Boris Le Beau Earrings
Vintage 1980s American Contemporary Lever-Back Earrings
Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Vintage 1970s American Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary Bangles
White Diamond, Black Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Clip-on Earrings
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Lever-Back Earrings
18k Gold, Vermeil, Sterling Silver
2010s American Contemporary Lever-Back Earrings
Citrine, Blue Topaz, Amethyst, 18k Gold, Vermeil, Sterling Silver
20th Century Fashion Rings
Emerald, Onyx, Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Brooches
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
2010s American Contemporary Lever-Back Earrings
Peridot, Amethyst, 18k Gold, Vermeil, Sterling Silver
20th Century American Contemporary Brooches
Yellow Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Clip-on Earrings
Quartz, Sterling Silver
1990s Clip-on Earrings
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1940s American Clip-on Earrings
Sterling Silver
1990s French Clip-on Earrings
2010s American Contemporary Lever-Back Earrings
Citrine, Ruby, 18k Gold, Vermeil, Sterling Silver
2010s Turkish Modern Fashion Rings
Amethyst, 14k Gold
Mid-20th Century American Hoop Earrings
Recent Sales
Vintage 1970s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Gold, Enamel, 14k Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s American Modern Dome Rings
18k Gold
20th Century American More Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary French Lever-Back Earrings
Ruby, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
Finding the Right Earrings for You
In the United States, ear piercing didn’t really become popular until the 1950s and ‘60s, but our desire for a dazzling pair of vintage earrings has deeper roots than that. In fact, wearing earrings actually goes back thousands of years, and you can find many tangible connections between now and then in how we continue to talk about these treasured accessories.
Women wore ornamental earrings — studs and hoops at the very least — in Ancient Egypt, which is home to mines that are among the earliest sources of emeralds in the world. Emerald earrings are highly prized today, and their quality lies in their rich, saturated color. The highest-quality emeralds are green or bluish-green. Earrings worn by the affluent in early Roman civilizations were set with precious stones such as diamonds and pearls, and a clean-looking pop of pearl on the front of the lobe is as timeless as ever. Hoop earrings are imbued with symbolism and cultural significance for many, and on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Near Eastern Art Gallery is a pair of simple gold hoops from Mesopotamia dating to between 2600 and 2500 B.C.
Today, ear piercing is very popular all over the world, and, as a result, it is difficult to overstate how much everyone pines for a good pair of earrings — modernist drop earrings, glamorous Victorian hoops, geometrically complex chandelier earrings, you name it. Sure, jewelry trends and the fashion darlings of social media come and go, but earrings have a staying power that seems impenetrable: The still-strong love affair between British royals and Cartier earrings is more than a century old, glossy 1970s hoops from legacy houses such as Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels remain the statement makers they’ve always been and although people have been stacking earrings for many moons, the allure of an expertly mismatched stack of charms and studs still feels fresh and new.
While there is no shortage of modern earring designs to choose from, the classics, like coral earrings, Art Deco–style earrings and diamond drop earrings are still heavy hitters. On 1stDibs, find a wide range of antique, new and vintage earrings today.