Hermès Ex-Libris Earrings Rose Gold H120544B 00

At three-tenths of an inch across, the Ex-Libris earrings are about the diameter of a pencil eraser, and that is exactly what makes them the pair I recommend to anyone new to solid gold.

The motif is a small disc in 750/1000 rose gold, the colour soft and copper-tinged, and because the surface is smooth and polished it flashes briefly whenever you turn your head. Up close you can see the bevel of the edge, which is where the light does its work. It is the jewellery equivalent of a well-chosen button: considered, discreet, and far more expensive-looking than its footprint suggests.

I wear mine constantly, with a blouse and blazer, with a swimsuit in summer, with a silk scarf in winter, and they have never required a single thought about care. No flaking, no green marks on the skin, no removing them before the shower, which is the real advantage of solid metal over plating.

What I would tell a friend: if you are used to earrings with presence, these will feel almost invisible for the first week. That is rather the point. They sit at the base of an outfit rather than the top, and they make an excellent second or third piercing worn above something larger.

Made in France in 750/1000 rose gold and small enough to live in permanently, which mine largely do, apart from the occasional morning when I want a little more shine.