Britt’s Pick: Paul Morelli’s Cloud Chaser Earrings

By Brittany Siminitz | April 07, 2026

Air travel hasn’t been enjoying much positive press lately, but Paul Morelli offers some with the light, imaginative take on flight of this custom pair of earrings.

Featuring kinetic movement and a generous amount of detail, the Cloud Chaser earrings took about six months to create. The team at Paul Morelli went through half a dozen prototypes, as they wanted the pair to hang just right, and with several moving parts to account for, that was no small feat.

Each earring has a functioning propeller (it really spins) at the earlobe stud and at the nose of the miniature biplane, while inside the cockpit sits a finely sculpted pilot, as if to invite the wearer to imagine their own journey. This is jewelry that seems as much a tiny machine as it does an adornment.

“I’ve always liked the logic of the Macchina gears [a proprietary design by Morelli], which is a favorite of mine—the idea that jewelry can actually do something. For the Cloud Chaser, the propeller had to work,” said Morelli in a statement. “It’s a bit of a challenge to make something so small function correctly, and it isn’t always perfect, but there’s a quiet whimsy in a machine made of gold.

“The pilot was an afterthought; the cockpit just looked incomplete without him. I wanted it to feel less like an ornament and more like a real, working object you just happen to wear.”

Morelli’s creation of the Cloud Chaser earrings underscores a broader shift in fine jewelry toward pieces that embrace playfulness without sacrificing craftsmanship. It’s a reminder that high design doesn’t have to take itself too seriously, so long as it’s done well—and in this instance, it truly is.

A one-of-a-kind collector’s piece that blends technical innovation with a sense of humor, Cloud Chaser is priced at $23,000 for the pair. Private appointments to view the pair are available through Paul Morelli’s concierge.

Top: Cloud Chaser earrings in 18k yellow and white gold with 0.73 ct. t.w. diamonds, $23,000; Paul Morelli