Victorian Insect Earrings
Antique Late 19th Century Unknown Victorian Drop Earrings
Amethyst, Citrine, Pearl, Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Unknown Victorian Stud Earrings
Pearl, Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Antique 19th Century Victorian Drop Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
Antique 1880s Unknown Victorian Dangle Earrings
14k Gold
Vintage 1960s Italian Artisan Drop Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 19th Century American Victorian Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver, Silver
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Antique 18th Century Italian Victorian More Jewelry
18k Gold, Gold
Antique Late 19th Century European Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Gold, Silver
Early 20th Century Unknown Belle Époque More Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
Antique 1880s French Victorian Dangle Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Stud Earrings
Ruby, 14k Gold
2010s Italian Retro Stud Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
20th Century French Contemporary Brooches
Emerald, Moonstone, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Mid-19th Century Victorian Drop Earrings
Gold, 15k Gold, Rose Gold
Vintage 1910s Dangle Earrings
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Contemporary Drop Earrings
Citrine, Diamond, 14k Gold
Antique 1840s British Victorian Brooches
Garnet, Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
Antique 1870s Unknown Victorian Dangle Earrings
Emerald, Ruby, 14k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, Silver
Early 20th Century Unknown Edwardian Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Peridot, Pearl, Yellow Gold, Gold, 14k Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Deco Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s British Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Moonstone, Yellow Gold
Recent Sales
Early 2000s Thai Edwardian Stud Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, Garnet, 18k Gold
Antique 1860s Victorian Dangle Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Spinel, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s British Victorian Chandelier Earrings
Sterling Silver
2010s British Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
English Dangle Earrings
Garnet
Antique Late 19th Century Unknown Victorian Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 10k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 1870s English Victorian Drop Earrings
Diamond, Garnet, 15k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 1880s Italian Victorian Drop Earrings
Lapis Lazuli, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Unknown Victorian Drop Earrings
Gold, Enamel, 14k Gold
Antique Early 1900s British Victorian More Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 1890s British Victorian Dangle Earrings
Citrine, Yellow Gold, 9k Gold
Antique 1860s British Victorian Drop 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.