Copper White Crane Boy Three-hole Bead Set

The White Crane Boy is a disciple of the Old Man of the South Pole in the Investiture of the Gods, a messenger who runs errands; he appears seldom, but always at a critical point. He is a character in a novel, not a temple deity, so do not mix him up with any Buddha or bodhisattva. The Old Man of the South Pole is the god of longevity of folk usage, and the White Crane Boy passes on his messages; his standing is that of an attendant, not a principal god. Novels of gods and demons are full of such boys, whose job is to carry orders down from above.

The crane is a bird of the immortals in Daoism. There are many stories of riding a crane and of turning into one, and crane with pine means long life. A crane’s shape depends on a long neck, long legs and a long beak; shorten any one and it stops being a crane. On a plaque the crane is usually in profile with one leg drawn up, which is how a crane stands. The red on the crown is sometimes there and sometimes not: with it, the bird catches the eye; without, it is plainer. Crane legs are thin and break in casting, and a break needs a piece spliced in.

A three-hole set is one three-hole bead plus fittings. The holes matter most: the straight hole must be true, and the side hole must meet it at a right angle — off a little and the whole strand hangs crooked. This piece is copper, warm yellow in tone, softer than white copper, and the hole edges wear larger over a year, so the cord shifts and the beads loosen. The straight hole has to match the bead’s hole size; half a size off and the cord wears. Spacers in the set should be the same colour as the bead; one shade off and it looks pieced together.

New copper shines with a red cast, darkens with time, and ends under a brown film. Some dislike the look and scrub it hard with a cloth; it comes up bright, but the even darkness is gone and you are left with patches. The pleasure of copper is in that change, and it cannot be hurried. Do not use a silver polishing cloth on copper — the cloth carries powder and leaves white streaks. Wiping it down after wearing it in summer is worth more than any treatment.

Who buys this? People who work with strands and want a top bead with a figure on it; and readers of the Investiture who recognize the White Crane Boy and smile. As a gift, it is not quite right for an elder; for a contemporary, or a friend who strings beads, it is exactly right. I do not talk about protection — say that and it turns vulgar. Some buy it to go with an old strand of their own, saying copper’s warm tone holds down dark wood.