White Copper As Commanded Sword Ring Adjustable Ring

"As the law commands" is the closing formula of a Han dynasty official document, meaning carry it out according to statute. Daoist spells borrowed the phrasing and set a doubled urgent in front of it, which turned it into an instruction to hurry. The sword ring takes the look of that written order. On Han bamboo slips the three characters usually sit at the signature, in the respectful tone of a subordinate addressing a superior. Later talismanic practice requisitioned the formula, and it began to read as a command to spirits. Sword and order together are an old folk recipe for a protective object. The characters on the ring face are cut small and the strokes are dense, so few people can read them.

The face is shaped as a sword, and guard, ridge and tip all have to be accounted for in a small area. A ridge with two planes keeps the light alive; flatten it and it is a thin strip. The tip is the hardest: rounded and it loses its force, sharpened and it catches clothing. The face is narrow, so the strokes of the characters have to be reduced to the minimum. If there isn’t width, don’t force a pattern in, since the blank space looks better. The grip is the narrowest section and tends to come up short in casting, so it is filled during finishing.

The opening adjusts by bending. Copper is tough and will close slowly to the finger, but bend it abruptly and it cracks. Try it on the finger while adjusting rather than taking it off and working by feel, since half a millimetre is the difference between comfortable and tight. Offset the two ends slightly; lined up, they pinch. Once set, remember the position and don’t move it again. Fatigue comes on gradually: it bends today and may crack tomorrow. An open ring is not for daily wear, so give the copper a few days’ rest.

Tip outward is the common way; tip inward is said by some to be unlucky, and opinions differ. Take it off for work, because the sword has edges and will press into your grip. Washing your hands is fine, since cupronickel doesn’t mind water; dry it afterwards. The inside is polished so that it turns without rubbing between the fingers. Fingers swell in summer, so don’t force it on in the morning. The face goes on the back of the hand so that the characters show; worn the other way, all you have is a ridge. The index finger is where most people wear a sword shape, for the visibility.

Worn long, the inside of a copper ring brightens, which is polishing and not loss of colour. Dirt collects in the pattern outside; clean it with a soft cloth wrapped round a toothpick. Store it separately, not on a keyring. Soap left in the seams dulls it, so rinse and dry. Some people treat it as a protective object; the shop says only that it is a pattern and leaves the rest alone. The band is thin, so don’t use it to pry anything, because it deforms and a deformed band doesn’t come back. In a heavy-sweat summer, wipe it every couple of days and the face stays bright.