Robert Lee Morris Sterling Earrings
Vintage 1980s American Modern Drop Earrings
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1980s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1980s American Modern Drop Earrings
Copper
People Also Browsed
Vintage 1980s American Modern Link Bracelets
Brass, Other
Vintage 1980s German More Necklaces
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Chain Necklaces
18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
Vintage 1980s Unknown Modernist Hoop Earrings
1990s American Cuff Bracelets
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Fashion Rings
Sterling Silver
1990s American Cocktail Dresses
Vintage 1980s American Modern Choker Necklaces
Brass, Other
Vintage 1970s French Art Deco Link Bracelets
Gilt Metal
1990s American Modern Link Bracelets
Gold Plate, Brass
20th Century Choker Necklaces
Vintage 1980s American Link Bracelets
Gold Plate
1990s American Modern Choker Necklaces
Gold Plate, Brass
Recent Sales
Early 2000s Dangle Earrings
2010s American Modern Drop Earrings
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Chinese Modern Drop Earrings
Chalcedony, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Dangle Earrings
Sterling Silver
1990s American Clip-on Earrings
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.