DESIGNING EARRINGS – MOST COMMON STYLES
Earrings are very ancient personal decoration accessories and few are aware that they originated as a male accessory. In ancient Egypt, this necklace was used by men to indicate high social status. Nowadays, the earring is an ornament worn by both men and women.
This article will give an idea of the most common earring styles and help the designer to understand what earrings to propose to the client and what the client should look for/wear to express himself through this fascinating accessory.
When it comes to wearing earrings each individual has their own preferences and many times these are chosen based on style, design, model, material, length and according to our face shape.
The earring is an accessory in which the style changes according to shape, from smaller to larger and according to how attached or detached they are from the ear.
The following are the most common names used internationally to conceptualise the main earring designs:
1. Stud
2. Hoops
3. Dangle
4. Chandeliers
5. Huggies
6. Teardrop
7. Ear Cuffs
Stud Earrings Button Earrings
Stud earrings, as can be deduced from their name, are usually the size of a button, hence small in size. Like all styles of earrings, they can be designed in different styles and designs and created from different materials such as metal and gemstones.
Even though these earrings are limited in size, the designer can still have fun designing small shapes such as flowers and stars, or shapes to one’s liking.
Hoops Earrings
Hoop or hoop earrings are available in unlimited sizes and styles. Traditionally these earrings are round, but they can also be octagonal, rectangular or represent shapes that extend the diameter of the earlobe. The most common are also hoop earrings with gemstones and diamonds.
Dangle Earrings – Dangling Earrings
Dangle earrings, just as the name suggests, swing forward, backward and sideways. These types of earrings dangle below the earlobe and can be found in different lengths even up to the shoulder. The length of these earrings can be created with a chain and the end can be a gemstone. When dangling earrings have a cascading appearance, they are called chandelier earrings.
Chandeliers Earrings – Chandelier Earrings
These earrings are named after pendant chandeliers or ‘chandeliers’, because of their shape and suspension. These types of earrings can also be called pendant earrings. Most chandelier earrings are made only of precious stones or crystals. The designer with chandeliers earrings can accentuate his creativity as they are very voluminous jewellery and can therefore emphasise the designer’s creative egocentricity or accentuate more minimal aspects.
Huggies Earrings – Hug Earrings
These earrings get their name ‘huggie’ because they are designed to hug the ear. The difference between these and hoop earrings is that they are smaller in size (small hoops), more minimalist and comfortable, and they are suitable for a person who wants to be both casual and formal. The designer also in this case can use precious stones such as diamonds, sapphires, rubies to have a more noble intrinsic value of the object, or work with semi-precious stones to enhance the more varied notes of colour.
Ear Cuffs Earrings
Ear cuffs are earrings that embrace the entire ear, from the earlobe to the helix (upper part of the ear). The special feature of these earrings is that they remain soldered in the ear, requiring only one piercing in the lobe. For this reason, they have become very popular in recent years because they cover the entire ear pinna giving the impression of having many holes in the ear. The designer can design different creations by working on the amount of different stones and the shape of the earphone itself, which will enhance the ear without weighing it down.
To conclude, designing and creating earrings has always been in the history of jewellery very appealing. With this type of accessory, any designer can express his or her creativity in a thousand different ways. Any designer who decides to design customised earrings for a client, must however take into account the ear, the hole and the shape of the face of the person who will wear it. This will enhance in a more individualised way the peculiarities and shapes of the face together with those of the object worn.
