Collection: Mandala Jewelry

What a mandala is

Mandala is Sanskrit for circle, and the form is exactly that — a pattern radiating out from a single centre point, symmetrical in every direction. It appears in Hindu and Buddhist practice as a meditation object and a map of the cosmos, and it turns up independently in Celtic knotwork, Gothic rose windows and Navajo sandpainting.

Tibetan monks build them out of coloured sand over days and then sweep them away. That's the part most people remember, and it's the part that explains the symbol: it's about attention rather than permanence. You make the thing carefully and then you let it go.

Why people wear it

A mandala worn as jewelry is a small anchor. The eye follows the pattern inward, which is the same trick the meditation object is doing — giving your attention somewhere structured to go when it wants to scatter.

It's also, straightforwardly, a beautiful pattern that doesn't declare anything about you. Among symbolic jewelry it's one of the most wearable to an office.

Choosing a piece

Mandala designs range from densely engraved discs to open-work cut patterns. Engraved discs hold up better to daily wear and catch light in the recesses; cut open-work is lighter, more dramatic, and wants a little more care around knitwear.

Symmetry means these read well at almost any size — unlike sacred geometry, a small mandala still looks like a mandala. If you want the more precise geometric version, Flower of Life jewelry is the neighbouring collection.

What you're buying

Sterling silver or gold plate over base metal, stated on each listing. Where a stone sits at the centre, the listing names it and discloses dyeing or treatment.

Engraved detail fills with polish residue over time and looks better for it — don't scrub the pattern flat. Our jewelry cleaning guide covers the difference.

Mystic Soul Jewelry — Canadian small business, Calgary, Alberta, since 2008.