Editing Earring (section)

==Types of earrings==

===Modern standard pierced earrings===

====Barbell earrings====
Barbell earrings get their name from their resemblance to a barbell, generally coming in the form of a metal bar with an orb on either end. One of these orbs is affixed in place, while the other can be detached to allow the barbell to be inserted into a piercing. Several variations on this basic design exist, including barbells with curves or angles in the bar of the earring.

====Claw earrings====
The '''claw''', '''talon'''  or '''pincher''' is essentially a curved taper which is worn in stretched [[ear lobe]] [[piercings]]. The thickest end is generally flared and may be decorated, and a rubber [[o-ring]] may also be used to prevent the talon from becoming dislodged when worn. Common materials include [[Polymethyl methacrylate|acrylic]] and [[glass]]. A similar item of [[Jewellery|jewelry]] is the [[crescent]], or pincher, which as the name suggests, is shaped like a crescent moon and is tapered at both ends. Talons and claws may also be quite ornamental (e.g.: carved in the form of a serpent or dragon). Consequently, they may prove to be an impractical choice of jewelry as they may snag on hair, clothing, etc.

====Statement earrings====
[[File:Chandbali Earrings.jpg|thumb|Chandbali earrings, Asansol, West Bengal, India]]
Statement earrings can be defined as "earrings which invite attention from others by demonstrating bold, original, and unique designs with innovative construction and material combinations". They include one or more of the following design features:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Graves |first=Treva |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DFuZDwAAQBAJ&dq=Statement+earrings&pg=PT85 |title=The Style File: A Woman's Guide to Dress for Success |date=2019-05-21 |publisher=Page Publishing Inc |isbn=978-1-64462-832-4 |language=en}}</ref>
*Dangles
*Tassels
*Sparkles
*Bold or striking colours
*Hoops

====Stud/minimal earrings====
[[File:StarterEarrings2.jpg|thumb|250px|Pair of starter stud earrings]]

The main characteristic of a stud earring is the appearance of floating on the ear or earlobe without a visible (from the front) point of connection. A stud earring features a gemstone or other ornament mounted on a narrow post that passes straight through a piercing in the ear or earlobe, which is held in place behind the ear by means of a removable [[friction]] back or clutch (sometimes referred to as a ''butterfly'' or scroll fitting).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Erlanger |first=Micaela |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=spsqDwAAQBAJ&dq=Statement+earrings&pg=PT59 |title=How to Accessorize: A Perfect Finish to Every Outfit |date=2018-04-03 |publisher=Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed |isbn=978-1-5247-6115-8 |language=en}}</ref> To prevent their loss, the posts of some more expensive stud earrings made of precious metals or containing precious stones, such as solitaire diamonds, are threaded, allowing a ''screw back'' to hold the stud securely in place.

====Heart earrings====

Heart earrings are earrings in the form of the heart. They can be in the normal wearing degree and also they can be in a rotation of 180° wearing degree.

====Hoop earrings====
[[File:Hoop earring.jpg|thumb|8 mm diameter [[stainless-steel]] hoop earring]]
Hoop earrings are circular or semi-circular in design and look very similar to a [[Finger ring|ring]]. Hoop earrings generally come in the form of a hoop of metal that can be opened to pass through the ear piercing. They are often constructed of metal tubing, with a thin wire attachment penetrating the ear. The hollow tubing is permanently attached to the wire at the front of the ear, and slips into the tube at the back. The entire device is held together by [[tension (mechanics)|tension]] between the wire and the tube. Other hoop designs do not complete the circle, but penetrate through the ear in a post, using the same attachment techniques that apply to stud earrings. A variation is the ''continuous hoop earring''. In this design, the earring is constructed of a continuous piece of solid metal, which penetrates through the ear and can be rotated almost 360°. One of the ends is permanently attached to a small piece of metallic tubing or a hollow metallic bead. The other end is inserted into the tubing or bead, and is held in place by tension. One special type of hoop earring is the ''sleeper earring'', a circular wire normally made of gold, with a diameter of approximately one centimeter. ''Hinged'' sleepers, which were common in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s, comprise two semi-circular gold wires connected via a tiny hinge at one end, and fastened via a small clasp at the other, to form a continuous hoop whose fastening mechanism is effectively invisible to the naked eye. Because their small size makes them unobtrusive and comfortable, and because they are normally otherwise unadorned, ''sleepers'' are so-called because they were intended to be worn at night to keep a pierced ear from closing, and were often the choice for the first set of earrings immediately following the ear piercing in the decades before ear-piercing guns using studs became commonplace, but are often a fashion choice in themselves because of their attractive simplicity and because they subtly call attention to the fact that the ear is pierced.

