Copper Cross Vajra Earrings

Earrings and studs are not the same thing. A stud sits against the skin and is seen from the front; an earring hangs free and is seen from the side, in movement. A four-way symmetrical form like the crossed vajra does well as an earring, because all four tips move as it swings and the light runs along the ridges, which is livelier than a static front view. A length that lands near the jawline suits a long face especially. A drop also draws the eye downward, which helps when the neck is short. The thickness of the piece plays to face shape as well: a slender bar looks light, a heavy one looks solid.

In Tibetan tradition the crossed vajra is a karma vajra, two vajras crossed, used in mandalas and in ritual and pointing to the four directions and the centre. A single vajra speaks of indestructibility, the crossed one of omnipresence, and that distinction is basic in iconography. On earrings the four arms are often outline only, with the fine prongs left out. If the ridges are rounded off, the light goes dead. Wearing them you need not carry all of that; knowing it is not a random cross is enough.

The difference between the two colours is one of character. The yellowish version is warm and close to skin tone, reading at a distance like a touch of old gold; the whiter one is cool with sharper lines, and looks clean against black hair and plain clothing. The yellow oxidises faster and deepens within a season, which pleases anyone who likes old surfaces, while anyone who wants it bright will have to polish. Side by side, the yellow looks older and the white newer, so it comes down to what you are wearing that day. Both are aged, so neither glares when new.

Earrings have weight, and worn long enough they will stretch a piercing. This pair is not light, so it is better not to keep them in all day; take them off when you get home. If the piercing is new or inflamed, avoid anything that hangs. Pinch the hook a little: too loose and it slips out, too tight and it is hard to put in, so aim for something that passes through without swaying. If the hook is stiff it will scrape on the way through, so be gentle when trying them.

Brass takes fingerprints from sweat, so dry it rather than rubbing with tissue, whose fibres leave fine marks. Take the earrings off to shower and sleep, since a bent drop is hard to straighten. Store the two separately, because the tips of the crosses knock against each other and dent easily. Do not wipe them with tissue after sweating either, as the fibres catch in the ridges.