Copper Lotus Stone-set Round Pendant

How densely can a lotus be set? Here the answer is that you can barely see the copper. The flower is round, a ring of petals around the centre in two layers, the outer open and the inner closed, with small stones over both heart and petals; turn it a little and the whole surface flashes. The petal tips are finished round, with no edges to prick the skin. On the back is a simplified lotus drawn in a few lines, a deliberate contrast with the front. The stones stop short of the rim and leave one line of copper showing.

The place of the lotus in Buddhism needs no explaining; what is unusual is that it flowers and fruits at once. The seed pod is already there when the flower opens, which is why it is used to speak of cause and effect not being two things. Pond lotuses open in the morning and close at dusk, and that has been taken as a figure for gathering and releasing in practice. On jewellery most of this reduces to a shape. Those who know will know, and those who do not simply see a flower, which is no bad thing either way. Lotus thrones in temples run in two directions, petals opening upward and petals turning down, and on old sculpture the difference shows at a glance.

A fully pavé-set piece is a test of how tightly the settings can be packed. The stones are small and numerous, each needs a seat, and the copper left between seat and seat is fine so that the light joins up. The brightness is diffuse rather than the concentrated fire of one large stone; from a distance it looks like a film of water. Being densely set, it is a little heavier than a plain piece of the same size, and it carries some weight on the neck. The simplified lotus on the back balances that weight so the pendant does not turn over. The settings are made low and the claws pressed shallow, so it does not catch the hand.

It is sold as a component. Wear it as a pendant, or use it as a back ornament hung at the rear of a string where it lies against clothing. As a bag charm on a small ring it is more casual still. The rim is rounded, so it neither snags clothes nor catches hair. Pavé work does catch on things, though: keep it away from knitwear and scarves, whose fibres lodge in the settings and are hard to pick out. Clean it with a soft brush and clean water, never an ultrasonic bath, since one loosened stone loosens the whole sheet. Store it flat, and do not let the face press down against anything hard.