Ninety-eight pairs of earrings in solid 14k gold and 14k gold vermeil, from $90 to $919 — studs, hoops, huggies, dangles, bezel-set diamonds and pieces designed for second and third piercings.
Narrower starting points: stud earrings, hoop earrings and piercing jewelry.
Studs
Studs are the pieces customers wear daily and rarely take off, which makes material the deciding factor. Solid gold is the better long-term buy for an everyday stud, because it can be worn continuously, cleaned and repolished without wearing through.
Setting style matters more on a small stud than people expect. Bezel settings wrap the stone in a rim of metal — the most secure option, and the one least likely to catch on hair, clothing or a pillow. Prong settings lift the stone so more light enters it, giving more sparkle at the cost of exposure. For an earring worn overnight, bezel is the practical choice.
Hoops
Hoop size changes the whole character of the piece. Huggies are small hoops that sit close to the lobe — the most wearable for daily use and for stacking across multiple piercings. Mid-size hoops read as a deliberate style choice without being a statement. Large hoops are a statement piece and are best in a lighter-gauge construction, since weight pulls on the lobe over a full day.
Thickness matters as much as diameter: a thin large hoop is far more comfortable than a thick one of the same size.
Multiple piercings
If you wear several piercings, the usual approach is one anchor piece with visual weight — a hoop or a larger stud — and progressively smaller pieces moving up the ear. Mixing metals within one ear is fine, but keeping to one metal family reads more deliberate. See piercing jewelry for pieces sized for helix and cartilage positions.
Cartilage piercings take considerably longer to heal than lobes and are more sensitive to material. Solid gold is the safer choice for a healing or recently healed cartilage piercing.
What the metal means
Everything here is solid 14k gold or 14k gold vermeil. Neither is gold plating, and the difference is worth understanding before you choose.
Solid 14k gold is 58.3% pure gold, alloyed for hardness, with gold running all the way through the piece. It will not wear off or expose a base metal, and it can be repolished and repaired for decades. Pure 24k gold is too soft for daily wear; 14k is where colour and durability balance, which is why it is the fine-jewelry standard in the US.
The same entry solid-gold piece is hallmarked 9K (37.5%) in the UK and Europe and 10K (41.7%) in the US — a regional convention, not two products. That tier is cheaper than 14k, and also harder and paler, because less gold and more alloy makes a more durable but less saturated metal.
14k gold vermeil is legally defined: at least 2.5 microns of gold bonded over solid 925 sterling silver. Ordinary gold plating is typically under 0.5 microns, often over brass, which is why it wears through in months and can discolour skin. We do not sell gold plated jewelry. More detail in why 14K solid gold and gold vermeil vs gold plated.
Care
Solid gold asks very little: keep it away from chlorine and abrasive cleaners, and a soft cloth restores the shine. Vermeil needs more care to preserve the gold layer — remove it before swimming, showering and exercise, and put it on after perfume and lotion rather than before. Stone-set pieces benefit from an occasional check that the settings remain tight.
See the care guide and how to care for gold jewelry. Solid gold does not turn skin green — that is a base-metal and plating problem, explained here.
Earrings need one extra habit: put them on after hairspray, perfume and lotion, not before. Product buildup dulls both gold and stones faster than anything else.
Ordering, delivery and returns
Every piece is made after you order it, with production taking 4–6 business days before dispatch. US orders ship from our fulfilment partner in Connecticut with duties included; UK, EU, Canada and Australia orders dispatch from our London office. Every piece carries a 365-day warranty.
Standard returns apply to stock designs. Personalised and engraved pieces are made specifically for you and cannot be returned, so confirm spelling and sizing first. Full terms are on the shipping and returns page and in the FAQ.
Weight, comfort and daily wear
Earrings are the one category where weight is a practical constraint rather than a preference. A heavy earring pulls on the lobe over a full day, and worn habitually over years it can stretch the piercing. This is why large hoops are made in a lighter gauge and why substantial dangles are usually kept for occasions rather than daily wear.
