"Pouring Prosperity" Pendant

December 2013
14 karat yellow gold, glass enamel

The character in the center of this striking pendant is 福 (fú), which can be translated as prosperity, blessings or luck.  The informed observer will note that the character itself is upside-down, which is by design.  In Chinese culture, inverting the character is known as 福倒 (fúdào) which literally means "upside-down prosperity."  However, the character 倒 can also mean "to pour," so the implication of the inverted character means that blessings are pouring over one and one's family.  Finally, 倒 is also a homonym for the character 到, which means "to arrive"—further implying that prosperity is imminent.

You may have seen the character 福 positioned this way in gold ink on a piece of red paper (red and gold also being symbols of prosperity) in a restaurant or other business, but the 福倒 is especially popular at Chinese New Year when people are wishing themselves and each other a prosperous year to come.

Dimensions: 0.75" x 0.75"
14k yellow gold & glass enamel
Chain included (chain is gold-plated, not solid gold, to keep cost lower)