Gold Laurel Huggie Hoop Earrings

A laurel branch bent into a small hoop, the leaves running in pairs the whole way round so no plain metal shows at all.

Made from 925 sterling silver under a layer of 18K gold, with no stones.

The silver underneath is nickel-free, lead-free and cadmium-free to European standards — hypoallergenic, and comfortable for most sensitive ears.

A laurel branch has meant the same thing for two thousand years, so this is a motif you can hand over for a graduation, a qualification or a first day somewhere new without having to explain the gift. Small hoops like these close onto themselves at the lobe and stay shut, so a present this deliberate does not end up in a drawer. They arrive in a free jewellery box with a polishing cloth.

More on how gold plating over silver behaves in our guide to plated silver jewellery.