Hermes Olympe Earrings Box Calfskin Rose Gold Noir H081898CD89

Black leather with rose gold is the combination I reach for when I want warmth without colour. The noir face of these Olympe earrings is deep and flat, and the rose gold plate around it lifts the black so it never looks sombre, even in winter light.

Each one measures three point three centimetres across and a centimetre wide, with the weight of about eight grams, and the box calfskin is smooth enough to catch light along its surface without looking glossy. That smoothness is why the black reads as leather rather than plastic, which matters more than it sounds at this size.

They are an evening pair for me, worn with hair pushed back and a dark collar, and they also work in daylight with a black knit and no other jewellery. Because the tones are close, the shape does the talking, and the shape is the roundest, calmest thing in my jewellery box, which is where the rose gold does its best work.

Honest notes: the rose gold plating is the part that ages first if you are careless with sprays, so it goes on after perfume and comes off before bed. The calfskin dislikes water and cream, and this pair will pick up fingerprints if handled by the face, so I hold them by the edge.

Eight grams is light enough to forget and heavy enough to feel real, and after a year the plating on mine still looks close to new with that small amount of discipline.