Hermes Mini Pop H Rocabar Earrings Lacquered Metal Rose Gold Beauté H100065FOB4

Second and third piercings are where tiny earrings earn their keep, and these Rocabar studs in the Beauté colourway have lived in my upper hole almost continuously since they arrived. It is the pair I notice least and get the most use from.

The stripe motif measures nine millimetres by seven and weighs two grams, so it stacks neatly above a plain gold hoop or a larger statement stud without any visual collision. Rose-gold plating gives the enamel a slightly pink cast in daylight, which I find flattering against skin, especially in summer. This is also one of the gentler colourways in the Rocabar line, so the stripes look almost brushed on rather than printed.

I have worn this pair through full working days, headphones and phone calls included, with no pressure or pulling; the post is short enough to sit almost flush. On a very small lobe, though, the motif can read bigger than you expect, because the earring’s whole footprint stays visible rather than half hidden by hair.

The trade-off here is plated metal and what it dislikes: water, perfume, hairspray. If you wear the same pair every day, in the shower and at the gym, they age faster than they should. Mine live in a small dish by the mirror and come out two or three times a week, which suits them.

Made in France, and a discreet way to wear the stripe motif if the bigger, more saturated versions of the Rocabar feel like too much for a working week.