White Copper Laozi Relief Necklace

Taishang Laojun is the title Laozi took on after he was made a god. Daoism honours him as its ancestral teacher, the Tang imperial house claimed him as kin, and the honorifics grew longer with each generation. Images are mostly seated, sometimes on an ox, holding a fan or a ruyi, with the white beard down to the chest. Laozi’s image does not stress authority; it aims at stillness, the eyes and brows turned down. Whether this relief is a head or a full figure is not spelled out on the page, so check the piece itself.

In relief the face is the hardest part. Raise the nose and cheekbones a little and the light gives it life; leave them flat and the whole face smears into one plane. Brows and beard are cut as incised lines, and those lines must be fine, since thick ones look drawn on. Robes can be simplified; the face cannot. Copper takes half a millimetre of difference in height and turns it into a different effect under light. The mould cutter saves the eyes for the last pass: deepen them and the face comes alive.

On cupronickel the bright passages carry the expression and the dark ones carry the volume. Polish too much and the features scatter; leave a little satin and the gaze holds. Left alone, the metal warms toward the colour of an old brass lock, a change some people look for. The risk is a heavy hand, since forehead and nose tip darken first from touching. Wipe along the forms rather than across them. Aged versions are another matter, with the hollows meant to stay black.

This is a finished necklace: the chain is supplied and it goes on straight out of the box. The pendant is not small, and it holds its own with a crew neck or a V neck, while a turtleneck will press a mark. The clasp sits at the side, and long hair will catch it when you turn. Chain length is fixed; if it is short, add an extension in a matching copper, since a mismatch shows at a glance. The loop at the top should be soldered shut, because an open loop spreads with wear. Wear it face out, and don’t let it turn against the clothes.

It suits an older relative, especially one who is not religious but respects the old ways. Don’t say it brings safety; say it is an old subject, well made, and the recipient will be comfortable. Put a slip of paper in the box saying who Taishang Laojun is, which saves explaining later. Some will find the subject old-fashioned, and that usually means the wrong clothes: a dark jacket settles it. The price is for the work, not for the god, and that is worth saying out loud.