Earrings: Education & Buying Tips

Earrings make the perfect gift because they are always the right fit. The most basic jewelry wardrobe piece, you may leave the house without a bracelet, but you’ll almost always wearing earrings.

The wide variety of earring types, sizes, and prices available makes it easy to find the perfect pair for a gift. Most earring styles go with anything, adding style to anything you wear.

Studs

Even with the small sizes, they come in, stud earrings are easy to wear. They have the versatility to look great with jeans or a cocktail dress. There are a variety of styles in Diamond earrings, Gemstone earrings, and Pearl earrings.

Hoops

Gold, silver, or platinum give great touch; these metals can go with anything. And to make them sparkle choose a pair with diamonds. A hoop earring is a continuous piece of metal that goes through the ear and is then held in place, typically by a latch back or friction back.

Drops

Drop earrings are made to dangle below their setting. A hoop earring is a continuous piece of metal that goes through the ear and is then held in place, typically by a latch back or friction back.

Diamond studs are the perfect gift for an important occasion. If she is more fashionable and follows the trends, give her princess-cut diamond studs, but if she dresses in classic styles, give round diamond studs or cultured pearl studs.

Friction

The most common type of earring back offered in the jewelry industry, requiring no screwing to put on or take off the earring.

Push on/ Screw off

Push on/screw off earrings are a little quicker to put on than screw on/screw off styles. The wearer can push on the earring back, and then unscrew it to take off the earring. Push on/screw off posts are typically used with studs and drop earrings.

Lever Back

Lever Backs also have a curved wire hook but are latched behind the ear with a lever that opens and closes. These are only used with drop earrings.

French Wire

Only used with drop earrings, this style has no back to it. It is a curved wire hook that the earring itself can be attached to.

Latch Back

Used mainly for hoops, there are two styles of latch backs: one has the post on a hinge and clips into a notch on the back of the earring. The second has an immobile post and a lever-style back that has a hole for the post to slide in to.

Screw on/Screw off

Screw on/screw off fasteners require the wearer to screw the back of the earring onto and off of a post threaded through the ear. This is an older style fastener, which has been replaced by the push on/screw off style, but is available upon request for added security or to repair an older earring with this post type.