Hoops, huggies or drops: choosing diamond earrings beyond studs

Studs are where most people start with diamond earrings, and we cover them in how to choose diamond stud earrings. This guide is for everything else: hoops, huggies, drops, climbers and clusters, and how they work together.

Diamond hoops

A diamond hoop goes from the office to a wedding without changing. Slim pave hoops are the everyday choice. Full pave hoops are chunkier and set diamonds across more of the surface, for more presence. Cluster hoops group small diamonds into a bolder line, and charm hoops hang a pear or round diamond from the hoop.

Size is measured by the inside diameter. Small hoops sit close to the lobe and are easy to wear every day. Larger hoops frame the face and read as a statement.

Huggies

Huggies are small hoops that sit close against the earlobe. They are light and secure, and nothing dangles to catch on hair or a collar. That is why they have become an everyday staple and the most popular choice for second and third piercings.

Drops

Drop earrings hang just below the lobe and move as you do, so the diamonds catch light from every angle. They dress up an outfit without the weight of a chandelier earring. Pear and round drops are the classics. Heart drops, cascading rounds and an oval hoop drop give more personality.

Climbers

An ear climber starts at the piercing and follows the curve of the ear upward, so a single piercing looks like several. Round, baguette and mixed shape climbers each give a different line.

Clusters and three stone earrings

Cluster earrings group several smaller diamonds so they read as one larger stone, giving more spread on the ear for the carat weight. Flower, butterfly and cross motifs are cluster designs too. Three stone earrings carry the meaning of a three stone ring, past, present and future, which makes them a natural anniversary gift.

Building a stack

If you have more than one piercing, put the largest piece in the first hole and get smaller as you go up. A simple stack: studs or small hoops in the first piercing, huggies in the second, and a climber or small stud higher up. Keep the metal color the same across the ear, or mix deliberately, for example yellow gold with white.

Metals and quality

Every earring design we make comes in eight metals: platinum, silver, and 10K or 14K white, yellow or rose gold, set with lab grown diamonds from our own reactors. For close-to-skin pieces worn every day, gold and platinum hold their finish best.

Shop the pieces in this guide

14KT White Gold Diamond Pave Hoop Earrings
From $3,350 14KT Yellow Gold Round Diamond Pave Hoop Earrings
From $3,350 Platinum Diamond Emerald Hoop Earrings
From $4,640 14KT Rose Gold Diamond Hoop Earrings
From $2,440

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