Judith Ripka White Gold Diamond Earrings

One of the first jewelers to harness the potential of television, Judith Ripka has built a following for her bold work through her frequent appearances on the televised shopping channel QVC. Her earrings, necklaces and other accessories often feature matte gold and large colored precious gemstones highlighted with a dazzle of diamonds — statement pieces that can be worn every day for a touch of glamour.

The New York–born daughter of a couturier, Ripka studied art at Hunter College and the Parsons School of Design before founding her brand in 1977 with an 18-karat gold collection. She started simple, selling the pieces in her living room, leading to the opening of her first store in Manhasset, New York. Early on, Ripka recognized the power of advertising, taking out an ad in the New York Times that read, “Give your pearls a little culture,” and invited customers to bring in their old pearl necklaces and “see them transformed into a beautiful new necklace.” The updating of traditional styles that might be reserved only for special occasions into modern pieces for daily wear would become a touchstone of Ripka’s brand. By 1982, the jeweler was the proud recipient of the De Beers Award for Outstanding Jewelry Design.

After her QVC debut in 1997, Ripka’s jewelry company took off. A pioneer in selling luxury goods on television, she later appeared on the Shopping Channel, with Ripka herself as an engaging personality helping to drive the sales and popularity of her jewelry. Xcel Brands acquired her company in 2014 with the designs continuing to have an active presence on QVC.

Alongside her QVC-marketed jewelry, Ripka has designed custom pieces, such as the diamond, sapphire and ruby 18-karat gold brooch that Hillary Clinton wore at the 1997 inauguration for her husband, Bill Clinton. Talk-show host, author and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey has regularly sported her Eclipse earrings, which incorporate two tiers of precious stones, a design that can easily match outfits from day to night.

Other Ripka designs have brought high-end luxury to the masses, such as a 2010 line launched on QVC showcasing the designer’s take on famous jewels in the Smithsonian Institution. At every price point, Ripka’s jewelry has maintained its fine quality in the fresh interpretations of classic styles.

The Ripka brand continues to innovate its offerings, including branching into creative partnerships, such as a 2020 capsule collection with Italian architect Elena Manferdini as part of a series of collaborations with women artists and designers.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Judith Ripka jewelry and watches today.

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.