You keep coming back to the snake ones. Something in you likes them and something else assumes you could not carry it off, and you have never quite worked out which voice to listen to.
What do serpent earrings actually mean?
Renewal, mostly. The snake sheds its skin and continues, which is why it has stood for transformation and rebirth in jewellery for thousands of years rather than for anything sinister.
So it is not a warning symbol you are borrowing. It is the oldest available shorthand for having become someone slightly different and kept going.
Why has the snake been in jewellery for so long?
Because the shedding is such a good image. Ancient Egyptian and later Roman jewellery both used coiled snake forms, and the ouroboros — the serpent eating its own tail — is one of the longest-running symbols in the world.
Victorian Britain then made it romantic rather than mythic. Prince Albert gave Victoria a snake engagement ring, and half the country followed.
None of that history is decoration on the fact. It is why the shape still reads as deliberate rather than trendy.
Which serpent piece should you start with?
It depends entirely on how much you want to be asked about it.
The one people notice from across a room
A drop earring moves. That is the whole mechanism — the serpent form catches light differently as you turn your head, so it registers before anyone has consciously looked.
Serpent Spell Earrings — £24.84 — Shop →
The Serpent Spell Earrings are textured serpent drops in white gold-plated brass. The texture is doing the work — a smooth version of the same shape would read as far quieter.
The one that is only for you
A ring is different. You see it constantly and nobody else really does, which makes it the more private of the two.
Serpent Flow Ring — £28.60 — Shop →
The Serpent Flow Ring coils around the finger with crystal-set scales in white gold plating. You will look at it more than anyone else ever will, which is rather the point.
The one for when you have stopped hedging
Serpentine Crystal Drops — £39.37 — Shop →
Serpent coils in white gold plate with teardrop crystals. This is the loudest of the three and the one to arrive in rather than start with.
How do you wear it without it looking like a costume?
Wear one. The mistake is the matching set — serpent earrings and a serpent ring and a serpent cuff stops being a piece of jewellery and becomes a theme.
Put it against plain clothes. A serpent drop above a grey jumper reads as intent; the same earring with a printed dress and three other statement pieces reads as fancy dress.
And wear it on an ordinary day. Saved for occasions, anything symbolic curdles slightly — it starts announcing rather than simply being true.
What is it actually for?
You do not need to believe in symbolism for this to work, and it is not a talisman. But there is something in choosing an object that stands for having changed, and then putting it on during a stretch where you are changing.
That is what the whole Undimmed chapter at Love Your Beauty is for — the pieces you wear when you have decided to stop taking up less room. A snake is a useful thing to have on your hand while you do it.
Related reading: which metals do what against your skin, if you are deciding between the gold and the white gold versions.
Shed the version of you that was hedging. Keep the earrings.
Common questions
What does snake jewellery symbolise?
Transformation, renewal and continuity — the snake sheds its skin and carries on, which is why the form has meant rebirth rather than danger across most of its history in jewellery. The ouroboros, the serpent eating its own tail, is the oldest version of that idea.
Is it unlucky to wear snake jewellery?
Not in the tradition the jewellery comes from. Snake rings and bracelets were worn as protective and romantic pieces in ancient Egypt, ancient Rome and Victorian Britain — Prince Albert's engagement ring to Queen Victoria was a snake.
How do you wear serpent jewellery without it looking costumey?
Wear one piece rather than a set, and put it against plain clothes. A single serpent drop over a plain jumper reads as deliberate; three snake pieces at once reads as a theme.
Does white gold plating tarnish?
Plating wears rather than tarnishes, and how fast depends on what sits underneath and how often the piece meets water, perfume and friction. Taking pieces off before showering and storing them dry makes a real difference.
Are serpent earrings too much for everyday?
A textured drop is fine for a normal day; crystal-set versions are the ones that read as evening. If you are unsure, start with the smaller shape and see how often you reach for it.
Wear it
Serpent Spell Earrings — £24.84 — Shop →
Serpent Flow Ring — £28.60 — Shop →
Serpentine Crystal Drops — £39.37 — Shop →
