S925 Silver Gesang Flower Openwork Earrings

The gesang flower has no single species behind it in botany. It is a general name for wildflowers of the high plateau: cosmos has been called gesang, Potentilla fruticosa has been called gesang, and so have unnamed little meadow flowers. In Tibetan usage the word points to a meaning more clearly than to a species: hardy, long in bloom, standing up to wind. In Tibetan songs and woven patterns the name turns up far more often than it does in any flora.

Made into a drop, the design takes the shape of the flower. Petals open ring upon ring, cut away between one another so light passes through the gaps and leaves a small bright patch beside the ear. Piercing has a practical benefit too: it brings the weight of the earring down, so the lobe is not dragged sore and a whole day of wear stays comfortable. Silver sheet can be cut very fine, and as long as it is not over-annealed the edges keep their crispness instead of drooping.

The length of a drop has a good deal to do with hair. Worn loose, the hair hides half of a long earring; short hair or a tie-back shows it whole, and that is something photographs cannot tell you, though one look in the mirror will. The flower is fairly round, which softens a square face, while a rounder face carries a narrower, longer shape with more ease. Check the gauge of the hook as well: too fine and it cannot hold the weight of the petals, and the earring tips forward after a few steps.

Openwork in silver is hard to gauge. Leave the petals wide and the piece looks blunt; cut them narrow and they deform, especially at the tips, where a small knock bends them out of line. What matters is the curve of the petal: a real petal is never an even width, its outer edge tightening and releasing, and identical round lobes look false, like paper flowers stuck on. The face of each petal carries a slight swell rather than sitting flat, so an oblique view shows the curl of the reverse.

Wipe them with a soft cloth when you take them off and keep them in a small pouch of their own. Openwork silver suffers most from pressure; do not leave it under heavier pieces in a jewellery box, because one squash is hard to bend back. Take them off for a shower: moisture trapped in the open layers dries slowly, and that ring is the first place to go dark. Silver white is a cool tone, so it stands out against plain clothes and recedes against pattern, which makes it an easy colour to live with.