White Copper Daoist Script Totem Open Ring

Six designs laid out in a row, each named with a phrase out of Daoist usage: the ten thousand taboo characters of thunder, the nine deities that accompany you, heaven and earth at peace, the four treasuries setting out, the seven luminaries setting out, the five directions welcoming prosperity. Each name has a source, and which one you take depends on which line you recognise. A long name has to be set in several rows on the face, because characters cannot be crowded. Whether the face takes one line or two follows the count: force it and it clogs. The six also differ in the depth of the cutting, so compare them, since the deeper ones wear better.

The seven luminaries are the sun and moon plus the five planets, the seven of old astronomy; the five directions in folk usage are east, west, south, north and centre, and welcoming prosperity means income arriving from all five. The ten thousand taboo characters and the nine deities belong to the taboo-script system, where the characters are not meant to be read but seen. Thunder is a common opening word in Daoist text. Taboo characters must not be altered: change one stroke and it becomes another character. A narrow face suits a smaller hand; a wide one needs long fingers, or it sits heavy.

The advantage of an open ring is that the size has some give. A text totem is cut on the face, where width is limited and strokes cannot be crowded; crowd them and it is a blur at arm’s length. Hold the ring out at arm’s length when choosing: if you can still read it, it is cut clearly. The strokes should be straight and even in depth, with no breaks when light rakes across them. Round off the two ends of the opening so they do not dig into the base of the fingers. And do not lift anything heavy in an open ring, because it deforms, and once deformed it will not close.

White copper runs cool. Filling the recessed characters dark and polishing the raised ones are two approaches with two different characters: the dark fill is steady, the polished is bright. With large knuckles, keep the opening at the side of the finger so it goes on without pain. A wide face on a short finger sits heavy, so take the narrow. Polish the face bright and the dark of the characters stands out against it. Worn for years, white copper warms, unlike the cold of silver; it begins to look like an old thing.

A ring like this chooses its owner. Those who believe know which design they want; those who do not can wear it as a pattern, and that is fine too. Do not make promises on the customer’s behalf — explain what each name refers to and let them decide. Set all six out together and most people reach for the shortest name first. It is not a ring to wash dishes in: soap lodges in the cuts and dries white. It makes a good small gift, one design each, so no two are alike.