The Matchstick Earrings That Built Alexandra Hakim

Every label has an origin story. Most are retrofitted. Alexandra Hakim’s is an ashtray. As a student she began picking up spent matchsticks and casting them into metal, and that first collection of burnt matches turned into earrings and necklaces became the foundation of the brand. A decade on, the matchstick is still the piece people recognise her by.

Key facts

An ashtray, and an idea

The story is small and exact, which is why it holds up. Hakim was a student, working in a studio, and the raw materials around her were the things nobody valued: sandpaper, offcuts, the matches in the ashtray.

She made her first collection from those matchsticks, transforming fragile spent wood into earrings and necklaces. What made it work was the casting. She was not making a stylised matchstick shape, she was taking the actual burnt match and putting it into metal, so the grain and the charred head survive.

The pieces

• Original Golden Matches Earrings, 337 US dollars. The founding design, in 22K gold-plated brass.
• Golden Matches Earrings, 364 US dollars. The gold pair.
• Silver Matches Earrings, 462 US dollars. The same design in sterling silver, where the burnt texture reads more sharply.
• Golden Matchstick Necklace, 377 US dollars. A single matchstick as a pendant.
• Silver Matchstick Necklace, 495 US dollars. The silver version.

The silver pieces are the ones to look at closely. Silver holds detail differently from plated brass, and on a cast match head the difference is visible.

Matchstick jewellery elsewhere

The matchstick has become a recognised motif in designer jewellery, so it is worth being clear about what is different here. Several houses have made matchstick pieces as a witty reference, rendering the shape in enamel and metal.

Hakim’s are cast from real spent matches, which is a different proposition. The others are a drawing of a match. Hers is the match. That is also why no two of her pairs are identical, because no two burnt matches are.

How to wear them

They are slim and vertical, which makes them unusually easy. A matchstick earring flatters most face shapes because the line is long and narrow, and it sits well with hair up and hair down.

Wear them with a plain neckline and skip the necklace. If you want the full reference, pair the earrings with the matchstick pendant, but keep everything else quiet. The styling guide has more.

Why the idea still matters

The matchstick is the clearest statement of what the label does. A spent match is the most worthless object in a room. Casting it in gold and hanging it from an ear is an argument about value, made without a word of copy.

Everything that followed works the same way: khaizaran cane from a Lebanese chair, tomato stems from a Beirut market, debris from fishing nets, and now the Canter horseshoes.

How a spent match becomes an earring

The process is lost-wax casting, and the reason it works here is that it reproduces surface rather than shape.

A mould is taken from the real burnt match, a wax copy is made from that mould, the wax is invested in plaster and melted out, and molten metal fills the void left behind. What comes out carries the grain of the wood and the rough texture of the burnt head, because the metal filled the same space the match occupied.

That is why these read as convincing and why a stylised matchstick does not. You are looking at a real match, in metal.

Gold and silver

This is the main decision and it is worth thinking about, because the two metals do different things to the same object.

The gold-plated brass is warm and slightly softens the burnt texture, so the piece reads as jewellery first and as a match second. It is the more wearable of the two.

The sterling silver is cooler and sharper, and it holds the charred detail more crisply, so the reference is more obvious. If you are buying these for the idea rather than just the shape, buy the silver pair.

What to pair them with

Matchsticks are a narrow vertical line, which is an unusually forgiving shape. They suit hair up and hair down, they do not catch on knitwear, and they flatter a long face as readily as a round one.

Keep the neck bare. A matchstick earring and a matchstick pendant together is the one exception, since the repetition is deliberate. Everything else competes.

Frequently asked questions

What are Alexandra Hakim matchstick earrings made from?

Spent matchsticks cast directly into metal, finished in 22K gold-plated recycled brass and sterling silver. The burnt texture of the original match survives the casting.

How much are Alexandra Hakim matchstick earrings?

At Coveti the matchstick pieces run from 337 US dollars for the Original Golden Matches Earrings to 495 for the Silver Matchstick Necklace.

Why does Alexandra Hakim use matchsticks?

They were the founding idea. She began casting the spent matches from her studio ashtray as a student, and that first collection established the method the whole label still uses.

Are the matchstick earrings heavy?

No. They are slim cast pieces and sit light on the ear, which is part of why they work for daily wear.

Do the matchstick pairs match exactly?

Not exactly. Each is cast from a real spent match and finished by hand, so small differences between the two earrings are expected and are part of the design.

How are the matchstick earrings made?

By lost-wax casting from a real spent match. A mould is taken from the match itself, so the finished metal carries the grain of the wood and the texture of the burnt head.

Should I buy the gold and the silver matchsticks?

Gold is warmer and reads as jewellery first. Silver is cooler and holds the charred texture more crisply, so the reference to a real match is more obvious.

Read next

• Who is Alexandra Hakim?
• The khaizaran collection
• What is upcycled jewellery?
• The Alexandra Hakim edit

Sources

• Alexandra Hakim, About the designer
• Alexandra Hakim, Jewellery care
• Arab News, Lebanese designer using natural resources to make jewelry
• FashionUnited, Career Q and A with Alexandra Hakim

Prices and stock are as listed on Coveti at the time of writing and change with availability.

Written by Gemma Deeks, Fashion Editor at Coveti.