{"product_id":"obsidian-buddha-protection-necklace","title":"Half Face Buddha Protection Necklace","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe carver stopped at the middle of the face.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne eye, one brow, half a nose, half a mouth. Everything to the right of that centre line is plain polished stone and was never going to be anything else. \u003cstrong\u003eThis is not an unfinished carving.\u003c\/strong\u003e It is liubai (留白), the leaving of blank space, the same principle that makes a Chinese ink painting mostly empty paper. The empty part is doing work: you already know what a Buddha looks like, so the carving only has to give you enough.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe hair is the tight spiral curls, luoji (螺髻), each one cut with its own small turn. The eye is closed and turned down. It is not looking at you, which is the whole intention of a Buddha face.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBlack obsidian is the protection stone in Chinese practice\u003c\/strong\u003e, worn to take the edge off whatever is coming at you rather than to draw anything in. It is volcanic glass, which is why it takes a polish like this and why the cut surface turns matte grey. The strand is round obsidian beads on braided cord, with a single bead painted in gold Sanskrit sitting above the pendant.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFor anyone who wants a Buddha they can wear to work.\u003c\/strong\u003e From across a room it reads as a plain black tablet. It only resolves into a face when someone is close enough to be talking to you.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after obsidian\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eObsidian is glass. It will chip if you drop it on tile and it will scuff if you keep it loose in a pocket with keys, and nothing else bothers it. Wipe it with a soft cloth. The matte face will darken very slightly over the years where fingers rest on it, which most people end up liking.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStone:\u003c\/strong\u003e Black obsidian\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCarving:\u003c\/strong\u003e Buddha face to the center line, blank polished field beside it\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFinish:\u003c\/strong\u003e Matte on the carved face, gloss on the blank half and the hair\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLength:\u003c\/strong\u003e About 45cm \/ 18in\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStrand:\u003c\/strong\u003e Round obsidian beads on braided cord, with one gold-lettered bead\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNote:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hand carved, so the face varies a little piece to piece\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Earth Tibet","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52561179509038,"sku":"\u003cnone\u003e","price":38.39,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/4807\/7102\/files\/half-buddha-protection-necklace-6.webp?v=1788422060","url":"https:\/\/www.earthtibet.com\/products\/obsidian-buddha-protection-necklace","provider":"Earth Tibet","version":"1.0","type":"link"}