Description
A strand of golden obsidian beads, 12 millimetres across, and at its centre a Pixiu carved from the same stone, its relief picked out in gold. This is the largest bracelet in the range, and it is not looking to be discreet.
The Pixiu is a creature of Chinese mythology, a winged lion with a dragon’s body. Feng shui tradition gives it an appetite for wealth and no way of passing anything out, hence the idea that it keeps whatever it swallows, and the habit of wearing it facing away from the wrist. I report the tradition, I do not endorse it: it is a belief, not a mechanism. What I can say is that the carving is clean and that the details of the muzzle come out sharply.
The centrepiece is cut from obsidian, not cast in gilded metal. The difference shows in two places: the material is cold and heavy in the hand, and the gold is only a highlight laid into the hollows of the relief, not a layer covering everything. A Pixiu in gilded alloy costs less and shines more; this one keeps the black of the stone everywhere the chisel has not cut. The obsidian varieties explain what makes the golden sheen of the beads particular.
The reservation is weight and highlight. Twelve millimetres over 17 cm, plus the centrepiece, comes to nearly 50 g: that is heavy, you feel it all day, and it does not suit every wrist. And the gold in the hollows is a surface highlight: it will wear on the most prominent edges of the relief after a few years of daily wear. The black of the stone does not move.
Crystal lore ties obsidian to grounding, and feng shui gives the Pixiu the role of a guardian. None of that is proven, and no piece of jewellery heals anything. I have gathered separately what tradition attributes to obsidian, in the conditional from start to finish. The other bracelets are here.
- Real golden obsidian, round 12 mm beads with a copper sheen.
- Pixiu carved from the stone, relief picked out in gold, not a metal casting.
- Hand-strung in France on braided elastic cord, no clasp.
- The heaviest in the range at about 50 g: try it before making it an everyday piece.
What to know before you wear it
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The specifications
- Stone
- Golden obsidian, volcanic glass
- Bead diameter
- 12 mm
- Centrepiece
- Pixiu carved from obsidian, gold highlight
- Wrist size
- 17 to 19 cm, elastic
- Stringing
- Braided elastic cord, no clasp
- Weight
- About 50 g
- Stone origin
- Mexico
- Gender
- Unisex
- Brand
- Bijoux Obsidienne
Why the centrepiece is stone and not metal
On a carved piece the point that breaks is never the one you expect. It is not the wings or the ears, which are short and thick, it is the drilling: the hole runs right through the body over nearly three centimetres, and since obsidian is a glass, a bit that heats up shatters the exit of the hole. Pieces drilled too fast arrive cracked inside, and the crack only shows under a lamp. I check every Pixiu by holding it in raking light before stringing it.
The catalogue already holds a Pixiu bracelet, in black obsidian and on finer beads. This one is its opposite on the three points that matter: the stone is golden, the beads are 12 mm instead of 8, and the creature is larger. If you hesitate, take the other one for a slim wrist or for daily wear, and this one if you want it seen. Both are here.
A Pixiu does not break at the wings. It breaks at the hole, and that only shows under a lamp.
Obsidian does not mind water, but it chips on impact. On a carved piece one knock on a prominent angle is enough. Take the bracelet off before exercising and never rub the gold highlight with an abrasive cloth: it comes off. A soft dry cloth, never an ultrasonic bath. Cleaning an obsidian piece covers the rest.
