Brass White Zircon Rhombus Spacer

A diamond is a square stood on its point, with the four corners up, down, left and right. The shape is conspicuous on a strand because the outline is not round, and it is recognizable at a glance among round beads. The points have to be rounded off; too sharp and they snag sweaters and scratch the side of the neck. The waist line runs through the middle, so it hangs symmetrical. The four sides should be equal, since unequal sides look wrong, like a lean. Points left unrounded catch going on and coming off.

Brass base with a white zircon face. White zircon has no color of its own and depends on the facets to reflect, so it is gray-white in weak light and only bright in strong light. The warm brass underneath holds that cold light, and one warm against one cold wears better than all white or all yellow. There is no need to be fussy about clarity on white zircon, since inclusions do not show at this size and what matters is whether the cut is true. The fire of white zircon is on the cold side, which contrasts well with brass and goes flat against white copper.

The two faces of a diamond are angled, and the settings are cut into those angles, so the prongs have to be pressed along the slope. Press badly and a corner of the stone lifts, and a lifted corner catches thread worst of all. Before buying, check that all four corners of the stone sit down; one corner up means the setting was never pressed home. Four prongs lift more easily than six because the force divides less evenly. Prongs left too long catch stockings, so mind that if you wear skirts.

When pairing, a diamond works between two large beads with the points up and down, where it seats against the round beads on either side and keeps the strand from spinning. With the points left and right it reads wider, which suits a thicker wrist. Judge the size by the diagonal: against round beads, half a size apart looks most natural and a full size looks large. Leave a little gap between the diamond and its neighbors, because pressed tight the points take the load. Try it between two round beads and turn it; if it does not shift, the size is right.

White zircon dislikes oil. Oil from the fingers dulls the fire, and a soft cloth brings it back. Brass dislikes sweat, so wipe it dry after summer wear. The points are the thinnest part of the piece, and a drop onto the floor chips a point first, so take care when putting it away. A loose setting rattles, and when you hear the rattle it is time to have a jeweler tighten it. White zircon needs no oil and no soaking, and a dry cloth is the safest thing for it.