Metal Iris Hammered Through-hole Spacer Bead

The iris is a heraldic flower in the West. The French royal fleur-de-lis is mostly read as an iris: three petals turned up, bound together in the middle, and it is all over medieval buildings and shields. Carried east, the name became yuanwei and the plant was set in gardens. The name changed; the shape hardly did. The middle of the three petals has to sit true, because a little off and the whole flower leans. The petal edges want thinning, since thin is what gives the curl. Thick, and it looks like a biscuit.

Working a flower onto a bead is a matter of separating the petals. Each of the three needs a spine, with the middle one highest; the valleys between them must be deep, because shallow and they smear into one surface. Hammer marks are pressed across the petal faces, breaking up the large flat planes. The marks must not reach the spines: break a spine and the flower falls apart. Keep the force even, because heavy in one place and light in another and the light goes messy. Do not hammer near the hole, or the hole deforms and the cord will not pass.

The hole runs through the heart of the flower, with both mouths hidden at the centre so no hole shows, which is the advantage of building the form this way. The diameter has to be sufficient: heavy cord should not crowd, and fine cord will rattle. The channel must be straight, since angled it sets the bead crooked on the strand. The walls should be smooth so heavy cord does not fray as it is pulled back and forth. The backs of the petals should be flat, so the bead sits against its neighbour without rocking or grinding a pit into it. And if the hole is off, the heart of the flower sits off with it.

A spacer goes between main beads. A metal flower against plain beads makes the flower the lead; against carved beads, the two compete. One to a strand is enough, and more is vulgar. It also looks well as a top bead, with the heart facing out and the hole hidden. A metal flower beside dark beads lets the outline float up out of the strand. One spacer can carry a plain bracelet on its own, and there is no need to restring the whole thing.

The iris blooms for a short season, a few days in the year; made as a fitting it can be worn all year. Explaining flower meanings turns sentimental quickly, so talk about the form instead: three petals, a band in the middle, a shape that European building has used for a thousand years. Anyone who loves old architecture will recognise it at once. These beads look small on their own, and only strung do you learn whether the size works, so bring your beads to match. And do not set a metal flower against beads of the same colour, or the whole thing merges into one tone.