01Arabesque Medicine Wheel in sterling silver, front view, with karakusa engraving

Arabesque Medicine Wheel

£75.00 A few left

Dispatched within two working days, tracked and signed.

The ring engraved by hand with karakusa (唐草模様), the scrolling vine pattern long used on Japanese cloth and pottery. That engraving is the whole difference between this and the plain wheel.

The wheel itself is the Sacred Hoop of the Plains traditions: the circle for the pattern of life and death, the cross for the path of the sun meeting the path of a person. Shun reads the cross as the four Ls, so this one holds all four energies at once.

Sam’s note

At Goro's the wheel is worn to the right of the chest, with the eagle hook set so the bird is flying upward.

Specification

19mm diameter
2.2g
Sterling silver (0.925 silver)
Sits at the clasp, hangs as a pendant, or gathers a rope behind a row of feathers
Jump ring included
Fits all chain sizes
Handmade in Tokyo, Japan

As each item is fully handmade, it may differ slightly from the picture and small imperfections may be present.

These items are crafted in Tokyo, Japan and are therefore not hallmarked. The purity of the silver is personally guaranteed by this store's owner and Katou Shun.

Care

Made to age

The silver darkens as you wear it. That is the point, not a fault to fix.

It goes fastest in the stamped lines, which is where most of the detail sits, so the pattern reads more clearly the longer you own it.

If you would rather have it bright, a polishing cloth brings the shine back. Silver dips and chemical cleaners are faster, but they lift the dark out of those lines as well and take the detail with it.

In Japan an almost black patina is read as a sign of long use. This work is made to age.

The chains fasten with a hook rather than a lobster clasp, so take yours off before swimming or bathing.