It’s because everything is so monotonous that nothing feels all that exciting at the moment. Pandemic fatigue, they’re calling it.

We’re all getting tired of being stuck at home, though we know and support what’s required of us. It’s not that I’m not grateful—after years upon years of apartment living, we have a home with a variety of rooms in which to entertain ourselves. But there’s only so many crafts, coloring books, and cartoons one can cycle through. Like, what is there to even inspire anymore?

Well, jewelry, for one thing. Jewelry inspires; makers inspire. It’s exciting when you find a piece of jewelry that really moves you. During quarantine, it’s downright thrilling.

That’s how these earrings by Rome-based jeweler Fabio Salini had me feeling.

There’s just so much to focus on and interpret. Sleek and sculptural, futuristic and playful. For stargazers, it may look like a phase of the moon. For fans of nostalgia or even video games, it’s like the chicest, most glamorous version of Pac-Man anyone has ever seen. And yet for others, it’s simply a pair of fierce earrings that would look so incredibly good for any possible occasion. For me, it’s all three of those things, and I’m hopelessly attached.

The earrings come from Salini’s Roman Romance collection, which works with carbon fiber as its main material (as opposed to the brand’s typical accessory or accent, which features other precious metals).

From a brand statement on the collection: “Fabio Salini has chosen to use black as a riposte to gold to symbolize the ‘absolute void’ in which anything can happen, and he utilizes carbon fiber, with its silky, shiny texture symbolic of technology and ultramodernity, to break with paradigms and introduce a message of total evolution, while continuing to dialogue with the great traditions of jewelry-making. In fact, carbon fiber is a different form of the same element of which diamonds are made, and the symbiosis of the two materials is the perfect expression of the artist’s ability to combine the classic and the innovative.”

The silhouettes combine various inspirations, including art deco, 1960s bon ton, the geometric rainbow patterns of the ’70s, and a touch of African tribal art. And truly, knowing that now, you can pick out a bit of all of that in this one single pair: its geometry and bold, almost color-blocked style, the vibe that it’d fit in really well on a faraway beach. It’s pretty remarkable when a style can convey that much, and speaks well to its versatility and wide-ranging appeal.

While the earrings’ featured amethyst gem certainly touches on the month’s birthstone, the contrast between black and purple feels fresh and dramatic, just as fitting in the spring and summer as it would be in the fall and winter—so, basically, anytime is a good time to wear them.

Top: Earrings in gold, titanium, and carbon fiber with amethyst, price on request; Fabio Salini

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