====Drop earrings====
[[File:Jasper earrings.jpg|thumb|[[Jasper]] drop earrings]]
A drop earring attaches to the earlobe and features a gemstone or ornament that dangles down from a chain, hoop, or similar object. The length of these ornaments vary from the very short to the extravagantly long. Such earrings are occasionally known as droplet earrings, dangle earrings, or pendant earrings. They also include chandelier earrings, which branch out into elaborate, multi-level pendants.

====Chandelier earrings====
[[File:Örhängen med briljanter, 1700-tal - Hallwylska museet - 110487.tif|thumb|upright|[[Diamond]] chandelier earrings]]
Chandelier earrings have an appearance similar to that of [[chandelier]]s, with a design that dangles below the ear and is wider at the base than the top.

====Dangle earrings====
[[File:Traditional Earrings.jpg|thumb|A selection of dangle earrings]]
Dangle earrings (also known as drop earrings) are designed to suspend from the bottoms of the earlobes. Their lengths vary from a centimeter or two, all the way to brushing the wearer's shoulders. A pierced dangle earring is generally attached to the ear with a thin wire passing through the earlobe. It may connect to itself with a small hook at the back, or in the ''French hook'' design, the wire passes through the earlobe piercing without closure, although small plastic or silicone retainers are sometimes used on ends. Rarely, dangle earrings use the post attachment design. There are also variants that attach without piercing.

====Huggy earrings====
Huggy earrings are hoops that closely follow the curve of the earlobe, instead of dangling down beneath it as in regular hoop earrings. Commonly, stones are channel set in huggy earrings.

====Ear thread====
Ear thread, or earthreader, ear string, or threader earrings, are a chain that is thin enough to slip into the ear hole, dangling down at the back. Sometimes, people add beads or other materials onto the chain, so the chain dangles with beads below the ear.

====Jhumka earrings====
A type of dangling bell-shaped traditional earrings mostly worn by women of Indian subcontinent.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}
A  jhumki is a traditional earring commonly worn in South Asia, especially in India and Pakistan. It features a bell-shaped design and is usually crafted from metals such as gold, silver, or brass, often adorned with detailed patterns and gemstones.

