Red String Jade Wu Lou Bracelet - Hetian Jade Charm

A hand-braided red string bracelet with a carved green Hetian jade gourd at the centre. The gourd is the Wu Lou, the Feng Shui symbol of health and long life, and the red cord is the older Chinese charm for warding off bad luck. Two traditions on one wrist.

What is a Wu Lou?

A Wu Lou is a bottle gourd, and in Chinese tradition it is the emblem of health and long life. The shape comes from the real plant: narrow at the waist, round at both ends, hollow inside. Dried gourds were carried for centuries as medicine bottles and water flasks, which is how the object came to stand for healing and for a long life. In Feng Shui it is one of the oldest symbols still in everyday use, and it is usually placed where health matters most, by a bedside or worn on the body.

What does a Wu Lou bracelet mean?

Wearing a Wu Lou is a way of keeping the wish for health and long life close rather than leaving it on a shelf. The tradition holds that the gourd's narrow waist draws things in and its hollow body holds them, which is why it turns up as a charm rather than only as an ornament. It is worn as a symbol and nothing more; it is not a remedy and it is not a substitute for medical care.

What is Hetian jade?

Hetian jade is nephrite from the Hotan region of Xinjiang, the material Chinese carvers have prized above all others for roughly three thousand years. It is denser and tougher than most stone used in jewellery, which is why it takes a fine carved detail like this gourd and keeps it. This one is a green nephrite with natural variation through it, so the exact depth of colour and the pattern differ from piece to piece. No two charms are identical, and the one in the photographs is a representative example rather than the one you will receive.

Which wrist do you wear it on?

Wear it on your left wrist. In Chinese and Feng Shui tradition the left is the receiving side, the one you take things in through, so a charm you want working for you goes there. If you wear a watch on the left, the right is fine. The tradition is a tradition, not a rule, and plenty of people simply wear it on whichever hand feels right.

Will it fit?

One size, and it adjusts. The two braided cord ends slide through the knot, so you pull them apart to open the bracelet over your hand and draw them together to close it snug. There is no clasp to fasten and nothing to size beforehand. The jade gourd itself is about 12 x 8mm, roughly a thumbnail, with a small gold-tone bead on either side.

How do you look after jade and red string?

Keep it dry. Take it off before showering, swimming or washing up, and keep perfume, hand cream and hand sanitiser off the cord, which is the part that ages first. Wipe the jade with a soft dry cloth. Nephrite is tough but not unbreakable, so rest it somewhere it will not be knocked against a hard edge. A red cord worn every day will soften and fade in time, and most people take that as a sign it has been worn properly.

Details

• Carved green Hetian jade Wu Lou gourd, approx. 12 x 8mm
• Hand-braided red cord with gold-tone accent beads
• Adjustable sliding knot, no clasp
• Natural stone, so colour and pattern vary from piece to piece
• Unisex

A charm is a way of keeping an intention somewhere you will see it. This one is small enough to forget you are wearing, until you notice it.