Huggies & Hoops

A huggie is a small hoop that sits tight to the lobe, hugging it rather than hanging down. It closes on a hinge, so it stays put and stays comfortable from the morning through to bed. That is what makes it the earring you can genuinely wear every day and forget you have on.

Huggies are compact and sit close, which makes them easy to stack and easy to layer under a collar or a phone. Hoops are larger and swing a little, so they make more of a statement. There is no wrong answer, and most people end up with both, worn across a first, second and third piercing.

Every style comes in solid gold, in yellow, white or rose. Beyond the colour, gold matters for comfort here in a way it does not elsewhere. Because a huggie sits in a piercing worn all day, plated earrings can irritate as the plating wears through to the base metal underneath, which is usually nickel. Solid gold has nothing to wear through, so it stays comfortable, and for sensitive or newly pierced ears it is often the whole difference.

Plain gold huggies are the quiet everyday option. A line of diamonds adds light without adding weight. Both wear exactly the same way, so it comes down to how much you want them to catch the eye.

On their own for something simple, or stacked. A common way to build a stack is a plain huggie in the lobe, a diamond huggie above it, and a smaller hoop higher again, mixing yellow and white gold as you go, which looks deliberate rather than accidental. If you are just starting, a stud low with a huggie above it is the easiest place to begin.

Solid gold needs very little. A soft cloth keeps them bright, and taking them out before swimming keeps chlorine from dulling the gold over time. Store them apart so they do not scratch each other.