Oxidised Leaf Bead Payal

Payal is simply the Hindi word for an anklet, and in most of India it is still the first piece of jewellery a girl is given and the last an older woman takes off. It is worn as a pair, one on each ankle, and traditionally it was meant to be heard as much as seen — the sound announced that someone was coming, which in a joint household was a courtesy rather than a performance.

The design

The whole length of this anklet is made of leaves. Flat, elongated beads shaped like a willow or peepal leaf, each one veined down its centre and tapering to a point at both ends, are strung end to end with a small round bead between every pair so the leaves stay separated and lie flat rather than overlapping.

Because each leaf lies along the direction of the chain rather than hanging from it, the anklet reads as a continuous band of pattern rather than as a row of charms. That is a different effect from a charm anklet and a more wearable one: nothing dangles, nothing swings into a shoe, and the whole piece sits close against the ankle.

The leaf is one of the quieter motifs in Indian metalwork — used where a maker wants texture without symbolism, in contrast to the elephants, fish and peacocks that carry specific meanings. Here it does exactly that job, giving the eye something to follow along the length of the piece without the anklet announcing anything in particular.

Metal and stones

German silver is the trade name for a bright white alloy of copper, nickel and zinc. It contains no silver at all. What it does have is a hard, cool-toned surface that takes an oxidised finish well and resists scratching better than plated brass, which is why almost every everyday Indian anklet is made to look like it.

When to wear it

At this price it is the anklet to buy if you want something more interesting than a plain chain but still cheap enough to wear daily without thinking about it. It is silent — there are no bells — which makes it suitable for an office or anywhere a jingling anklet would be out of place.

A note on wearing a pair rather than one. Single anklets have become common and there is nothing wrong with wearing one, but a pair sits differently: the two sounds fall slightly out of step as you walk, which is what produces the soft irregular jingle people associate with payal rather than a single repeating note.

Keeping it looking right

An anklet lives a harder life than any other piece of jewellery. It meets shoes, floors, door frames and bedsheets, and it is the piece most likely to be worn into the shower because taking it off is a nuisance. Water is what dulls an oxidised finish fastest, so slip it off before bathing where you can. A dry soft cloth is the whole cleaning routine — never a silver polish or a dip, which strip the blackening the design depends on.