Antique and Vintage Earring Styles

Button Earrings: Description and History

Button earrings are typically round, can be domed or relatively flat, and lack any dangling components. This style gained popularity in the 1930s and has remained a consistent fashion element, with material choices evolving through the decades. The name refers to their resemblance to a clothing button.

Materials for button earrings include cabochon gemstones, plastics like Bakelite, mabe pearls, and genuine blister pearls. Some feature metal bases, while others have fastenings attached directly to the button’s reverse. Earlier examples often used screw-backs; clip-backs were common in the 1950s and 1960s. Contemporary versions (post-mid-1960s) frequently use posts for pierced ears, though clip-on styles, such as the featured Chanel examples, continue to be produced.

Chandelier Earrings: Characteristics and Variations

Chandelier earrings are named for their resemblance to ornamental light fixtures. This style is generally elongated and often features elaborate, multi-layered dangling elements. Girandoles, a specific type of chandelier earring, are characterized by a cascading design, while other variations may have multiple ‘arms’ from which components hang.

Chandelier earrings exist in both fine antique jewelry, crafted from karat gold and genuine gemstones, and in costume jewelry versions made with materials like glass and plated base metals. The pictured Hattie Carnegie pair, for example, uses crystal beads, rhinestones, and gold-plated base metal.

Specific earring styles, such as the girandole (detailed further below), are sometimes broadly categorized as chandelier earrings, even if they have a more precise traditional name.

Drop Earrings: Defining Features and Dating Considerations

The term ‘drop earring’ is a broad classification for styles with a dangling component. Unlike ‘top and drop’ earrings (discussed later), typical drop earrings feature a suspended element attached directly to a hook, screw-back, clip-back, or a simple post, rather than an elaborate matching upper section.

Antique drop earrings were crafted from diverse materials including precious metals, jet, genuine gemstones, and woven hair for mourning jewelry. Vintage costume versions often incorporate glass, plastics, or natural materials such as wood.

As drop earring styles based on antique designs are frequently reproduced, careful examination of materials, construction methods, and indicators of age is crucial for accurate dating.

Girandole Earrings: An 18th-Century Style and Its Revivals

Girandole (pronounced ‘jeer-an-dole’) earrings are distinguished by three suspended elements, typically stones, at the base, with the central element often set slightly lower. While the upper part of the earring can vary, it traditionally features a larger central stone, with a decorative motif like a bow or knot connecting it to the three dangles.

Originating in France around 1700 and named after the era’s crystal candelabra, the girandole style was characteristic of 18th-century jewelry. It experienced a revival during the 1870s Rococo revival, influencing various decorative arts. This earring form persists in popularity and is sometimes categorized more broadly as a ‘chandelier’ earring.

Pendeloque Earrings: An 18th-Century Elongated Style

Two prominent earring styles emerged in the 18th century: the girandole (previously discussed) and the pendeloque.

Pendeloque earrings typically feature a marquise-cut (also called navette for gemstones) or round top element, with a bow-shaped connector leading to a coordinating drop. The illustrated 18th-century example is made of high-karat gold with foiled, rough-cut diamonds, a technique used to enhance their sparkle in low light.

Often quite elongated, these earrings complemented the high hairstyles prevalent during their era. According to Antique Jewelry University, this style is considered a precursor to the two-stone earring (a smaller stone suspended from a larger one), a design that has maintained its popularity.

Antique pendeloque earrings are predominantly fine jewelry, utilizing precious metals and genuine gemstones. However, numerous interpretations using paste stones (a term for glass stones, similar to rhinestones) set in plated or unplated base metals have been produced since around 1900.

Currently, the term ‘pendeloque’ is also frequently used to describe a pear-shaped pendant, an application that can be a misnomer when referring to this specific earring style.

Top and Drop Earrings: A Two-Element Design Popular in the Georgian Era

This earring style consists of two distinct sections, often round or oval, where the lower element hangs directly from the upper. If the bottom component is detachable, these are often termed ‘day to night’ earrings by jewelers. It’s important to note that while many earrings might be labeled ‘day to night,’ the term accurately applies only if the lower part is intentionally designed for removal.

The two components, made from various materials, typically coordinate in design, though the lower section may be larger or more elongated.

Dating from the late 18th century, this style gained such prominence during the Georgian era that by the early 19th century, ‘top and drop’ became almost synonymous with ‘earrings.’ Despite its historical origins, the style has remained enduringly popular.

Historically, when earrings utilized hook or wire fastenings, the upper section of a top and drop earring would hang slightly below the earlobe. With the introduction of post-back fastenings for pierced ears, the ‘top’ component now often sits directly on the earlobe.

Stud Earrings: Characteristics and Historical Context

Stud earrings gained popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries due to evolving fashion trends. While fine gemstones like diamonds remained desirable for ear ornamentation, simpler designs were required to complement the high necklines of contemporary dresses and blouses.

Concurrently, the practice of ear piercing became less fashionable. Screw-back fastenings were prevalent from the early 1900s to the early 1950s, followed by a surge in popularity for clip-on earrings (introduced in the early 1930s) around the mid-20th century. Consequently, many stud earrings available today date from the mid-1960s onward, although dating can be challenging for classic designs like simple ball studs, which have been produced continuously.

Antique gemstones are often repurposed from older pieces to create new stud earrings. Some stud earrings feature threaded posts, as illustrated, allowing the back to be screwed on for enhanced security. While this type of post first appeared in the Victorian era and has since been consistently used in fine jewelry, its presence alone is not a definitive indicator of age for stud earrings.

This article on earring styles was prepared with assistance from contributing writer Troy Segal.