Hermes Mini Pop H Earrings Lacquered Metal Rose Gold Rouge H H608002FOA8

Red jewellery is the hardest thing to get right. Too bright and it looks like plastic, too dark and it simply disappears. Rouge H, a deep oxblood red that recurs across this maison’s leather goods, sits precisely between those two failures.

In these Mini Pop H studs the red is laid as glossy lacquer over rose-gold plated metal, and the combination ends up looking like a tiny enamel signet. The motif measures about 0.35 by 0.28 inches, so on the ear it reads as a single dark note of colour, which is exactly what I want from a red pair.

I keep mine for lipstick days: a plain camel coat, no necklace, these in the lobe. They also work in the evening with black, where the oxblood tone deepens and looks slightly more formal than it does in daylight, and I have worn them to two birthday dinners in a row without once wishing I had something grander. The weight, 0.08 ounces per earring, is negligible even after a long meal.

One caveat: dark enamel shows fingerprints. Where the white and orange versions forgive a casual wipe, this one benefits from a proper polish with a soft cloth, and I would not wear it in the sea or the shower. Plated metal plus lacquer is a duo that rewards attention.

Small enough to live in a coin purse and easy to pair with almost anything black, it is the pair I hand to anyone who insists they cannot wear red.