The Chinese Linking Rings Enamor Magicians in the Philippines
I’m one magician in the Philippines who love many things Chinese…
I love Chinese food, Chinese chop sticks, and the classic of magic, the Chinese Linking Rings.
There are two qualities I look for when choosing a Chinese linking-ring set.
One, the sound the rings make. They must make a noise (symphonies to my ears) loud enough to be heard above the din of the performing area or from the back row. The sound must also have a resonance that pleases the ears.
Two, the rings must have that buffed or polished look (I had my first set of rings nickel-plated for good measure).
The shiny appearance of the rings is extremely important if you want to perform Richard Ross’s slow-motion linking and unlinking sequence. Because the light bouncing off the rings confuses the eye, the spectator’s inability to tell when the actual linking or unlinking happens strengthens the illusion.
Several years ago, a friend showed me his three-ring aluminum set with a magnetic key ring. To put it bluntly, I didn’t like it. It was not my ideal linking rings set. They were a little pricey, too. Being made of aluminum, they didn’t have the buffed appearance I was looking for that would make the linking and unlinking deceptive.
Then too, they didn’t make as much noise as I’d like them to. Additionally, they were very light in weight, a feature (and a selling point capitalized by dealers) whose importance I could not fathom until now. Unless one is physically feeble or would want to add a floating sequence to his linking rings routine, why would a performer want to use featherweight rings is beyond me.
I remember marveling at the magnetic key ring, which I thought was cute. Just the same, it struck me as a newfangled curiosity. It served no real purpose except to try to deceive magicians who know about magnetic key rings, anyway.
Other performers will find good use for that set, I’m sure. But for me, I’d stick with my eight-ring set. It allows me to perform not only a full eight-ring routine but also two-ring, four-ring and six-ring routines. That’s a lot of routines from a single set.
Today magicians in the Philippines have a field day buying cheap Chinese linking rings in Divisoria. These sets have the right polish and weight. They give out the right symphonic clinks. The magnets are strong and reliable. For the non-magnetic type, the gimmick is so precise you can actually hand the key ring to members of the audience for inspection. Above all the, the price of these sets is cheap—so cheap even the mere curious can afford to buy them.
These Chinese Linking Rings in Divisoria are made in, (where else?), China.
Stay magical,
