2-Circle Pentagram Pendant, 1"

Solid sterling silver. Not plated, so there is no surface layer to wear through and expose base metal underneath. It will tarnish and it will polish back, indefinitely.

The double-circle design. Two concentric rings enclose the star rather than one, giving the piece a heavier outer edge and a more substantial look than a single-ring pentacle at the same diameter.

Sold without a chain. Which we would rather flag than let you discover at the door. It lets you choose your own cord or chain, but you will need one.

• Diameter: approximately 1 inch
• Material: sterling silver, conventionally 92.5 percent silver alloyed with copper
• Design: five-pointed star enclosed within two concentric circles
• No chain or cord included
• Sterling tarnishes. A soft cloth or a silver polishing cloth restores it; storing it sealed in a small bag slows it considerably.
• The copper in the alloy can leave a temporary green or grey mark on some skin, particularly in heat or with lotions and perfumes. This is harmless and washes off.
• Remove before swimming. Chlorine and salt water both attack sterling.

The five-pointed star has an extremely long and tangled history, appearing in Mesopotamian, Greek, and Christian use among many others, and it meant quite different things in each. Its modern reading as the four elements plus spirit, held in the circle of unity, comes out of Western ceremonial magic and passed from there into Wicca in the mid twentieth century. That is the meaning most practitioners are working with today.

Worn openly, it also functions as an identifier. For a great many people that visibility is the whole reason for the piece, and it is worth thinking about deliberately rather than by accident: this is a recognizable symbol, and recognition cuts both ways depending on where you live and work.

The circle is traditionally read as containment and protection, holding the elements in relation rather than letting them run loose. The doubled ring here has no separate traditional meaning; it is a design choice rather than a further layer of symbolism, and we would rather not invent one for it.

1. Choose a chain or cord first. An inch of sterling has some weight, so a very fine chain will look and wear poorly under it.
2. Cleanse it before first wear if that is your practice. Smoke, sound, moonlight, or a selenite plate all suit silver, and none of them risk tarnish the way salt water would.
3. Many practitioners consecrate a pentacle deliberately before wearing it, naming what it is for rather than letting it be decorative.
4. Wear it in or out of a shirt as suits you. Plenty of people keep it hidden at work and visible elsewhere, which is a perfectly ordinary way to handle it.
5. Polish it when it darkens, or let the recesses stay dark for contrast. Both are common and neither is wrong.

• Pentacle Altar Tile, 2 3/4 in: the same symbol in its working form, and a natural rest for the pendant between wears.
• Solomon's Pentacle Silver-Plated Amulet: a related design if you want a second in the rotation.
• Triple Moon Pentacle Amulet: pentacle and lunar phases combined in one piece.
• Banish Hate, Invoke Love Pentacle Bumper Sticker: the same mark, considerably less discreet.
• Triple Moon Altar Bell, 2 1/2 in: sound cleansing that will not tarnish silver.

Does it come with a chain?

No. The pendant is sold on its own, so you will need a chain or cord to wear it. Given the weight of an inch of sterling, something with a bit of substance to it wears better than a very fine chain.

Is it a pentagram or a pentacle?

A pentacle, strictly. A pentagram is the bare five-pointed star; a pentacle is that star enclosed within a circle. This one has two circles. The terms get swapped constantly in the trade, so the distinction is worth knowing.

Will it tarnish?

Yes, as all sterling does. Air, humidity, and skin oils darken it over time. A silver cloth brings it back in a minute. Many practitioners deliberately leave the recesses dark, which makes the design read more clearly.

Will it turn my skin green?

Occasionally. Sterling is alloyed with copper, and copper can leave a temporary mark on some people, more so in heat or alongside lotions and perfumes. It is harmless and washes off. Keeping the piece polished reduces it.

Can I wear it in the shower or the pool?

Shower is survivable but will speed tarnishing. The pool is not: chlorine attacks sterling, and salt water is no better. Take it off for both, and for anything involving cleaning products.