S925 Silver Six-Syllable Mantra Lotus Earrings

Studs are the most everyday piece of jewellery there is. A necklace can come off, a ring comes off for work, but studs are often left in for months at a time, through washing and through sleep. So the design has to be small, light and free of anything to catch on: catch a strand of hair or press into a pillow once and you will not want to wear them the next morning. Anyone with thin lobes should choose a light pair in particular, because too much weight will draw the hole downward over the course of a day.

This pair is shaped as a half-open lotus with the six-syllable mantra cut into the heart. The flower is open halfway and the petals do not fold back, so from the front it is a small bowl and only from the side does the layering show. The silver is kept thin: too thick and it drags on the lobe, too thin and the petals will not stand. The characters at the centre are cut shallow and have to be read against the light, which is deliberate. Fill the heart with characters and at any distance it becomes a black smudge. The back of the petals is hollowed so that the front domes, and from the side the profile is a single undulating line.

The lotus appears in Chinese objects earlier than Buddhism does; there are lotus petals on bronzes of the Spring and Autumn period. Once Buddhism arrived the meanings were told again: rising unstained out of mud, the place of rebirth in the pure land, the lotus throne beneath a Buddha's feet. One form, two sets of stories, and telling only one of them makes it come out narrow. The number of petals varies from one piece to another; cut as many as the shape will take, without forcing it to an auspicious number.

The post and the back are where the workmanship shows. The post has to be straight: too thick and it will not go through, too thin and it bends. The back needs some spring, so that it presses home without effort and comes off without a fight. Silver posts are softer than steel, which is comfortable in the ear but bends easily, and a bent post should not be forced straight. Bend it twice and it will break off in the hole, and that means a hospital visit. Replace a back that has loosened rather than winding thread around the post, which only makes it slipperier.

Inside the hole, silver gets wrapped in sweat and sebum. Take the studs out once a week to wipe them and turn them a little, rather than leaving them unmoved for months. If the lobe itches or reddens, leave them out for a few days; silver is not medicine. Clean the packed matter out of the characters with a cotton bud and a little water, and blot dry afterwards. A blackened post is usually oxidation rather than dirt and wipes white again; do not sand the tip, which roughens it and makes it painful to put in. Store posts and backs separately so that a tip does not press into the corner of the bag.