Beckoning cat (maneki-neko) · resin with glitter

A beckoning cat — Japanese maneki-neko — in dark resin with glitter cast into it: the right paw raised, a collar with a bell and a pendant around its neck.

The gesture is not a wave in the western sense but the Japanese hand sign for «come here» — palm forward, fingers down. Which paw is up makes a difference: the right one calls money, the left one customers. This one raises the right. That is why in Japanese shops it stands next to the till.

The bright specks in the dark surface are glitter particles stirred into the resin during casting — they sit in the material, not on it, and cannot be rubbed off. In raking light the whole surface flashes. Resin also means: unbothered by damp and not as breakable as ceramic, but lighter than stone and sensitive to constant full sun.

• Maneki-neko, right paw raised
• Resin, dyed dark
• Glitter cast into the material
• Collar with bell and pendant
• Stands without tipping

Good. No chips, no cracks, the paw undamaged. The surface shows fine marks of use, the glitter is present throughout. Do not stand it in permanent sun — resin yellows over the years.