Copper Taiji Bagua Ring

The eight trigrams are arranged in two schemes, Earlier Heaven and Later Heaven. Earlier Heaven takes Qian in the south and Kun in the north as its axis and is about opposition; Later Heaven takes Li in the south and Kan in the north and is about circulation. Rings usually carry the Earlier Heaven arrangement, Qian at the top and Kun at the bottom. The taiji diagram did not always look as it does either. Two fish, one black and one white, folded into each other with an eye in each, is a form fixed comparatively late. A trigram is read from the bottom up, the lowest line being the first; that order cannot be reversed.

The taiji sits at the centre, the two fish locked together, one eye black and one white. Around it runs the eight trigrams, line by line: Qian three unbroken, Kun six broken pieces, with very narrow gaps between. Small characters are set between one trigram and the next, thinner than the lines themselves, and they need a close look. The whole face is a shallow relief with nothing standing far above the rest. The face is curved, and the taiji and trigrams follow the curve rather than sitting on a flat sheet. The eyes of the fish are two small pits filled with a dark colour.

Fine lines are the hardest thing to cast. A trigram line is a horizontal bar a few hair-widths across; let the melt run slowly and it breaks, run it fast and it smears. On this piece the lines run through without a gap, and where a line is broken the space left is even. The characters are finer still, and their edges are a little soft, which is the normal state of fine-line casting.

Two versions are offered, one in brass and one listed simply as a taiji and bagua ring, paler in colour. Contrast on the pale one is weak, so it has to be turned to the light; the brass reads strongly and looks like a band of pattern from a distance. Darker skin carries the brass more brightly, while paler skin suits the white one's plainer look. Two on one hand do not clash, one to each side. The pale piece greys over time and the brass moves toward dark brown.

The inside of the band is polished and carries no pattern, so that it does not chafe. Copper takes on an oily dark sheen with long wear, and that layer should not be scrubbed off with toothpaste, which leaves the colour patchy. If you want it bright, press it with a silver cloth rather than rubbing back and forth. Store it on its own: stacked against other metal, the fine trigram lines are the first thing to wear flat. Hand soap left in the grooves dries white, so rinse and wipe.