The porous plug and the instrument for measuring quartz homogeneity are engineering devices invented by physicists. Even mathematical techniques cross. Methods from nuclear physics theory have revolutionized the analysis of gyro performance. Methods from spacecraft orbital dynamics have simplified a correction to Schiff's formulae arising from the Earth's imperfect sphericity. But for Schiff's vision to become a flight program, ideas must be translated into hardware.
Elegance is optimization.
Its diameter should be just enough to contain the instrument and allow for pumping during spin-up. No more, or the lead bag becomes unwieldy and the heat input excessive. Establishing a unified design, however, takes extreme attention to design detail, especially in the neck region between cold and warm temperatures. Elegance is assembly - an apparatus readily put together and taken apart. Assembly, often a challenge in engineering design, is especially so in long-life cryogenic systems, this one above all.