White Copper Lotus Pod Prayer Wheel Tassel Charm

The upper half is a lotus pod, the seeds swelling into separate grains, the surface stepping inward layer by layer. Below it sits a short cylinder that turns, and a tassel hangs from the cylinder's base. Seen upright, the piece reads as three sections: the pod heavy, the cylinder light, the tassel loose. The hole is at the top of the pod, and the cord passes through its heart rather than entering from the side.

Where a lotus pod appears on an object it usually carries the wish for many children — the seeds sit on the face in rows you can count. In Buddhism the lotus means something else: the flower rises unstained out of the mud, and that is said of the flower, not the pod. The pod on its own as an ornament goes back to old jade pieces, and the form has always had this closed, drawn-in top. A thin cord runs through the channel, its end hidden among the seeds.

The turning cylinder is two sleeves, one inside the other. The inner is fixed and the outer travels around the axis. The clearance is left a little wide, so it turns without stiffness and still does not rock much. A narrow slot is cut in the wall, and as the outer sleeve turns you see the shadow inside travel with it. This kind of structure dislikes dust; once dust is in, it grinds audibly. The wall is thin enough to flex slightly under a pinch and come back when you let go. Turning makes no sound, because copper runs smooth on copper. The axis is copper too and polishes to a bright line with use. The slot faces the front, so the axis stays visible as the sleeve goes round.

The tassel is tied on afterwards. A bundle of thread comes out through the small hole in the base, knotted above and drawn back inside the cylinder. Length follows use: on a bag it can run longer and swing as you move, while on a mala it wants to be short or it will sweep the desk while you write. A tassel that has frayed can be combed straight — do not singe the ends. To change it, turn the cylinder upside down and thread the new one back through; the piece does not have to come apart. Keep the colour the same, or the replacement will read as a repair.

The gaps between the seeds are dead corners, and sweat that collects there turns black. Do not rinse the cylinder: water gets between the two sleeves and will not come out, and after a while it smells. Wipe the white copper with a dry cloth and keep it clear of the tassel, because verdigris in thread will not wash out. Store it lying flat so the tassel is not left folded under the piece, and straighten the threads before putting it away between two layers of cloth.