White Copper Five Jambhalas Enamel Barrel Bead Spacer

Enamel means filling a groove in a copper body with glass paste and firing until the surface flows level. The cloisonné branch first lays out the outline in fine copper wire and then fills it, and after the Ming it acquired the popular name Jingtai blue. Colour comes from mineral oxides, and each firing shrinks the fill, so it is built up over several passes. Three fills and three firings is normal, and any firing can blow a bubble. Small pinholes in the surface are normal; a large one is a reject. A white ground is the hardest, since it hides nothing.

A barrel bead is flat at both ends and bulges in the middle, and its bore is longer than a round bead’s. The length keeps it straight on the cord, which makes it the steadiest of spacers. Both ends have to be ground flat; if they aren’t, the bead sits against the main bead at an angle and the strand runs crooked. The shape doesn’t roll, so once positioned it stays. The mouths are chamfered, since enamel edges are brittle and the chamfer protects the glaze. One barrel covers the width of two round beads, so count length rather than pieces.

This set divides the five as Wang Hai at the centre, Zhao Gongming north, Guan Yu west and Bi Gan east. The current colourways have no southern figure, so completing the five means finding one elsewhere. Read the names before buying rather than guessing from memory. Wang Hai is the patron of merchants, Zhao Gongming the martial wealth god, Guan Yu stands for trust, and Bi Gan is said to have no heart. Each has a story, and together they make a set. The south is usually Chai Rong; this set lacks him, and saying so saves a customer waiting.

A white ground shows the enamel colours, and a yellow ground holds gold lines. White sits cleanly with pale beads, yellow steadily with dark wood. Enamel suffers by comparison, so don’t surround one bright piece with more bright pieces. No more than three enamelled pieces in a strand, or it looks like sweets. Mixing barrels with rounds keeps the rhythm from going dull. Silver fittings fight with it, while cupronickel, wood and nut shell all sit well. When choosing colour, lay the whole strand on the table and compare bead by bead, which is more reliable than holding it in the hand.

Enamel fears knocks. A chipped patch cannot be repaired, only replaced. String enamelled pieces where they won’t be struck, away from metal spacers. Wipe with a soft cloth and don’t pick at the edges with a nail. Take it off to shower, since hot water and soap dull the glaze. Store it in its own small bag, not mixed with copper, whose edges do the damage. A chip exposes the copper underneath, and exposed copper turns green where you can’t watch it.