South Red Agate Guan Yu Figure Pendant

Guan Yu is an emperor in the temple and a marquis in the histories, and the two faces do not quite match. In the Wanli years of the Ming he was titled Great Emperor Who Subdues Demons in the Three Realms, and the martial temple stood alongside the Confucian one; after that the escort agencies, the trading houses, and the martial schools all took him as their guardian. The temple image has one hand smoothing the beard and one resting on the Spring and Autumn Annals, which is the civil side. The wealth-god business grew out of two words, trust and righteousness. Merchants bow to him for the not-cheating.

Southern red agate is not one red. Persimmon red runs warm, cherry red runs bright, and the ice-floating material is translucent; a single block will shift colour across its width. With a figure, the one thing to avoid is mottling in the face, so the cleanest part of the block is reserved for the face and the red veins and water lines are pushed out into the folds of the robe. Every carver works this way. When buying, look at the face first; if the face is clean, the rest can be discussed. Thickness is part of the colour as well: the same red looks deeper in a thick piece and more transparent in a thin one.

The difficulty with a figure is the hands and the beard. A hand made too small becomes a lump, and a beard cut too fine snaps after a few wears. Southern red is agate — hard enough, but brittle, and a fine projection that meets a table corner loses a chip. That is why the robe is cut in deep planes rather than fine lines: the mass carries the strength. A chip cannot be filled, only re-cut, and re-cutting reaches the face. Carvers say to make fewer cuts, because too many and the face goes stiff. It is the same rule as seal carving.

Pendant or necklace, the difference is the chain. A figure plaque has real thickness, and a fine chain makes it look as though it is dragging. An O-chain or a box chain carries the weight properly. If the hole is drilled at the top of the head, keep the knot small, or it sits over the crown and shows as a lump from the front. The back of the plaque lies against the chest, so wipe it every few days in summer. Chains stretch with use; replace the whole chain rather than joining it section by section.

Giving Guan Yu has its occasions. Opening a shop, moving an office, sworn brotherhood — all fit. For an elder it is fine, but say clearly that it is to wear, not to worship. Some people will not carry a deity on the body, and then do not press: give plain southern red beads instead. That is how a sale lasts. If the recipient asks whether a date should be chosen, answer that it comes as it comes, which is steadier than mystique. Southern red dislikes heat, so keep it off a radiator and do not wear it into a sauna.