Italian 18 Carat Gold Drop Fluted Earrings
Vintage 1980s Italian Modernist Drop Earrings
Coral, Diamond, White Diamond, Onyx, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Italian Modernist Dangle Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Onyx, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
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Vintage 1960s French Modernist Cocktail Rings
Coral, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s French Modernist Band Rings
Coral, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 1870s British Victorian Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque More Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1970s French Modernist Band Rings
Coral, Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Modernist Dangle Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Quartz, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s Danish Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1950s American Modernist Cocktail Rings
Amber, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Modernist Band Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, White Diamond, Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1970s French Modernist Cocktail Rings
Coral, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Modernist Choker Necklaces
Lapis Lazuli, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s French Modernist Cocktail Rings
Coral, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Modernist Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Onyx, Blue Topaz, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s French Modernist Cocktail Rings
Chrysophrase, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Recent Sales
Vintage 1980s Italian Modernist Drop Earrings
Onyx, Turquoise, Coral, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Drop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
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.