Conchita Leya Earrings

Conchita means "little shell" in Spanish, and these earrings take the form of a crescent moon cut from abalone and framed in alpaca metal. They are handmade in Taxco, Mexico, and imported by Siesta, a Canterbury family business that has traded in Mexican crafts since 1983.

Alpaca is an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc with the colour of silver, and Taxco's jewellery workshops have worked it alongside sterling for decades. It is harder than sterling silver, and the slender frame around the crescent keeps its shape with wear.

At 3.2cm long, this is the larger of the two crescent moon designs we stock from Siesta. The abalone is farmed off Baja California and managed by two voluntary fishing cooperatives. It shows the full range of the shell's colour, from sea green through blue to violet, and because each crescent is cut from a different shell, no two pairs are quite alike.

Siesta is a member of BAFTS, the British Association for Fair Trade Shops and Suppliers, and imports directly from long-standing producers whom the family visits regularly.

Looking After Abalone and Alpaca

Shell is softer than most gemstones and can be scratched by harder pieces, so store these earrings on their own in a pouch or a lined box. Keep them away from perfume, hairspray and chlorinated water, all of which can cloud the surface of the nacre over time, and put them on as the last step in getting ready. The alpaca will darken slowly with handling. When it does, rub it gently with a dry polishing cloth, taking care to avoid the shell. Alpaca contains nickel, which anyone with a sensitivity to it should bear in mind.

Material: alpaca metal, abalone shell
Hooks: silver-plated
Length: 3.2cm
Width: 1cm
Made in: Taxco, Mexico

For hygiene reasons, earrings cannot be returned once removed from their sealed packaging. This does not affect your statutory rights if an item arrives faulty.