Hoja long earrings

Two plants live side by side in Shelter. Ivy, which climbs and twines, and the leaf, which is more common and more recognisable.

The leaf's identity lies in the detail: the veining, very carefully worked and very symmetrical. Those lines leave a mark that recalls a fingerprint, and that is the metaphor. Something that grows and is born, that takes shape little by little until it has an identity of its own. Something simple that, precisely because it is simple, is unmistakable.

They are among Maite's favourite earrings in the series. Being long, the leaf can be seen in full, as one straight, rigid line: it shows its whole presence.

Each leaf is cut, filed and polished by hand before receiving its 24-carat gold plating. The fine work is in the engraved veining: it is what gives character to a shape that, without it, would be just another leaf.

What makes them special is the central vein, which divides the side veins of the two halves. With the matte plating and the slight slope of each side, light falls differently on the two faces of the leaf, and one half always looks brighter than the other.

Because the engraving on the brass is so dense, the result is a bas-relief, which is why six centimetres of jewellery weigh just four grams the pair.

They are made on Calle Alameda, in the Barrio de las Letras, in a workshop you are welcome to visit. If you come by, you will probably see the next pair being made.

They lengthen the neck and the silhouette. They have some width, yet they look delicate: something very simple and very linear. They are long but light, so you can wear them all day, and being matte gold with no colour they never compete with what you are wearing. The same leaf appears on the Shelter hoop earrings, ring, bangle, necklace and brooch.

The lacquer protects the plating from contact with skin and perfume. Keep them dry and stored separately, and avoid putting on scent while you are wearing them. With normal wear and this care, the gold plating will last for years.