White Copper Four Symbols Pendant Necklace

The Four Symbols are the twenty-eight lunar mansions split into four groups of seven, each with a direction and a colour. The Azure Dragon of the east belongs to wood and is blue-green; the White Tiger of the west belongs to metal and is white; the Vermilion Bird of the south belongs to fire and is red; the Dark Warrior of the north belongs to water and is black. The Dark Warrior is turtle and snake together, not a turtle alone. The scheme was already laid out neatly on Han mirrors and carved stone. It turns up in military texts and almanacs with different uses, but the directions are shared.

Each beast holds one side, head turned outward, tail drawn to the middle, and between them they enclose a circle. The dragon is on the left, the tiger on the right, the bird above and the Dark Warrior below, placed by direction rather than gathered at random. The bodies are pressed shallow; scales and feathers are drawn in fine lines, the ground is left dark, and only raking light shows the whole design at once. The circle at the centre is empty, and the cord hole is drilled at its middle. The four colours and four directions were later applied to the placing of banners and tents.

There is little difference in height across the four faces; the drawing relies on how dense the lines are. The dragon's scales are short arcs set close together, the tiger's stripes are broken blocks, the bird's feathers are long lines laid one over another, and the Dark Warrior's shell is a grid of squares. Four ways of drawing on one plaque have to stay distinct without falling into confusion, and the plate was checked point by point when it was laid out. The open ground between the beasts is kept narrow; crowded together, the four read fuller than the space would suggest.

The two versions differ in the fittings. The pendant is the plaque alone, and you supply the cord. The necklace comes with a chain and can be worn as soon as it arrives. A chain hangs heavier, holding the plaque under the collarbone where it stays against the skin as you walk; a cord can be adjusted and tucked away under a high collar. The plaque is not small, and a slender neck does better on a cord. The chain is a separate fitting clipped to a small ring, which makes it easy to change.

The grooves between scales and plates are shallow, and soap mixed with sweat leaves white traces in them. Wash with warm water and a little neutral detergent, work a soft brush in circles, then rinse and dry at once; do not leave it soaking. The back rests against the skin and in summer leaves a ring of sweat, which is the normal reaction of copper — wipe it off, there is no need for oil. When it is not being worn, wrap it in soft cloth and do not pile it in a box with other jewellery.