Why Mannequins Are The Best Models ... Or, How I Met Zara

Many of you will have met my lovely mannequin, Zara. (Or not. Depends if you've looked at any of my necklaces online.)
She is indispensable to my business. I bought her on Trade Me for around $70.00 - some of the best money I've ever spent.
When I realised that prospective buyers really do want to see how jewellery looks when being worn, I considered using live models ... for about two seconds. Models have this irritating habit of wanting to be paid ... and not suiting the jewellery that they are modelling ... and not doing as they are told ... and not understanding what pose to assume ...
Ugh.
So I needed a mannequin. I looked on Trade Me (usually my first stop when I want anything specific that isn't jewellery supplies) and found several that would have suited. I lost the first one I was bidding on (it had arms, which would have been useful for modelling bracelets), and then I found Zara. She didn't have arms, but other than that she was perfect. When she arrived, she was even more perfect. I washed her thoroughly in the shower (because you just never know where things have been ... and because I'm paranoid), and so began our fulfilling relationship.
Zara is the best model I have ever worked with. She stands perfectly still, does exactly as she's told without having to be told, and never ever complains about anything. In fact, I think she loves the jewellery she gets to wear. She holds my magnifying headset sometimes, to keep it safe and off the floor, and I often leave necklaces on her for a few days while I decide whether or not I'm happy with them (or just admire them).
She is so versatile, too. When modelling pieces that have an ancient, historical feel to them, Zara does a sublime Greek marble statue look.

She can do bold, plunging statement pieces ...

... and smaller, more subtle jewellery.

She doesn't even have to change outfits. All I do is change the camera angle and Zara's angle. She can model both my - very different - jewellery brands with equal ease. She can work with almost any lighting, is utterly professional, and never upstages the jewellery itself. True, some things suit her better than others, but that is true of any model, and more so of many others than of Zara.
So, while I know that some jewellery designers use live models all the time, and while it undoubtedly works well for some, Zara's the gal for me.
Do you have fantastic plastic mannequin like Zara? Do you use live models? Or have you found another solution entirely? I'd love to hear in the comments.