White Copper Eight Immortals Symbols Spinning Ring

The bezel has two layers: the outer turns and the inner is fixed. The turning layer carries several ritual attributes, one after another, joining into a line as it spins. There is a little resistance, not loose and not seized, and it stops wherever you leave it without sliding on. The outer edge is chamfered so that the fingertip does not slip when pushing. The bezel is not tall, so it does not look clumsy on the finger and does not get in the way of daily work.

The hidden Eight Immortals take the objects in the immortals’ hands and cut the things, not the people. The bezel is narrow and eight will not fit, so this one takes a few and leaves the rest blank. The blank is not laziness: fill it completely and nothing reads, one object against the next with nowhere for the eye to rest. How many to cut and how much to leave is where these small pieces take the most thought. The blank is not smooth; a fine stipple is pressed into it, so that it has texture as it turns. Which few of the eight to choose is a matter of each maker’s judgment, and there is no rule.

The spinning structure is not new on rings; Tibetan turning rings, with scripture on the turning band, are older. The method is to cut a groove in the band and fit a ring over it that travels in the groove. The depth of the groove decides how smoothly it turns: shallow and friction is high, deep and the ring wobbles. Copper’s wear resistance is only moderate, and in time the groove loosens, which is the common failing of the structure and one that no one avoids. Some makers add a thin copper shim in the groove, which lasts longer but turns tighter.

The ring is closed, so the size must be right. The turning band is slightly thicker than the band beneath, so it looks larger than a plain ring of the same width. Anyone used to a narrow ring will find it heavy, so try before buying. Dust gets into the gap, and when it starts to feel gritty it is time to clean; do not force it, because forcing wears a groove. On a thicker finger, go one size up so that the band sits at the base and does not press the knuckle.

Soaking is out when cleaning, because water gets into the layer and will not come out. Use a cotton bud with a little clean water, run it round the gap, then turn as you wipe so that the bud reaches every section. Blow dry on a cool setting. Copper produces copper dust as it turns, which is normal wear; wipe it away and do not oil it, because oil attracts dust. If copper dust builds up in the layer and it feels gritty, lift it out with a strip of paper folded to a point, not a needle.