Farah Golden Orb Earrings

Verified claims

Orb origin

Orb fuses 1661 Sovereign's Orb with a Saturn ring, created 1985-86.

Harris Tweed

Harris Tweed welcomed the orb's resemblance to its logo.

Logo adoption

Carlo D'Amario immediately recognized the orb as the perfect Vivienne Westwood logo.

Design

Openwork metal orb with a butterfly back styled with circular studs

Comfort

Weighs 1.1g and sits 0.1 cm deep, flush and lightweight

Heritage

Orb design merges the Sovereign's Orb with a Saturn ring as a punk symbol

Care

Cut-out detailing traps moisture, accelerating tarnish after gold plating wears

Profile

The earring sits nearly flush with 0.1 cm depth, reducing snagging risk.

Weight

At 1.1 g per earring, cut-out detailing creates a lightweight, airy feel.

Closure

Butterfly-back closure with circular stud ensures a secure and comfortable fit.

Nickel

100% brass may contain trace nickel; not labeled nickel-free.

Plating longevity

Plating lasts 1–2 years and is re-platable for $30–80.

Plating durability

Gold plating lasts 1-2 years with good care; moisture and sweat accelerate tarnish.

Replating

Replating restores gold finish for $30-$80.

Staple status

Buyers report it as a staple design on official site, Harrods, and Ssense.

Wearability

At 1.1 g and 0.1 cm depth, the earring is comfortable for all-day wear.

Product record

Title

Farah Golden Orb Earrings

Brand

Vivienne Westwood

Price

145 CAD

Availability

In stock

The Orb's journey from punk to icon

• When the orb was first launched, it was briefly confused with the Harris Tweed orb mark—a 20th-century stamp guaranteeing genuine handwoven cloth—yet Harris Tweed welcomed it because Westwood had revived their industry; that early visual kinship gives the Farah earring a quiet association with the kind of artisan heritage that normally takes generations to build.
• The orb was instantly recognized as the perfect logo by Carlo D'Amario—later the brand's business manager—when he saw it on a planned jumper design; his instinct that it captured the house's mission gave the motif a permanent institutional role, so the Farah earring wears the same logo that has fronted every collection since.
• By ripping the Sovereign's Orb from its coronation context—where it represents divine and worldly authority—and reissuing it as a fashion motif, Westwood drained it of sacredness and turned it into an anti-establishment badge; the Farah earring delivers that coded rebellion in a polite, gold-tone brass stud that passes at a formal event while carrying punk's insurrectionary DNA.
• The Farah earring's orb design was created in 1985–86 when Vivienne Westwood overlaid the 1661 Sovereign's Orb—a jeweled golden sphere with a cross—with a Saturn-like ring inspired by her son's astronomy magazines, deliberately colliding ancient royal regalia with celestial futurism to produce the brand's central visual identity.

Gold-toned plating longevity and everyday wear

• Gold-plated brass fashion jewelry generally retains its finish for 1–2 years with conscientious care — removed before showering, swimming, or applying perfume — before visible tarnishing begins; for a small stud like the Farah earring, the minimal surface area and lack of chain movement reduce friction, pushing wear toward the longer end of that range if stored dry and handled gently.
• When the gold plating eventually wears through on high-wear points like the post back or the edge of the orb, the earrings can be restored to new condition by a jeweler through electroplating at a typical cost of $30–$80, turning what could be a disposable fashion accessory into a piece that can be maintained indefinitely.
• The Farah earring's orb design features recessed lines that can trap moisture, sweat, or skin oils, which accelerate brass oxidation once the plating begins to wear; drying the earrings thoroughly after each wear and avoiding sleeping in them helps delay the emergence of dark spots in the detailed areas where tarnish is most visible against the gold finish.

How the Farah stands out among orb earrings

• Rather than a solid metal disc, the Farah's orb takes the form of an openwork metal frame — the official platinum variant listing includes “Cut-out detailing” as a feature — which gives the earring a lighter, airier presence that reads as delicate punk filigree, suiting wearers who want the iconic shape in a less weighty, more intricate format.
• The Farah series' butterfly-back closure is ornamented with circular stud detailing across the clasp — the pink-gold variant’s official description calls it “customised butterfly-back fastenings, complete with circular stud detailing, reminiscent of the house's signature punk style” — meaning the earring extends its rebellious design language to the rear, a detail that signals Westwood’s attention to covert styling and ensures the piece feels punk even from behind.
• The orb on the Farah isn't just a logo repeat — the brand’s platinum variant page says it “embodies Vivienne’s vision of carrying tradition into the future,” and the pink-gold version calls it “an emblem for taking tradition into the future,” positioning the earring as a tiny sculpture that encodes Westwood’s own origin story of fusing classical British iconography with forward-thinking rebellion, adding a layer of intellectual heritage to what might otherwise be seen as a simple stud.