Clover Jewelry

Luck. A four-leaf clover turns up about once in five thousand plants, and the four leaves are traditionally read as faith, hope, love and luck. It carries no religious weight, which is part of why it travels so well as a gift.

No. A shamrock is three-leafed and is a symbol of Ireland — and, in Christian tradition, the Trinity. A four-leaf clover is a luck charm with no national or religious meaning. These are four-leaf.

It's had a sustained run, driven largely by the quatrefoil shape being everywhere in fine jewelry over the past decade. The pieces holding up best are the small plain ones rather than heavily stoned versions — the shape is strong enough that it doesn't need decorating.

Among the safest. No religion, no romance, no name to spell. It reads as "good luck" for an exam, a new job or a move, which covers occasions where most jewelry feels like too much.

Yes — the shape is compact and symmetrical, so it doesn't fight with a second pendant. A clover necklace at 16 inches with a longer chain at 20 works well, and a clover bracelet sits comfortably in a stack with plain bands.

The stones sit in small claws, and what loosens them is grit and hand cream collecting underneath. A soft dry brush occasionally does more for the setting than anything else. The gold itself is 3.0 microns over sterling silver, against an industry standard of 0.2.