Hermes Mini Maillon Pendant Necklace Yellow Gold H100053FED1

Most yellow gold plating leans orange by the end of a season. This one is described as cold yellow gold, and it lives up to the name: the tone is pale and slightly green, the colour of old brass rather than new coins. On the 0.79 inch maillon link it looks almost antique.

The chain adjusts between 16.5 and 18.9 inches, which covers most of the ground between a choker and a short drop. I keep mine long and let the link sit against a camel coat in winter, where the cold gold and the warm wool disagree in a way I enjoy.

With olive green and rust, colours that usually fight metal, this pendant plays along instead of arguing. I have worn it with a khaki overshirt and a linen dress in the same week and it suited both, which is rare for gold tone.

Honest notes: cooler gold flatters some complexions more than others, so try it against bare skin in daylight; and the plating will thin with sunscreen and sweat, so the pendant should go on last and come off first. Made in France, with a clasp small enough to hide under hair.

One fair warning on tone: cold gold is not for everyone, and beside a brassy chain it will make the other piece look orange. Worn alone, or with silver earrings, the paleness becomes the point rather than an accident. I keep mine for autumn and winter clothes, where its slight green cast sits well with wool and corduroy.