Fancy Red Cherry Keychain

A red cherry keychain with green rhinestone leaves

The two cherries hang from slim stems that curve towards each other and meet just below the fitting. Each one is a bead of red resin with a lacquer-like shine, round rather than teardrop-shaped. The pair of leaves sits between the stems and carries faceted green rhinestones in a navette cut, the long pointed shape that reads as a leaf without needing to be veined or textured. Stems, mount and fittings share a rose-tinted gold tone that stays quiet behind the red. It sits alongside the rest of the charms, from the teddy bear to the perfume bottle.

A lobster clasp at one end, a split ring at the other

The hardware comes in two parts: a spring-loaded lobster clasp and a split ring. The clasp opens under thumb pressure and closes onto a bag loop, a belt strap or the zip pull of a wash bag. The ring takes the keys themselves. Most days only one of the two is in use, and that is the point. Nobody wants to thread a whole keyring off its loop just to move a charm onto a tote for the afternoon.

Measurements, materials and fittings

The short version, before you decide:

Where the red actually works

Against black leather, the cherries read almost like a signal, which is useful on a bag you lose track of in a crowded hallway. On tan or cream canvas the effect softens and the charm turns into a colour accent instead. Red and denim get along without any effort at all. It is a brighter pink or a strong orange that asks for more thought, because the two warm tones end up competing. Hung on a small backpack or a gym bag, the charm also makes a useful marker in a shared cloakroom.

Keeping the resin glossy and the stones clear

Fingerprints show on resin faster than on metal, so a dry soft cloth now and then is worth the thirty seconds. Wipe around the claws holding each stone as well, since dust settles there first and dulls the facets. Put perfume and hairspray on before you pick the keys up rather than after, and unclip the charm from anything heading into a washing machine.