I was examining some earrings I had just purchased and realized that I was being a bit careless in the way I was describing them. I was calling them drop earrings but they might more accurately be described as dangle earrings. I felt I needed to determine what the difference was between drop earrings and dangle earrings or whether, in fact, they were the same thing.
First, though, what are the main styles of earring? First is the stud earring which comprises a decorative element or shape that sits flat against the earlobe without dangling. They are secured to the ear by either a straight post that goes through a hole in the ear, held in place with a backing or, if the lobes are not pieced, with a clip that goes under the bottom of the earlobe. The most common types of stud earrings feature a single pearl or other gemstone.
There is the hoop earring, a circular earring that passes through the earlobe or circles the ear. Then the next main style comprises earrings that fall below the earlobe, and these earrings can move and swing (a dangle earring) or can just hang, with minimal movement (a drop earring). Movement appears to be what causes a drop earring to become a dangle earring.
So let’s look at some drop earrings. The antique gold earrings in the photo at the top of the post comprise two fixed hoops, one attached to the other. The hoops don’t move.
The Georgian earrings above are made of gold and silver and are set with old cut diamonds. The hooks are attached firmly to the top of the earring.
The amethyst earrings above consist of two oval amethysts. The two gemstones are attached and the bottom amethyst does not move.
With the drop earrings above, the top part of each comprises a single diamond with two diamonds below set in gold leaves, with a teardrop claw set aquamarines joined to the the gold leaves. They hang well below the earlobe.
In my next post, I will look at some dangle earrings.
navette jewellery 