White Copper All Matters Favorable Square Tag

The wan pattern is easy to misread: four arms bent in one direction, so that it looks like a pinwheel, when it is in fact the character wan. The symbol came in with Buddhism from India, and in the second year of the Changshou reign of Wu Zetian its sound was fixed as wan, carrying the sense of ten thousand virtues, good fortune and unbroken continuity. After that it appeared on Central Plains textiles, brick carvings and window lattices, joined into an endless band, which is exactly the point: no break, no end.

A square plaque is harder to make than a round one. A round plaque forgives, since an edge line slightly off does not show; a square has four sides and four corners, and a small error is exposed. On this one the wan pattern fills the ground and four characters, all things fitting, rise at the centre. The characters have to stand upright and the strokes be of even weight, and if the cuts collapse in the casting the whole plaque is scrap. The corners are the likeliest to chip and have to be dressed afterwards. A dressed corner shows: a little rounder, and a little brighter.

All things fitting is a phrase off the old almanac. The tongshu marked each day with what suited and what to avoid, and on a good day it read that all things were fitting, meaning anything you turned your hand to would go smoothly. Carving that on a plaque is like hanging a page of the almanac on the body, and it is far more restrained than wealth and treasure come in. Those notes read as folklore now, but people once arranged their affairs by them; choose the wrong day and a wedding or a funeral had to be moved. The four characters need room, with breathing space between strokes; crowded together they suffocate.

Cast in white copper, in white and in yellow. White is the cool tone, the shadow in the cuts is clear, and at a distance it reads as a plain plaque; yellow is warm, the turns of the wan pattern catch the light harder, and the pattern looks alive. Neither face is polished to a mirror. A mirror finish takes fingerprints the moment it is picked up, while a matte surface hides the dust that settles on it.

A square plaque looks better on a cord than on a chain. Use a dark cord and tie the knot directly above the plaque so that it hangs straight. Square plaques have one flaw: with the cord running out through holes at either side, the plaque tends to drift left or right, so match the two lengths when stringing, since half an inch off and it hangs crooked. The holes should be smooth inside, because a rough wall wears the cord and you will be changing it within six months. Use a flat knot, which holds at the end and is easy to adjust. As a gift the phrase travels well: moving house, sitting an exam, changing jobs all work. Just do not call it a protective charm. It is a good wish, not a promise.