How An Ear Cuff Can Elevate Your Look
Want to up your ‘earscape’ game, but don’t fancy braving the piercing chair? Explore the world of ear cuffs instead – from sleek styles to ultra-ornate designs, there’s a (pain-free) cuff to covet
While many of us are brave enough to pierce our ear lobes once, it takes extra gumption to face the piercing gun for multiples up the ear – especially for cartilage placements, which can be trickier to heal. There are, however, ways to fake a fully loaded look. “An ear cuff is the perfect way to enhance your ear-styling without having to commit to getting another piercing,” says Edwina Hilton, fine-jewelry and watches buyer at NET-A-PORTER. “You can up your ear game really easily with a plain-gold style, add fun and color with enamel and precious stones, or even invest in a full-on diamond pavé look.”
Indeed, the beauty of ear cuffs lies in their versatility. “My team refers to them as ‘ear candy’, as there are so many designs: diamonds, diamonds and pearls, colored sapphires stacked with diamonds… The options are endless,” explains Diane Kordas, who founded her eponymous brand in 2000. “I love designing ear cuffs, as they are a cool way of adding understated glamour,” she says. “The first piece of jewelry I put on in the morning is my single-diamond-row ear cuff; I feel naked without it.” What’s more, ear cuffs suit any look – from day to evening, polished to playful – but, crucially, they’re always pain-free. “They are easily worn without any piercings at all – just stack the cuffs along the outside edge as a finishing touch, without weighing down the ear,” Kordas adds.
Kordas’ latest designs see graduating emeralds and sapphires delicately embrace the ear, but there are plenty of stone-heavy iterations that feature a plethora of gemstones. Anita Ko is the queen of diamond-set ear cuffs, with both pavé diamond and diamond-drop pieces on offer, but the elegant crown-shaped style by Los Angeles-based brand Shay is also irresistible – consider it a mini tiara that you can wear every day. Those seeking subtle gem settings should look to Octavia Elizabeth’s ‘Nesting Gem’ style, while those drawn to bold color palettes should turn to Emily P. Wheeler’s vibrant tsavorite or pink sapphire ombré cuffs, or the sleek, lab-grown stones set within 42 Suns’ designs.
Elsewhere, Mizuki Goltz, founder of fine-jewelry label Mizuki, praises the chameleon spirit of ear cuffs, believing they add a certain je ne sais quoi to a styled-up ear. “Ear cuffs not only break the traditional mold of earrings, but they also add so much freedom of expression, as well as playful flair,” she explains. “Their freshness and ease give them universal appeal; they really elevate an ear statement.” Specializing in pearl designs, Goltz describes her design DNA as “beauty with edge”, and it’s easy to see why: the Tokyo-born, New York-raised designer plays with soft and spiky silhouettes, stacking pearl-and-diamond ear cuffs to accent long, linear drop earrings. “Consider sleek and simple looks – with a leather choker, it’s fun to wear a cascading pearl ear cuff, or pair a five-row diamond slider ear cuff with a classic pearl necklace,” she suggests.
Gaia Repossi, creative director of Italian fine-jewelry maison Repossi, is also drawn to the toughened aesthetic that an ear-cuff silhouette can give. “I was never attracted to chandelier earrings, so when I started designing my collections, I needed an earring that rose high above the neckline, elongating the figure with a surprising placement of diamonds,” she says. Repossi has dressed many celebrities for the red carpet with a simple diamond ear cuff as a chic accent to an evening gown, and she admires how one lone piece can add a dash of punk elegance while also bringing glimmers of gold light to the complexion. “It’s far more modern and contemporary as an earring if we reconsider what femininity has become today – and much more radical.”