There's a particular kind of week, the one where every meeting runs long and you haven't washed your hair since Tuesday, where earrings do more work than anything else you put on. You can repeat the same jumper three days running and nobody notices, but swap plain studs for something with a bit of movement and suddenly you look like a person who has her life together. I don't, for the record. The earrings are doing a lot of lying.
Before you buy, look at the bits nobody photographs well: the back of the stud, the clasp on a hoop, the join where a drop earring meets its hook. Cheap metal tends to show itself first at the earlobe, a dull patch or a greenish tinge after a few wears, which is a nickel problem more than a fashion one. Check whether the fastening is a simple push back or something more secure, because a flimsy butterfly clasp will lose you an earring on a train platform at some point, usually the better one of the pair. Hold them up to the light too. A good finish doesn't look painted on.
For everyday wear, small gold or silver studs sit under almost anything without a fight, a crew neck, a collared shirt, hair up or down. Hoops are the ones that change a plain outfit the most, a white tee and jeans looks considered the second you put a decent sized hoop in. Statement or drop earrings want a simpler neckline doing nothing else, otherwise your face ends up competing with your own jewellery, which is a strange thing to lose.
The difference between a good pair and a disappointing one is mostly in what you can't see until you've worn them a while. Solid metal has weight to it and keeps its colour, plated pieces thin out at the edges and flake where they rub against skin. Good hoops are soldered properly at the join, not just pinched shut, so they don't catch on scarves or distort into an oval after a month in a coat pocket. Sterling silver tarnishes a bit, that's just what it does, but it polishes back up, whereas cheap alloy dulls and stays dull.
If you're starting with nothing, go for a plain pair in gold or silver first, something small enough to wear with everything and sturdy enough to survive being lost down the side of a bag and found again.
That same jumper you've worn three days this week looks like a different outfit with the right pair in.
White EarringsWhite Vintage Stud Earrings We Love Right Now
White EarringsOur Top White Stacking Earrings Right Now
White EarringsWhite Star Earrings on Our Radar
White EarringsWhite Star Stud Earrings: Our Honest Shortlist
White EarringsWhite Statement Drop Earrings Worth a Closer Look
White EarringsWhite Statement Earrings We’re Adding to Basket
White EarringsOur Edit of the Best White Statement Hoop Earrings
White EarringsWhite Statement Stud Earrings Worth Treating Yourself To
Sterling Silver EarringsWhite Sterling Silver Drop Earrings That Elevate EverythingAlso worth a lookStud EarringsI avoided stud earrings for years because they struck me as the earring equivalent of beige walls, the…See the collections →
Sterling Silver EarringsWhite Sterling Silver Earrings for Everyday Wear
Sterling Silver EarringsShop Our Favourite White Sterling Silver Hoop Earrings
Sterling Silver EarringsThe Best Looking White Sterling Silver Stud Earrings Out There
White EarringsWhite Snake Earrings Worth Treating Yourself To
White EarringsWhite Silver Plated Earrings for Everyday Wear
White EarringsOur Kind of White Sapphire Statement Earrings
White EarringsWhite Sapphire Stud Earrings Worth Treating Yourself To
White EarringsWhite Sapphire Earrings: What We’d Buy Now
White EarringsThe Only White Sapphire Hoop Earrings You Need to SeeAlso worth a lookHoop EarringsThere's a particular kind of morning, the one where you've got ten minutes, the outfit is already decided…See the collections →
White EarringsWhite Pearl Drop Earrings That Make a Lovely Gift
White EarringsWhite Pearl Earrings That Elevate Everything
White EarringsShop Our Favourite White Pearl Hoop Earrings
White EarringsHandpicked White Pearl Stud Earrings We Keep Coming Back To
White EarringsWhite Pendant Earrings You’ll Never Take Off
White EarringsFinding the Best White Pendant Statement Earrings
White EarringsOur Pick of the Best White Pendant Stud Earrings
White EarringsStandout White Personalised Earrings to Shop
White EarringsWhite Opal Earrings That Make a Lovely GiftAlso worth a lookDrop EarringsDrop earrings used to mean one thing: a wedding guest reaching for the only pair of good jewellery…See the collections →
White EarringsWhite Minimalist Hoop Earrings We Love Right Now
White EarringsWhite Minimalist Statement Earrings for Everyday Wear
White EarringsWhite Minimalist Stud Earrings That Make a Lovely Gift
White EarringsWhite Moon Earrings Picked by Us
White EarringsOur Edit of the Best White Name Earrings
White EarringsThe Best Looking White Minimalist Drop Earrings Out There
White EarringsWhite Minimalist Earrings That Have Caught Our Eye
White EarringsWhite Layered Earrings: Our Honest Shortlist
