Cartier Love Earrings 2 Diamonds
1990s French Drop Earrings
Diamond, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Dangle Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1980s French Clip-on Earrings
Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s American Modernist Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Ruby
Vintage 1980s American Brooches
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
People Also Browsed
Vintage 1960s French Modernist Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Hoop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Dangle Earrings
18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s French Evening Bags and Minaudières
Vintage 1980s French Brooches
Coral, Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1940s Italian More Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
20th Century Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Band Rings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Vintage 1980s American Modernist Cocktail Rings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s French Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Platinum
Vintage 1970s American Modernist Clip-on Earrings
Jade, Opal, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s French Modernist Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Late 20th Century Egyptian Egyptian Revival Link Necklaces
Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, Coral, Enamel, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Platinum
Recent Sales
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Hoop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Drop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Unknown Contemporary Hoop Earrings
Diamond, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary More Earrings
Diamond, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Hoop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, White Gold
2010s Hoop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Drop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hoop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Hoop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Stud Earrings
White Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Hoop Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century French Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s French Modernist Hoop Earrings
Diamond
1980s Evening Bags and Minaudières
1990s French Drop Earrings
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary French Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
1990s French Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Drop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
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.