Triple Evil Eye Payal with Ghungroo Ends

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.

What you are looking at

Three nazar beads sit in a row at the centre of this anklet, each separated from the next by a fine coiled spacer so they stay evenly placed rather than sliding together. The chain either side is a snake chain — close-coiled, round in section, with no visible links — and at each end, by the hook, hangs a cluster of tiny ghungroo bells.

How to wear it

Three is the middle option in this range. One bead is a quiet charm that disappears under a trouser hem; four fill the front of the ankle and are meant to be seen; three sit between the two, wide enough to register at a glance without taking over. If you want an evil eye anklet you will wear every day and still notice, this is the one to pick.

The nazar itself — the deep blue glass eye with a white and pale-blue centre — is worn across Turkey, Greece, West Asia and most of India against the evil eye, on the old understanding that envy carries weight and that a blue eye returns the look. It stopped being a serious amulet generations ago and became a small daily habit instead, which is exactly why it is still everywhere.

Fit

At 10 inches this sits snug at the narrowest part of the ankle rather than dropping. The bells are at the back, by the clasp, so the piece is audible without anything hanging at the front to catch.

Materials used

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.

Wear it where the ankle shows — bare in summer, with cropped trousers, or with a saree. Blue goes with everything and asks nothing of the rest of your jewellery.

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.

Looking after it

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.