Sterling Silver Italian Twist Hoop Earrings 30mm, 2mm Tube

A twist hoop is formed from tube worked into a continuous spiral along its length. The ridge and groove that result run around the ring rather than along it, so light travels with the hoop as it moves instead of sitting as a single highlight on the outer curve.

This pair is sterling silver, formed from 2 mm tube with an inside diameter of 30 mm Ñ 34 mm measured across the outside, which is the figure to compare against a hoop you already own. Tube is what makes a hoop of any size wearable. The wall of the tube carries the shape and the hollow centre carries no weight at all, so the hoop stays light in the piercing even as the diameter grows.

At 30 mm the hoop reaches the line of the jaw. It carries across a room, and it is the point at which tube gauge starts to matter as much for comfort as for looks. A 2 mm tube is the fine end of the range: the hoop reads as a clean drawn line rather than a band of metal, and sits lightly in the piercing.

Specification

• Metal: sterling silver (925)
• Style: Twist Hoop
• Tube: 2 mm
• Inside diameter: 30 mm
• Outside diameter: 34 mm
• Construction: Tube
• Finish: Twisted and polished
• Sold as: Pair

Sterling silver is 925 parts per thousand fine silver, the balance copper. The copper is what makes it workable Ñ fine silver on its own is too soft to hold a form Ñ and it is also why sterling tarnishes: the copper reacts with sulphur in the air. Tarnish is a surface film, not corrosion. It polishes off with a silver cloth and the metal beneath is unchanged.

Servicing. Tube is hollow, which is what keeps the hoop light Ñ and it is also the limit of what can be done to it. A tube hoop cannot be resized, and a crushed or kinked section generally cannot be brought back, so store hoops where they cannot be compressed or sat on. Store silver in a closed box or a zip bag when it is not being worn Ñ tarnish is driven by air, not by wear, so the pieces you wear least are the ones that darken first. Sold as a pair.