Like a written or spoken language, symbols in Chinese art are a means of communication. The shou character, or ideogram, means "long life." According to traditional beliefs, the presence of a given visual symbol could have a specific, desired effect on the life of the bearer. This stylized shou symbol is adapted from a Chinese necklace in the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.
Diameter 3/4", Height 1 5/8"