White Copper Wenchang Emperor Ring

Wenchang Emperor governs examination success. The cult is rooted in Zitong, Sichuan, where the ancestral temple stands on Qiqu Mountain. From the Song and Yuan onward the court kept adding titles to him, and scholars went to pay respects before sitting the exams. Three things commonly sit on the offering table — a brush, an inkstone, a book — all of them symbols rather than ritual implements. When an old-style school opened for the term, pupils bowed before taking their seats. The great temple fair at Qiqu Mountain falls around the third day of the second lunar month, when the exam candidates come in numbers.

The face carries the emperor's title, cut intaglio into white copper and filled with a dark colour. Intaglio wears better than relief: the cuts sit below the surface where daily rubbing cannot reach them. The ring is not wide, so it does not look clumsy on the hand, and it will not knock against a pen shaft while you write, which makes it more practical than a broad face. The floor of an intaglio cut is flat, and with the fill in place the characters look deeper than they are. The curve of the face follows the back of the finger and does not dig in.

Two of the three options are boxes. The floating box has a clear lid with the ring standing upright inside, which presents well as a gift; the cloud-pattern box is printed card, light and suited to posting. You can also buy the ring on its own and pack it yourself. If it is a gift, add a layer of soft cloth inside, because copper rattling in a hard box will pick up small dents at the corners. Neither box carries extra printing; both are plain, which keeps a gift understated. The lid of the floating box is acrylic, so wipe it with a soft cloth, since tissue leaves scratches.

People preparing for exams mostly wear this as a reminder to themselves. Looking up from a book, they see the characters on the hand and remember what the hour is for. How the exam goes still depends on the revision. Treated as an object with a bit of ritual to it, it steadies the mind; it will not make anyone clever on contact. Some keep it as a desk piece, resting on a brush stand rather than worn. Wearing it during the exam days or not makes no difference, so do not let it become a distraction.

Keep white copper away from disinfectant; anything containing chlorine pits it. Writing means pressing the hand to the paper, and the edge of the face rubbing the desk will brighten over time. That shine does not come off with a cloth and does not need to. Put it back in its box when you are not wearing it rather than dropping it in a pencil case with pen clips. Clip springs are hard, and one knock leaves a deep mark. For long storage, seal it in a bag so it meets less air and holds its colour.