The comfortable everyday range is small studs and huggies, which sit close to the lobe and put almost no load on it. A mid-size hoop in a thin gauge sits comfortably too. If you want the look of a large hoop for daily wear, choose diameter over thickness — a wide thin hoop weighs far less than a narrow thick one and reads just as large.
Backs matter as well. Push backs are the most common and the easiest to use; screw backs are more secure and are worth choosing for a stud you sleep in or rarely remove.
Building a set across multiple piercings
If you wear more than one piercing per ear, treat the ear as a composition rather than a set of independent decisions. The usual approach is one anchor piece — the largest hoop or stud — in the lobe, with pieces getting smaller as they move up the ear. That progression is what makes a stack read as deliberate.
Keeping to one metal family across an ear looks more considered than mixing, though mixing yellow and white gold intentionally is a recognised style in its own right. Repeating one element — the same stone, the same bezel shape at different sizes — ties a set together more effectively than matching everything exactly.
Second and third lobe piercings take small studs and huggies. Helix and cartilage positions need pieces made for them; see piercing jewelry. Cartilage is not interchangeable with lobe jewelry, because the tissue is thicker and the healing time is far longer.
Healing piercings and metal choice
A healing piercing is more sensitive to metal than a healed one. Solid 14k gold is the safer choice while a piercing settles, because there is no plating to wear through and no base metal to react with. Cartilage in particular can take many months to heal fully — considerably longer than a lobe — and changing jewelry too early or using the wrong material is the most common cause of irritation.
Once healed, vermeil is perfectly wearable, provided it is kept dry and put on after cosmetics rather than before.
Stones in earrings
The stone selection here includes lab-grown diamonds, sapphire, emerald and cubic zirconia. Lab-grown diamonds are chemically and optically identical to mined diamonds and cost substantially less, which in a small stud means a visibly larger or better-quality stone for the same budget — a more noticeable difference on an earring than on a ring, since studs are small to begin with.
For everyday earrings, bezel-set stones are the practical choice: the metal rim protects the stone edge and there is nothing to snag on hair or fabric. See diamond vs lab diamond for the full comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sleep in these earrings?
Small bezel-set studs and huggie hoops are the most suitable for sleeping in, because there are no raised prongs to catch. Larger hoops and dangles are not designed for it. If you sleep in earrings regularly, solid gold is the better material choice.
Are these suitable for sensitive ears?
Solid 14k gold is generally well tolerated because there is no base metal to react with. Vermeil is gold over sterling silver, which also avoids the copper and nickel that cause most reactions in costume jewelry.
What hoop size should I choose?
Huggies sit close to the lobe and are the most wearable for daily use and for multiple piercings. Mid-size hoops read as a style choice; large hoops are a statement and are more comfortable in a thinner gauge, since weight pulls on the lobe over a day.
Which earrings work for a cartilage piercing?
See piercing jewelry, which is sized for helix and cartilage positions. Cartilage heals much more slowly than a lobe, so solid gold is the safer material while healing.
Is this real gold?
Yes. Every piece is either solid 14k gold (58.3% pure, gold throughout) or 14k gold vermeil (at least 2.5 microns of gold over solid 925 sterling silver). Nothing here is gold plated or gold filled.
What is the difference between 9K, 10K and 14K?
14K is 58.3% pure gold — richer in colour and higher priced. Our entry tier is the same piece hallmarked to regional standards: 9K (37.5%) in the UK and Europe, 10K (41.7%) in the US. That tier is cheaper than 14K, and also harder and paler. Both are genuinely solid gold.
How long will my order take?
Production is 4–6 business days because each piece is made after you order it, then shipping on top. US orders dispatch from Connecticut with duties included; UK, EU, Canada and Australia orders dispatch from London.
Will solid gold turn my skin green?
No. That reaction comes from copper and base metals in plated or costume jewelry. Solid 14k gold and 14k gold vermeil over sterling silver do not cause it.
Can I return a personalised piece?
No. Engraved and personalised items are made specifically for you and fall outside the standard returns policy. Stock designs can be returned under the normal terms on the shipping and returns page.