On 1stDibs, there are many options to choose from in our inventory of small pearl earrings. Frequently made of
Gold,
18k Gold and
Silver, these items were constructed with great care. Our collection of these items for sale includes 7 vintage editions and 23 modern creations to choose from as well. Our inventory is broad and distinctive, with accessories on offer that were made as long ago as the 20th Century to those produced as recently as the 21st Century. There are many different pieces in our collection of small pearl earrings to choose from, but
Modern and
Contemporary small pearl earrings are of considerable interest. Versions of these items have been a part of the life’s work for many jewelers, but those produced by
Chanel,
Lucy de la Vega and
Valentin Magro are consistently popular. Many pieces in our collection are stylish for most occasions, but
Pearl versions, from our inventory of 20, can add a particularly distinctive touch to your look, day or night. A selection of
round cut,
ball cut and
cabochon can be found today on these pages. Most of our small pearl earrings for sale are for
women, but there are 3 pieces available to browse for
men.
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.