Earrings

[KauaiAnne]

I have gone earring-less most of my life but two days ago I took the plunge and got my ears pierced. I will spend the next six weeks daydreaming about the pearl earrings I'm going to buy. Please tell me about your favorite styles - posts, dangles, lever back, hoops - etc. things to be careful about, and anything else an earring virgin should know about. Ear shots please!

 

[Hanaleimom]

Some of what I am about to write has been mentioned somewhere, but I'll sum up what I remember and offer my observations.

1) Studs seem more appropriate for conservative office but sometimes become loose if you use the phone a lot. Those with darker hair and wear dark tahitian earrings should stick to studs. Darker pearls don't show well in dangling styles on dark hair women. They show better contrast on skin, thus studs.

2) Don't overdo when it comes to stud size. They should be proportion to your earlobes. The use of those earring backs to help support the studs and avoid earrings from drooping does help, but excessively large studs on small lobes don't look quite right. I think for the majority of the population, 11mm pearls and larger look better on dangles unless you have very big lobes.

3) Brunettes should stick to lighter color dangling earrings. I also feel "safer" with lever back, hoops and dangles when it comes to security (not coming off too easily after phone conversations). I like them as long as they are not longer than 1". Long chandeliers and long dangling earrings look sultry, but exercise caution with those. They draw the eyes downward to your neck and jawline, and emphasize long faces. Women with very long facial features should stay away from chandeliers. Those of us that are more mature do not want more attention to droopiness. Just my 2 cents.

 

[barbie biggs]

Hi:
Just a quick note. In essence I agree with the previous comments but have these exceptions:

1) Don't try lever backs right away as they tend to be thicker than other earrings and will hurt newly pierced ears.

2) I have dark hair and wear tahitian dangles, but my hair is short.

3) I personally don't wear studs often. I like the formal look but can't be bothered with the post.

You might want to begin with a simple pair of nice freshwater dangles from a reputable dealer until your ears become accustomed. Then when your ears are used to it you can work your way up.
(I was going to say, "Spend yourself silly", but was trying to be nice.

Good luck,

barbie

PS You might take into account any metal sensitivities you may have.

 

[GemGeek]

Great advice! Now let me add my own thoughts:
Start with small pearl posts or lightweight pearl dangles that have a stud top, such as a ball or a diamond. If you are able to wear an earring that is really stable and doesn't pull down on your ear, it will heal a lot faster. Save the hoops, lever-backs and french hooks for at least two months or more. Barbie is right about some earrings being thicker. You can take a small half-round jeweler's file and make the center of the lever a little thinner. Snap-bar or huggie hoops are a favorite of mine, but some have posts that are really really thick, so be careful before buying them.

Dangles, especially lever-backs and french hooks, make talking on the phone much more comforable. The pressure of the phone is enough to make pearls work their way off the posts if you hold your phone against your shoulder. The other styles just flatten against your earlobe.

I am very excited for you. May I suggest starting with 6.5mm stud freshadamas? Then a nice pair of Sea of Cortez dangles? Ha! How fun!

Blaire

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I find my dangles a lot more comfortable than my studs generally, but I have found also that curved wire is harder to put into newly healed ears than studs. Also my stud posts are thicker wire than my dangle wires, and when the hole is new, you do want to use the thicker post wire if you can, to help keep the hole wide.

Also, unless you heal especially quickly, take the six weeks with a grain of salt. I had a second piercing before Christmas and found it took months to heal, not weeks-- same as my first piercing 20 years ago. In fact, about 6 months, for me.

Edit: My 6 months turned out to be wishful thinking; they fully healed after a year. Now I can finally leave out earrings for a day or two without the hole's healing over.

 

[Hanaleimom]

Oh yes, the dark tahitian earrings advice was meant for long hair brunettes in my previous post. I've had to pull my hair up/back to show off earrings. Just got my hair cut a few weeks ago and they seem to show off better with shorter hair.

Does anyone have trouble with french wire coming off? Do you put the clear plastic stopper in the back?

 

[GemGeek]

I buy bags of these little back stops from Rio Grande. You push them up the french wire right against the back of your ear and they work beautifully. After a while they get enough skin oil on them to slide around. At that point you can wash them in soapy water or just replace them. Your earrings won't "drift" and they won't get lost.

