One of the most incredible things about jewelry is its versatility—wearable art the interpretation of which can change from person to person or even from day to day. One day, it may represent one thing, while another, it’s completely different.
The Revolution earring, sold as a single piece by Samantha Tea, is one of those pieces.
Its name, Revolution, feels especially in sync with current events, as history making as they’ve become in such a short time. There’s a fierceness to its elongated golden needle, a stake through the heart of injustice and hate.
Its rainbow sphere comprising 205 multicolor sapphires is an ode to gay pride, what is typically a revelatory time this month of the year. Things are looking a little different here in 2020, but the show must go on, and pride must be worn, bright as ever.
It is also notable what rainbows have come to symbolize throughout this pandemic: hope, appreciation, resilience. This phenomenon of the sky holds that symbolic meaning across many instances, and here is another. There’s really no end to how inspiring a rainbow can be—and we always welcome the sight of more jewelry in its image.
Somehow this piece bundles everything going on into one package—the hope, the fear, the intensity, the fight. It also—permit me a moment of optimism—foresees a future in which we revel in our victories. Much like the ball that drops in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, this bejeweled spherical presence descends gracefully down its pole, signaling to the crowd that the celebration has begun and welcoming with it a new chapter, a fresh slate.
In the case of this earring, that pole comes to a point: strong, a bit guarded, ready to jump to action. It’s a striking concoction that would make a fitting addition to anyone’s rainbow repertoire, for whatever a rainbow may symbolize to them at the moment.
Samantha Tea is a Franco-Cambodian designer who is based in the U.K.—but she accomplished a thing or two before turning to jewelry. With a career in modeling that spanned 13 years, she had the opportunity to enrich her life through travel. It was a Pilates-teaching course that led to a trip to the border of Thailand and Burma, where a friend of Tea’s journeyed to buy gemstones. “I always loved wearing jewelry as I saw it as a nice and meaningful, and a different way of telling a story, but seeing the raw side of the gems totally caught me that day,” Tea said.
Tea then moved to Bangkok for a three-month mentorship, which has brought us here—to her eponymous brand.
And if you love this earring, it’s also available in tsavorite, as well as in all black or yellow diamonds. Each is a part of the Samantha Tea Cosmos collection.
Top: Revolution drop earring in 18k rose gold and black rhodium with rainbow sapphires, £2,860 ($3,650); Samantha Tea
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