Romany Starrs’ Harlequin Collection Is One for the Ages

By Brittany Siminitz | November 21, 2025

The harlequin pattern has theatrical origins, dating back to 16th-century Italy. In commedia dell’arte, the Harlequin character was a servant, recognized by his patchwork clothing in a raggedy diamond pattern.

Later, that pattern was cleaned up, polished, and arranged into the more symmetrical look we’re familiar with today. But the associated characteristics have stayed the same—mischief, fun, and a duality of colors that might signal change.

Scottish jeweler Romany Starrs explores the lasting fascination with this pattern in her new Harlequin collection, a playful yet polished line of earrings, rings, necklaces, and brooches.

Kinetic elements in a number of the pieces seem to allude to the always-in-motion Harlequin character, who was often acrobatic. At the heart of the collection is the pair of Fringe earrings (pictured at top), each grid of golden triangles swaying with 22 strands of oxidized silver, finished at some ends with diamond-dotted golden triangles. The earrings’ fluidity captures the Harlequin’s sense of whimsy, their designer aesthetic a nod to the character’s frequent appearance in artistic works, particularly by Picasso and other painters.

“Harlequin has always symbolized joy, performance, and transformation,” Romany said in a statement about the collection. “I wanted to take that sense of playfulness and turn it into something more grounded and powerful. Where geometry feels alive, and pattern takes on a sculptural form.”

The jeweler achieves that living geometry feeling through contrasting use of metals and, in some cases, a brightening of color from gemstones such as sapphire, ruby, and larger citrine and peridot.

While there’s an expert assortment of rings perfect for stacking, you’ll also find categories less often seen, like epaulettes and stickpins. Romany Starrs’ Harlequin collection honors both the pattern’s progress through centuries and its modern timelessness that keeps us wanting more.