Gold-plated Copper White Zircon Olive Spacer

White zircon rings the waist in a continuous band, so that turning it draws an unbroken line. The shape is an olive, tapering to a point at either end and swelling in the middle, like a date stone. The gold plating is a true yellow, without the red that copper carries. The stones are small and closely set, one against the next, and the light joins across the waist. Both tips are rounded, so the cord turns there without being cut. An olive rolls smoothly in the hand, and one push of a fingertip flips it over.

Date-shaped beads are an old form in Tibetan rosaries: pointed at both ends, held one after another, with the fingertip coming to rest in the swelling. Their advantage is that the cord turns through a smaller angle at the tip, so friction is spread around the whole ring instead of being concentrated at two points of a hole mouth. In a spacer position it opens more distance than a thin disc while being shorter than a barrel, so it leaves the main beads their place. A string of perfect spheres with one olive dropped among them changes its rhythm at once.

The difference between plated gold and bare brass is colour at a glance and character over time. Brass leans red, warm and a little deep; plating leans true yellow, bright, and reads as wealth. The price is a thin layer: wear through it and the red copper shows, leaving ring-shaped marks that are hard to forgive. Pieces like this belong in a fixed position on a string, not swinging from a charm every day.

White zircon is cool and plated gold is warm, and the waist line divides the two colours so that they do not fight. With pale beads such as white jade bodhi or ivory nut it looks clean; with dark ones such as ebony or African blackwood it looks rich. It is less happy with coloured beads, where a crowd of colours buries the gold. If you want a different mood in the same position, swap the plated piece for white copper and the whole string turns cool at once.

Plating fears sweat and friction. Wipe it after wearing in summer, and do not let it spend the night with sweat still on it. Keep silver cloth away from it: the cloth contains abrasives, and a few passes will carry the plating off. Wash with clean water and a soft cloth only, and dry it at once, since water marks show more clearly on gold than on copper. Once the base copper is exposed, do not polish it; the patch only spreads and the piece becomes mottled. It suits people who restring often, since a few changes back and forth will not hurt it.