Hermes Mini Maillon Earrings Lacquered Metal Yellow Gold Bleu Polaire H100052FEF3

Pale blue is the colour I trust most with denim, and the Mini Maillon in Bleu Polaire makes that case better than any pair I own. I bought them on a grey day in February and they have been my default since.

The enamel is a cool, slightly greyed blue, polar as the name suggests, set in cold yellow-gold plating that keeps the whole thing crisp rather than sweet. The link motif stands two centimetres tall and 1.2 wide, four grams of metal and lacquer that you feel on the lobe in a good way.

My favourite way to wear them is with a white shirt and indigo jeans, where the blue picks up the denim without matching it exactly, which is the trick navy jewellery never quite manages. In the evening they look almost silver against a black dress, something I did not see coming from such a daytime pair.

Practicalities: the pale shade shows lint and dust, so keep the pouch clean, and the cold gold plating means no shower, no pool and no perfume on the enamel itself. The four-gram weight is noticeable the first time you wear them and invisible by the second day, though a fresh piercing deserves a few weeks before long days.

If you are deciding between this and the warmer versions, pick the blue for cool skin tones and silver-toned wardrobes, and the pink-toned pairs for the opposite.