Description
A gold-plated Pixiu, framed by two chased ball beads, on a strand of perfectly smooth 10 millimetre black obsidian beads. Nothing else. All the work is at the centre, and the rest keeps quiet.
Obsidian is a volcanic glass, a lava cooled too fast to crystallise. With no internal structure, it polishes like optical glass, and a well-polished 10 millimetre bead returns a crisp reflection. On this model that is exactly what is asked of it: to make a dark, even ground that disputes nothing with the gold centre. The obsidian guide tells that story.
The catalogue offers a neighboring version where the beads are engraved with the mantra and highlighted in gold. It is richer and busier. This one makes the opposite choice: one zone of relief, the rest at rest. It is easier to wear every day, and it ages better visually, because a busy piece goes out of fashion faster than a quiet one. Both are here.
The reservation is the plating, as on every gold piece in the range. A few microns of gold over an alloy, which wear on the ridge of the Pixiu’s back and on the belt of the ball beads after one to two years of daily wear. Grey metal then appears on the edges. The obsidian beads, for their part, will be intact in twenty years, and that is the normal imbalance of this kind of assembly.
Crystal lore ties obsidian to grounding, and feng shui credits the Pixiu with a guardian’s role, worn facing outward from the wrist. 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.
- Genuine black obsidian, round 10 mm beads polished to a mirror, no engraving.
- Pixiu and two chased ball beads in gold-plated metal.
- One zone of relief: the quietest model in the Pixiu family.
- Hand-strung in France on braided elastic cord, no clasp.
What to know before you wear it
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The specifications
- Stone
- Black obsidian, volcanic glass
- Bead diameter
- 10 mm
- Center piece
- Pixiu in gold-plated metal
- Trim
- Two chased gold-plated ball beads
- Wrist size
- 17 to 19 cm / 6 3/4 to 7 1/2 in, elastic
- Stringing
- Braided elastic cord, no clasp
- Weight
- About 32 g / 1.1 oz
- Stone origin
- Mexico
- Gender
- Unisex
- Brand
- Bijoux Obsidienne
One zone of relief, and the rest at rest
A strand of smooth beads around a piece in relief calls for stricter sorting than an engraved strand, and that is counterintuitive. Engraving breaks the light and hides small polishing flaws; a smooth bead shows everything, and the slightest tool mark shows all the more for sitting next to a bright object that draws the eye. So on this model I set aside beads I would accept elsewhere.
This model exists because the engraved version is too much for many wrists. Between a gold Pixiu and sixteen beads covered in gold characters, the eye no longer knows where to go. Take the engraving away and the creature becomes the subject again. Both are here and the obsidian guide explains the stone.
A smooth bead next to a bright object shows everything. Here I set aside beads I would accept on an engraved strand.
Obsidian does not mind water, but gold plating wears faster with soap and perfume. Take the bracelet off before the shower and never rub the Pixiu with an abrasive cloth. A soft dry cloth, never an ultrasonic bath. Cleaning an obsidian piece covers the rest.
