Where a stud stays still, a dangle or drop earring moves with you, catching the light with every turn of your head. It's the category to look at when you want your earrings to do a little more than just sit there. Our collection ranges from simple single-stone drops to full diamond tennis strands, in a choice of 14K or 18K gold in yellow, white and rose tones.
From Everyday to Evening
A short drop, with just a little movement below the earlobe, works for daily wear much the same way a stud does, just with a bit more motion. Go longer and you move into proper statement territory: a diamond tennis strand runs a continuous line of stones well below the ear, closer to a piece of evening jewelry than something you'd wear to the office. In between, styles range from a single dangling stone to a fuller scatter of diamonds, so the amount of sparkle can scale up gradually rather than jumping straight from subtle to spectacular.
Choosing the Right Closure
The closure affects how secure and how easy to wear a pair actually is, which matters more here than with a solid stud, since a longer earring puts more weight and movement on it. A post-and-stud back is the simplest and most secure, best suited to shorter, lighter drops. A hinge, or lever-back, closure locks shut with a small lever, holding heavier or longer earrings more securely in place through a full day of movement. An English wire hooks through the ear and hangs open at the back, giving the earring room to swing more freely, at the cost of a little extra security. A fish hook is similar but simpler still — just a curved wire with no locking mechanism at all — usually reserved for lighter, occasional-wear pieces rather than earrings meant to stay in all day.
Choosing Your Metal
Dangle & drop earrings come in 14K or 18K gold, in yellow, white or rose tones.
- Yellow gold drop earrings have a warm, classic feel, and small scratches or fingerprints are less noticeable on it than on a bright white metal, making it a practical choice for a pair you put on and forget about.
- White gold drop earrings give a cooler, more contemporary look that makes a diamond read as more neutral against it, so the stone itself takes more of the attention than the metal around it, though they need occasional re-plating to stay at their brightest.
- Rose gold drop earrings have a warm, romantic tone that tends to suit a wide range of skin tones, and pair naturally with any rose gold pieces already in your jewelry box.
For the gold tones, 14K contains more alloy metal, making it more resistant to the everyday scratches and knocks an earring picks up going in and out of a bag or a jewelry box, while 18K contains more pure gold for a richer, deeper colour.
Related Categories: Stud Earrings, Hoop Earrings, Fashion Earrings
