Hermes Mini Clic Kelly Bracelet Plain Enamel Rose Gold Étoupe H200004FO6EGM

Certain colours make a wrist look tidier rather than more decorated, and Étoupe, the grey-brown of well-used leather, is one of them. On the Mini Clic Kelly it is quietly excellent.

The bracelet is a 0.31-inch band of glossy enamel in rose-gold plated metal, sized for a 6.7-inch wrist, and it closes with the Kelly lock motif sitting neatly on top. The tone is hard to name exactly: a stone grey that leans brown in warm light and cool in daylight, which is why it works with nearly everything I own.

I wear mine on the days when I want something on my wrist but nothing to think about: with a grey suit, with a white tee, with a black dress in the evening. It is the least demanding piece in my dish and possibly the most useful, and it has never once clashed with a watch, a ring or a scarf. It is also the bracelet I recommend to friends who work in offices with strict dress codes, since it never draws the wrong kind of attention.

The trade-off of neutrals is visibility. This will not give a plain outfit a jolt, and if you already own a lot of taupe it can vanish into it. The upside is that it never fights anything, including the other jewellery you put on without thinking.

Stored dry, worn often, kept away from perfume and pool water, mine stayed glossy through two years of near-daily wear, which I think is the fairest test of any enamel.