Silver keychain with triple embossed red hearts

A red heart keyring set with rhinestones

The pendant is a heart within a heart, both cut through in the middle, both covered in small red stones. At the centre sits a third heart, this one a single faceted stone that throws the light back in flat planes rather than sparkling evenly. It stands 5.5 cm without the attachment, which puts the whole pendant inside the width of a palm. Most of the key chains aisle this one sits in is given over to figures: animals, shoes, small characters.

Three hearts, one inside the next

Read from the outside in, the three layers do different jobs. The outer contour sets the size and carries the longest run of stones. The inner one repeats the outline on a smaller scale, and that is what makes the piece read as depth rather than as a flat badge. The stone at the centre is the only one cut as a single piece rather than paved, and it reads noticeably darker than the small stones around it.

The side that faces your pocket

Turn it over and the red is gone. The back is plain silver-coloured metal, with the cups that hold each stone left open, so the setting reads as a row of small hollows. The centre heart is smooth and slightly domed from this side. This is the face that rubs against keys, and it is the flattest part of the piece.

A heart instead of a character

Nothing here has to be recognised. There is no animal to spot and no face to read, just one shape repeated three times, which leaves the colour to do the work. The same choice runs through the other pieces built around the heart shape, from pocket mirrors to hair clips.