===Body piercing jewelry used as earrings===
[[File:Navel Curve As Earring.jpg|thumb|upright|A navel curve used as an earring with a green gemmed ear stud above it]]
[[Body piercing jewelry]] is often used for ear piercings, and is selected for a variety of reasons including the availability of larger gauges, better piercing techniques, and a reduced risk of healing complications.
* [[Captive bead ring]]s – Captive bead rings, often abbreviated as CBRs and sometimes called ''ball closure rings'', are a style of body piercing jewelry that is an almost 360° ring with a small gap for insertion through the ear. The gap is closed with a small bead that is held in place by the ring's tension. Larger gauge ball closure rings exhibit considerable tension, and may require ring expanding pliers for insertion and removal of the bead.
* [[barbell (piercing)|Barbells]] – Barbells are composed of a thin, straight metal rod with a bead permanently fixed to one end. The other end is threaded, either externally or tapped with an internal thread, and the other bead is screwed into place after the barbell is inserted through the ear. Since the threads on externally threaded barbells tend to irritate the piercing, internal threads have become the most common variety. Another variation are threadless barbells or press-fit jewelry, with a hollow post, a fixed back disk and a front end that is attached with a slightly bend pin that is inserted into the post.<ref>The Piercing Bible: The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing, Elayne Angel Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale, 16 Feb 2011, p72</ref> 
* [[barbell (piercing)|Circular barbells]] – Circular barbells are similar to ball-closure rings, except that they have a larger gap, and have a permanently attached bead at one end, and a threaded bead at the other, like barbells. This allows for much easier insertion and removal than with ball closure rings, but at the loss of a continuous look.
* [[Plug (jewellery)|Plugs]] – Earplugs are short [[cylinder (geometry)|cylindrical]] pieces of jewelry. Some plugs have flared ends to hold them in place, others require small elastic rubber rings (O-rings) to keep them from falling out. They are usually used in large-gauge piercings.
* [[Flesh tunnel]]s – Flesh tunnels, also known as eyelets or bullet holes, are similar to plugs; however, they are hollow in the middle. Flesh tunnels are most commonly used in larger gauge piercings either because weight is a concern to the wearer or for aesthetic reasons.

<gallery class="center">
File:Stretched Ear Piercing No Jewelry.jpg|Stretched ear piercing without jewelry
File:16mm Flesh Tunnel.jpg|{{cvt|16|mm}} [[flesh tunnel]]
</gallery>

====Gauges and other measuring systems====
For an explanation of how earring sizes are denoted, see the article [[Body jewelry sizes]].

===Clip-on and other non-pierced earrings===
{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2007}}
[[File:Modern lobe earring (01).jpg|thumb|Modern lobe earring screwed onto the lobe]]
<!-- This section is linked from [[Navel piercing]] -->

Several varieties of non-pierced earrings exist.

* Clip-on earrings – Clip-on earrings have existed longer than any other variety of non-pierced earrings. The clip itself is a two-part piece attached to the back of an earring. The two pieces closed around the earlobe, using mechanical pressure to hold the earring in place.
* Magnetic earrings – Magnetic earrings simulate the look of a (pierced) stud earring by attaching to the earlobe with a magnetic back that hold the earring in place on by [[magnetic force]].
* Stick-on earrings – Stick-on earrings are adhesive-backed items which stick to the skin of the earlobe and simulate the look of a (pierced) stud earring. They are considered a novelty item.
* Spring hoop earrings – Spring hoops are almost indistinguishable from standard hoop earrings and stay in place by means of spring force.
** An alternative which is often used is bending a wire or even just using the ring portion of a CBR to put on the earlobe, which stays on by pinching the ear
* Ear hook earrings – A large hook like the fish hook that is big enough to hook and hang over the whole ear and dangles.
* The hoop – A hoop threads over the ear and hangs from just inside the ear, above where ears are pierced. Mobiles or other dangles can be hung from the hoop to create a variety of styles.
* Ear screws – Screwed onto the lobe, allow for exact adjustment—an alternative for those who find clips too painful.
* {{Visible anchor|Ear cuffs}} – Wrap around the outer cartilage (similar to a conch piercing) and may be chained to a lobe piercing.

===Permanent earrings===
Where most earrings worn in the western world are designed to be removed easily to be changed at will, earrings can also be permanent (non-removable). They appear today in the form of larger gauge rings which are difficult or impossible for a person to remove without assistance. Occasionally, hoop earrings are permanently installed by the use of [[solder]],<ref>{{cite news | title = No earrings give Cordone midas touch | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/898287.stm | access-date = 2008-06-09 | date=2000-08-27 | work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> though this poses some risks due to toxicity of metals used in soldering and the risk of burns from the heat involved. Besides permanent installations, locking earrings are occasionally worn due to their personal symbolism or erotic value.