural tone of white copper, and sits better on pale skin. Both come from the same mould, and the difference is surface treatment, one warmed and one left cool, so you can tell them apart in the hand at once. The yellow version has its recesses darkened further, to bring out the layers of the armour. The silver looks grey under lamplight and only goes white in daylight.

The gaps in relief are where things collect. Rinse it when you wash your hands and do not let soap dry inside, since copper darkens with soap; rinse and dry and it is fine. Never sleep in the ring. Rolling onto it will distort it, and once an open ring has been eased too far the two ends no longer line up, and getting it back is hard. Hand cream dulls copper, so let your hands dry before putting it on. Wipe the fingerprints off with a dry cloth before it goes back in the box.