Obsidian Bagua Necklace

An obsidian octagon, the taiji at its centre and the eight trigrams around it.

The bagua is the guarding symbol of feng shui, eight trigrams set around the still point where yin turns into yang. Carved in obsidian it borrows the stone's own reputation, volcanic glass, long kept for protection and for holding the attention steady. Where a bagua mirror is hung over a door to meet whatever comes toward the house, a pendant is the same idea carried on the body.

It comes on a black bead chain and is hung from a rear-view mirror as often as it is worn. A common choice in the year of one's own zodiac animal, when tradition says a little extra guarding is wise.