Studs, Huggies, Hoops and More: A Guide to Earring Styles
Earrings are the one piece of jewellery that sits right next to your face. They change how your jaw, neck and smile read, often more than a necklace does. Which is why knowing the styles by name helps. You stop buying "cute earrings" and start buying the ones you will reach for.
Here is a plain guide to the styles that matter.
Studs
A stud sits flat on the lobe with a post going straight through. No movement, nothing to catch on a dupatta or a toddler's fingers. They are the style you forget you are wearing, which is exactly the point.
Studs do not have to be tiny. A sculpted pair like our Textured Dragonfly studs covers the lobe and still feels light.
Wear them: to work, to the gym, to sleep.
Huggies
Huggies are small, thick hoops that hug the earlobe closely. They usually click shut, so there is no loose back to lose. If you want one pair that works every day of the week, start here.
A plain huggie is a quiet staple. Add a stone or a pearl, like the Pearl Huggies with CZ or the Coin Pearl Drop Huggies, and it starts to look dressed up.
Wear them: everywhere. They also suit second and third piercings.
Hoops
Hoops are the bigger sibling: a full circle that hangs below the lobe. Thin hoops look delicate. Chunky hoops look confident. Both frame the face well.
Our Teardrop Pearl Hoops come with a detachable pearl, so one pair gives you two looks.
Wear them: with hair tied back, so they are seen.
Drops and dangles
A drop hangs below the lobe from a stud or hook and stays fairly still. A dangle is longer and swings as you move. Both draw the eye downward and lengthen the neck.
The Pearl Chain Drop Earrings are a neat example: a small gold stud with three freshwater pearls linked below it. For something more linear, try the Paperclip Chain Pearl Earrings.
Wear them: to dinners and with open necklines.
Chandeliers and fringe
Chandeliers branch out into several tiers or strands, like the light fitting they are named after. Fringe earrings do the same with fine hanging lines. These are the showstoppers.
The Real Turquoise Chandelier Hoops and Pearl Cascade Drop Earrings both carry real movement without real weight.
Wear them: when the earrings are the outfit. Skip the necklace.
Threaders
A threader is a fine chain that passes through the piercing and hangs on both sides of the lobe. There is no back at all. It is minimal and a little unexpected, as on our Hummingbird Threader Drops.
Ear crawlers
A crawler, also called a climber, travels up the edge of the ear from a single piercing. It gives the look of several piercings with only one. See the Garnet Marquise Ear Crawler.
Mismatched pairs
Not a shape, but a style worth naming. One earring differs from the other on purpose, like our Mismatched Pearl Hoops. It looks considered, never accidental.
How to choose
Think about your day before the design. If you are on calls, on the move or around children, pick studs and huggies. If you are dressing for an evening, go longer.
And if your ears are sensitive, look at the metal first. Hypoallergenic pieces with durable plating are the ones you can wear daily.
Find your style in our full earrings collection, or see the pairs designed in-house at Foramour.
