White Copper Middle Jambhala Wealth Talisman Pendant

The central route belongs to Zhao Gongming, the chief seat among the five directions. East, south, west and north each have their own name, and the centre sits above them keeping the whole account. That is why a centre plaque is usually worn on its own rather than assembled with all four: gathered into a set, the hierarchy muddles and the wearer cannot say which piece is the principal one. People do buy five at once over the counter, and my line is always the same — wear the centre first, the four directions can wait. A plaque cut with nothing but the character for wealth wears worse than one cut with a talisman script; the word is too plain to hold a rectangle up.

The form is a vertical rectangle, ridged or pierced at the top and squared off at the bottom. The script on the face is not decorative lettering done offhand: it has an entry stroke and an exit stroke, and over it the seal-head of the Three Pure Ones. The carver traces from a pattern book, and one stroke off course sends the whole plaque back to the crucible. Work like that is slow — a few pieces a day at best, and it will not be hurried. On a rush job every stroke is round at the edges, which gives it away. Whether the seal-head sits true shows in those three strokes at the top: off centre by a little and the whole plaque leans.

Cast white copper will turn the corners of the script, but it rounds the fine passages. To keep a sharp corner you leave stock in the mold and cut it back after the piece comes out. That dressing takes longer than the polishing does, and it is the reason two plaques of the same size can sit at different prices. Examine stock with the light raking across it and the difference is plain: a dressed character carries tool marks, uneven in depth. Cheap pieces are sand-cast, the strokes collapse into one another, and blowholes hide in the hollows and go black after a while against the skin.

On wearing, a wealth plaque asks for very little ceremony. Against the skin is fine; taking it off for a shower is to protect the metal, not to avoid giving offence. When the cord breaks, replace it, and avoid a cheap red one — the dye bleeds and leaves a pink stain across the face that will not wipe out. In hot weather the back, where it touches skin, will go dull, which is normal; dry it and leave it, and do not attack it with toothpaste. Keep the knot high on the back of the plaque so it lies flat to the chest instead of swinging side to side.

Opening a shop is the commonest occasion. For an opening this is more use than a display piece, which eats counter space while a plaque stays on the body. Say something about things running smooth and stop there; do not promise takings. Anyone actually in business understands that the plaque is the plaque and the ledger is the ledger. A plain box is better than a red one — red is loud and overpowers the colour of the copper. If the person receiving it does not hold with any of this, it still stands as a piece of copperwork, and the making is not a loss. Asked whether it can be slept in, the answer is yes: it is thin, and it will not press.