Hermes Chaine d’ancre Enchainee Earrings Sterling Silver H109510B 00

Round, hollow and only just over an inch across, the Enchainée earrings in silver are the lightest way I know to wear the anchor link at a size you can actually see. Mine have seen two summers of near-constant use.

The design takes the chain’s link and closes it into a circle measuring 1.22 inches in diameter, so it sits like a small hoop against the ear without the weight of a solid one. Sterling 925/1000 gives it a crisp, almost architectural look, the kind of silver that works with a striped shirt and seriousness as well as with a loose sundress.

These are my warm-weather earrings. They let air move, they never feel heavy, and the bright metal flatters uncovered shoulders. In winter I wear them anyway, usually with a black polo neck, where the silver circle looks almost like a drawing against the dark wool.

The honest drawback of hollow silver hoops is their softness. They can deform if they are pressed under a book in a bag, so keep them in a case rather than loose in a tote. And like all unplated silver they will tarnish slowly, though a quick polish restores them and the patina is genuinely part of the charm.

Made in France, and a sensible, wearable scale of a motif that has been quietly in style for a very long time, which means you will never have to think about whether they are current.