Red Cord Zhakila Heart Mantra Braided Cord Bracelet

The two options are two forms: a finished braided bracelet, and a single spacer bead on its own. Buy the bracelet if you want to wear it straight away; buy the spacer if you plan to build your own string. The spacer's hole is sized for bracelet cord, so a thin cord will rattle in it and a thick one will not pass at all, and you should measure the cord you have before ordering. Bracelet length allows a little ease over the bare wrist measurement, and the tape should not be pulled tight when you measure yourself. People who buy the spacer alone usually already have a string and simply want to change one point on it.

The structure of a braided bracelet is not complicated: several strands side by side as a core, with flat knots or vajra knots pressed over them section by section, finished with a sliding knot. The vajra knot is the most used in Tibetan braiding: tight, hard-wearing, and standing for solidity. The flat knot is softer and comfortable to wear, but it works loose. Braiding cord comes in waxed and plied types: waxed is stiff, plied is soft and holds its colour better. Leave three fingers of tail at each end of the sliding knot; too short and it is hard to draw, too long and it gets in the way.

The mantra characters mostly sit pressed between the knots, or on a small tag threaded into the middle. The characters are small, unreadable at a distance and only legible close up, which is the character of this kind of bracelet: not showy, and enough that you know it is there. Some find the lettering too small, but made larger it weighs on the hand and the balance of the braid is lost. The mantra piece usually sits dead centre; off by a little and the whole bracelet sits crooked. The characters should face outward; worn the other way, you are pressing them into your wrist.

The bracelet fears water. Take it off for a shower or a swim; red cord that sees a lot of water goes pale and the colour fades unevenly. If your hands sweat, rotate between bracelets in summer rather than wearing one to death, because a damp core develops a smell that is unpleasant and will not wash out. Fading is normal for red cord, especially over the first few soakings; once the colour has run, it settles. After washing your hands, take the bracelet off and leave it on the counter rather than shaking your hands dry in it.

A sliding knot loosens with use, which is the common complaint with braid. When it does, draw it tight again, and do not cut the tail too short — trimmed to a stub it can never be adjusted again. If the spacer is copper, wipe around it rather than across the cord, and keep oil off the braid, because once oil touches it the cord goes dull. If it is going to be stored for a long time, roll it rather than folding it, since creases in a braid are hard to remove. If the ends fray, cut them on the slant with scissors rather than biting them.