White Copper Vajra Relief Pinky Ring

A pinky ring goes on the little finger. The finger is thin, so a wide face turns to the side, and turned to the side the carving cannot be seen however good it is. This one is made narrow, sitting right at the base, with the vajra standing along the finger, so it does not flip easily. The band is small and hard to resize, so try it properly before buying. The little finger moves little, so the face does not wear — that is in its favour. On an open design, measure the thinnest part of the base, not the knuckle.

The prong count has meaning: one prong for the single reality, three for the three bodies, five for the five wisdoms, nine for the nine vehicles. The more prongs, the harder at ring scale; five is the upper limit for a small piece, and beyond that the gaps between prongs disappear and it becomes a solid lump. On a five-prong vajra the central prong must be true — off a little and the whole thing leans. The gaps are where you read the work: even gaps, steady work.

The middle of the shaft draws to a waist, the ends gather the prongs, tips pointing out. The waist is the thinnest part of the whole and the likeliest to break in casting; pull it wrong coming out of the mould and it snaps inside. When inspecting, hold both ends and flex gently: any odd sound means a crack inside. Whether the tips point up or down depends on the direction of the face; pointing down they dig into the back of the hand. The curve of the waist should run smooth — raise a ridge and it looks stiff.

Adjustable means it can be bent. Bend at the two sides of the gap, not by gripping the face and forcing it: the face is relief and will distort under load. Fatigue on white copper shows at the bend of the opening as a fine white line, and once you see it, stop bending. Put it on from the fingertip sideways; it is easier than pushing. Do not bend it on a rainy day — the metal is cold, the feel is gritty, and it is easy to overdo. Use both hands; one hand bends it crooked.

A pinky ring is a small piece of calculation in menswear; one is enough, and wearing one on each hand is a mess. Worn with a watch on the same hand, look at the strap colour: a silver strap goes with white copper, a gold strap with copper. As a gift, first make sure the person wears rings at all — some are not comfortable with anything on the little finger. It can go on the index finger instead, same idea. Something on the little finger will feel in the way at a keyboard, and that is the truth of it.