Nutcracker earrings with multicolour rhinestone uniform

Nutcracker earrings with multicolour rhinestone military uniform

The nutcracker has been a recurring figure of Christmas iconography since the Tchaikovsky ballet, and a recurring shape in costume jewellery since at least the 1980s. This pair takes the full-figure approach (standing soldier rather than a tight head shot) and dresses it in a richly detailed uniform: a black shako crown studded with small pink and violet rhinestones (the regimental plume), an ivory enamel face with painted features, a red uniform jacket trimmed with horizontal rows of small white rhinestones and three turquoise rhinestone buttons running down the centre, a black enamel belt at the waist, and gold-tone boots lined with small pink rhinestones. Each earring stands 5.5 cm tall and sits on a pierced-ears post.

A nutcracker for the Christmas pageant register

The pair reads as part of the "Christmas pageant" register rather than the cosy-cabin one: more nutcracker on the mantelpiece, more Royal Opera House Tchaikovsky than chunky knit by the fire. The multicolour rhinestone work (pink, violet, white, turquoise) keeps the design from reading as a monochrome military toy and shifts it firmly into festive jewellery territory. On the lobe, the gold-tone outline catches the light and the rows of rhinestones extend the sparkle vertically, which lengthens the face.

Styling: party dress, sequin top, velvet jacket, ballet date

Three placements where these nutcrackers really deliver: with a black or burgundy party dress for a Christmas dinner, where the multicolour rhinestones become the only colour anchor; with a sequin top and dark tailored trousers for a New Year evening, where the small turquoise buttons coordinate with the sequins; before a Christmas ballet or opera evening (a Nutcracker performance, for example), where the pair is a quiet hat-tip to the show. Wider Christmas accessory ranges: Christmas and costume jewellery.

Materials and care

Body: gold-tone-plated zinc alloy. Enamel: hand-painted red uniform, ivory face, black shako and belt, sealed against dust and minor abrasion. Rhinestones: small multicolour glass crystals (pink, violet, white, turquoise) glued individually into cup settings. Post: nickel-low stainless steel for pierced ears. Care: keep dry, store flat in a soft pouch separate from other metal jewellery to avoid loosening the rhinestones, wipe with a dry microfibre cloth.

Technical specifications