 

[KauaiAnne]

My goodness, when I described myself as an “earring virgin,” I never thought I would get so much wedding night advice!
- the cautions about the diameter of wire or post;
- the boudoir allure of dangles and chandeliers;
- the prophylactic measures I should take with those little plastic back stops (LOL! you know what they look like!);
- your kind suggestions of how to practice safe (ahem!) earring placement;
- even the evocative term “stud size.”
What more could a new bride ask for? I appreciate all your advice, and I had no idea there was this much fun to be had. Now, could my P-G aunties come up with a little earring p*** (rhymes with “corn”) to help me on my way?

 

[pattye]

Lolololololol Mikeyy, you have some competition in the humor dept!

 

[GemGeek]

Okay, here are my Sea of Cortez earrings. You can swap other charms onto the wires. They are from Carolyn Ehret's Druzy Design on eBay.

 

[KauaiAnne]

Oh, yeah, that's what I'm talking about, baby! Show me more!

 

[newberry]

Love your earrings GemGeek !

 

[Mitsucats]

gemgeek, those are awesome!!! wow, really nice...

 

[CLICLASP]

I buy bags of these little back stops from Rio Grande. You push them up the french wire right against the back of your ear and they work beautifully. .........]

Ah Ah , just discovered this week that the "french wires" are called in France : " american " ones, very funny
Besides, I totally agree that these back stops are of a great help to place earrings very well on the ear.

 

[GemGeek]

CliClasp, that's so funny!

 

[Pearly Shell]

I'm totally all about the dangle earrings. I always seem to loose the backings of post earrings. I have found that dangle earrings on shepherds hook findings do not drift off your ear if they are weighted properly.

If you are going to do larger post earrings, you might look into studs with omega backings. Kind of like posts that "clip" in place. They will support the lobe if the stud is large.

 

[KauaiAnne]

I am now several weeks into earring experimentation. I bought several styles and sizes of earrings and here’s what I’ve learned – I have really small earlobes. I like moderate dangles, especially lever-backs, but here’s the problem – it appears most wires, dangles, lever-backs are designed to accommodate larger earlobes. A regular French wire drops quite low below my earlobe before the main action of the earring starts. An earring that is 1” long gets another .75” in length from the wire. I’ve seen very few (almost none) post earrings with dangles. Are there different sizes or lengths of French wires and other non-post earrings? I’m trying to figure out how to shorten up the length between my ear piercing and where the top of the earring starts. I’m almost regretting the placement of my piercing – I think I should have placed it up higher on the lobe. Lever-backs seem a little shorter than French wires but even those hang lower than I’d like, plus less variety. Can I ask a vendor to find or make a shorter wire? Or redesign it for a post? Are there “child-size” wires? Any other design options out there? I have my eye on lots of pretty earrings but I want to figure this out before I plunk down the serious money.

 

[barbie biggs]

Oh ho, cute litte tiny ears. You could of course learn to make your own earrings.

You can purchase about 12 inches of gold wire for under $50.00 and make 3 or 4 pair of earrings with it.

It is a good idea to make about 20 pairs with what I call pot metal wire first so your gold wire turns out perfect and so you know exactly what you want the finished product to look like and how you want it to perform. (And of course you need to know how long you want it to be). (Personally, I'm not a size freak in any way, except, it turns out I like my earrings very long so that I don't loose them),

Just my 2c. I did that and it was great fun. Came away with a whole different perspective on earrings.

barbie

 

[pearlescence]

Hi KauaiAnne
Yes, I'm sure some sellers could make shorter dangles for you, no problem..or as barbie biggs says, learn to make your own. It isn't totally easy but nor is it particularly difficult.
You could pm me for details on either option

 

[Pearly Shell]

Not all french wires/shepherd hooks are created the same. Different manufacturers and designers will vary in the size and length of the hook. For example, I have the exact opposite problem and I found that Tiffany's shepherd hook earrings were a bit n the short side for me.

When shopping I do suggest asking if the wire can be shortened or made smaller. It never hurts to ask, and if you are talking to the designer, they can usually accomodate you.