Hermès Ex-Libris Pendant Small Model Rose Gold H120344B 00

The small Ex-Libris is the size I would choose if the medallion is the point and the pendant is only the delivery. It is a rose gold disc half an inch across, set with a single 0.04 carat diamond at the centre of the engraving, hung on a chain of 15.74 inches.

Everything about it is restrained. The stone is small enough that you notice the light before you notice the diamond, and the 750/1000 rose gold keeps a warm tone that flatters skin without turning peach. At 15.74 inches it sits close to the throat, so it reads as a collar detail rather than a necklace.

I wear mine with a white tuxedo shirt and a black velvet blazer, and also, on ordinary Tuesdays, with a grey jumper. The scale is what makes that possible: it is never too much and never quite nothing.

One honest note. A single diamond in a small rose gold medallion will not perform in low light, so do not expect it to carry an evening on its own; and because the chain is short and fine, this is not a piece for someone who likes a long, swinging drop. Made in France.

Because the chain is short and the medallion sits close to the throat, it never swings, which means the engraving stays facing outward all day. That sounds like a small thing until you have spent years turning pendants back around. It is also a sensible present for someone who wears open collars and little else.