Red String Bracelet with Obsidian Hulu

A red cord braided in the vajra knot, with a small obsidian hulu.

The red string is the oldest protective charm in Chinese dress, tied on at a birth year, a wedding, or the start of something uncertain. The hulu (葫芦), the calabash gourd, is the vessel that holds good fortune in and keeps trouble out, which is why it hangs over doorways and, here, on the wrist. Cut in obsidian, volcanic glass long kept for grounding, it sits small and dark against the red.

Made in a men's and a women's wrist size, and often bought as a pair.