Metal Taiji Enamel Braided Bracelet

The base of a woven bracelet is a single cord, passed back and forth under and over to make a flat band, with the plaque fixed at the centre. The craft is called cord braiding in folk usage; polyester or cotton thread is usual, hard-wearing, colourfast in water, and available in dozens of shades. Machine braiding is fast, hand braiding is even in tension, and each has its merit. Thread comes round or flat: round thread braids up puffy, flat thread braids up level, and the difference on the wrist is obvious.

Setting the taiji plaque at the centre is the commonest layout for this kind of Chinese-style bracelet. The plaque has to hold the cord down; too thin and it curls up, too thick and it digs into the wrist. Enamel fills the two fish, one black and one white, and after firing it carries a glaze that stands against the matte band and makes the colours rise. Between the enamel fields and the metal frame runs a thin seam; fired well it is even, fired badly it varies in width. The four corners of the plaque should be rounded, since the band lies against skin and a sharp corner cuts.

There are two ways to join metal and cord: leave holes in the plaque and pass the cord through, or make a loop and knot the cord around it. The first is stable and the plaque will not twist; the second is flexible and the plaque can be changed. This one uses the through-hole method, so the face stays outward with wear and the pattern does not go crooked. With through-holes the mouths must be chamfered, or the thread wears fast and furs within a few months.

Two colours are offered, white and yellow, and those describe the metal rather than the cord. White looks well with plain cords such as dark grey, ink green or navy; yellow goes with warm cords such as ochre or camel and suits autumn and winter better. Think first about the colours you usually wear, then fix the metal. Length is wrist measurement plus a finger, and a braided bracelet has no clasp, relying on the sliding knot, so it can be taken in but not let out. Cord and metal are best kept in the same family, since a wide gap between warm and cool looks like two objects spliced together on the wrist.

What a woven bracelet fears is sweat and water. The cord does not mind; the metal does, especially the seams of the enamel, where sweat collects and goes dark. Push it up the arm when washing your hands and do not let the plaque soak. In a sweaty summer, take it off at night and press it with a dry cloth, and it will last two years longer. A dirty cord can be worked gently in warm water with soap, rinsed and hung to dry, but never wrung, since wringing deforms it. This kind of bracelet should not be worn tight; the braid has no stretch, and tight means cutting into the wrist.