Earrings
1870s Swedish Empire Antique Earrings
Pearl, 18k Gold
1990s American Rococo Earrings
Diamond
Early 20th Century European Rococo Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold
1980s European Rococo Vintage Earrings
Gold
1810s European Empire Antique Earrings
Carnelian, Oriental Pearl, 14k Gold
Mid-19th Century French Empire Antique Earrings
Onyx, Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Rococo Vintage Earrings
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Earrings
Citrine, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1810s Italian Empire Antique Earrings
Oriental Pearl, Turquoise, Gold, 10k Gold
1750s Rococo Antique Earrings
Garnet, Vermeil
1950s American Rococo Vintage Earrings
1980s French Rococo Vintage Earrings
Bronze
Late 19th Century Unknown Empire Antique Earrings
Gold
1990s French Rococo Earrings
Gold Plate, Bronze, Enamel, Gilt Metal
1810s French Empire Antique Earrings
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Empire Earrings
Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1810s Empire Antique Earrings
14k Gold
2010s French Empire Earrings
Iolite
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Empire Earrings
Amethyst, Diamond, Tanzanite, 18k Gold
1890s Unknown Antique Earrings
Pearl, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Earrings
Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold, Mixed Metal, 24k Gold, White Gold, Silver
Early 1900s Asian Victorian Antique Earrings
Diamond, Gold
1960s American Vintage Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Earrings
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Earrings
Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Unknown Earrings
2010s Italian Earrings
Gold, 14k Gold
Early 1900s Turkish Late Victorian Antique Earrings
Diamond, Gold
Early 1900s European Victorian Antique Earrings
Diamond, Gold
1940s Unknown Art Deco Vintage Earrings
Diamond, White Gold, Platinum
1980s German Rococo Vintage Earrings
Silver Plate
1820s Swedish Empire Antique Earrings
18k Gold
1980s French Rococo Vintage Earrings
Gold Plate, 9k Gold
1980s French Rococo Vintage Earrings
Gold Plate
2010s French Empire Earrings
1950s British Empire Vintage Earrings
Gilt Metal
20th Century Italian Empire Earrings
Coral, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Italian Empire Earrings
Coral, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Italian Empire Earrings
Pearl, Natural Pearl, 9k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Italian Empire Earrings
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Italian Empire Earrings
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Rococo Earrings
Amethyst, Sterling Silver
Shop Now: Antique and Vintage Earrings for Sale on 1stDibs
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.