Vintage Anne Klein Gold Metal Earrings

Vintage Anne Klein Gold Metal Earrings

Rope, turned in metal.

Each earring is built from a twisted cable — strands wound around one another, the way rope is made, then held in gold. An arched loop sits against the lobe; from it hangs a heavier open teardrop that swings free. Twisted cord is one of the oldest things a goldsmith knows how to imitate, older than almost any other ornament, and it survives because it does something no smooth surface can: it breaks light into a run of small highlights that travel along the twist rather than sitting still on it.

The finish is matte, not polished. That was deliberate. Anne Klein's jewellery, from the line's beginning, worked in both matte and glossy metals, and the matte gold here holds a soft, low light instead of a hard shine — closer to the colour of old gold than to something new.

Anne Klein — born Hannah Golofski, 1923–1974 — founded her company in New York in 1968 and changed how American women dressed. She built her name on separates rather than dresses: pieces that could be recombined, worn to work, relied on. The jewellery came out of the same thinking. It was made to go with a jacket on an ordinary Tuesday, not to be saved for something. That intention is still legible in this pair. The reverse is stamped ©AK.

They're clip fittings, so no piercing is needed, and at 19g for the pair they stay comfortable through a long day. The lower ring moves when you do — turning your head, laughing, leaning to hear someone. It's a small motion, but it puts light along your jaw and lifts the face.

Wear them with a shirt collar, with a jacket, with your hair up so the shape reads clearly. They finish an outfit without changing it. Some pieces make you dress around them; these were designed by someone who thought that was the wrong way round.

Material: Brass, gold metal plating, coloured enamel
Brand: Anne Klein (New York)
Era: 1960s–1970s
Fittings: Clip-on
Weight: 19g (pair)
Condition: Some fading is visible in the gold metal plating. We hope this pair finds someone who reads that as part of the character vintage jewellery carries. In very good vintage condition overall.
Made in, or sourced from: Australia

Turning — collection

Leaves turn. The light goes low and amber. Nothing announces itself — you simply notice, one morning, that the air has changed.

Turning is the autumn chapter of Passage. Four days, four quiet scenes from the weeks when summer lets go, and sixteen pieces drawn from the colours and the air of that shift.

Nothing here is dressed for the season. Some pieces are ornate, some almost plain. They were simply waiting when the light changed, held until now by hands we'll never know.

However you move through these days, we hope something here finds its way to you.