Gold earrings in 14 carat gold, not gold-plated silver
All gold earrings in this collection are made of solid 14 carat gold, not gold-plated silver or gold-filled. This is the most important distinction to be clear about when buying gold earrings, because the word "gold" covers vastly different things in the jewellery industry.
Gold-plated silver is silver with a thin layer of gold on the outside. The layer gradually wears off, and after some use the silver shows through, particularly on earrings that sit close to the skin and are exposed to sweat and skincare. Gold-filled has a slightly thicker gold layer, but the principle is the same: the gold sits on top of another metal. Solid 14 carat gold, on the other hand, is gold all the way through. The colour cannot wear off, because there is nothing underneath, and a pair of studs or huggies in 14 carat gold retains its look year after year.
14 carat means that 14 out of 24 parts are pure gold, that is about 58.5 percent. The rest is other metals that make the gold harder and more resistant to scratches than pure 24 carat gold, which is too soft for jewellery you wear daily. If you want to see the full selection in gold, the Gold collection gathers all models in one place.
Studs, huggies and dangling earrings: what suits what
The collection covers three basic types, each solving its own task. Studs are the small stone or ball that sits close to the earlobe with a post through the hole. They are the most discreet and work both as your only pair and as the ones you keep in all the time, even when sleeping. A Medium Prong Diamond Stud with a 0.17 carat diamond held by small prongs gives the stone more play, while a bezel setting closes the metal all the way around the diamond and gives a calmer, more rounded look.
Huggies are small, close-fitting rings that "hug" the earlobe, hence the name. They come both plain and with diamonds and fill more visually than a stud without becoming large hoops. The entire selection is in the Huggies collection. If you want two rings in one piece of jewellery, there are Double huggies with two connected rings.
Dangling earrings are the ones with movement, where a stone dangles below the post. A Long Dangling Diamond Bezel Stud with a 0.57 carat diamond is a clear statement, while the short version keeps the same idea on a smaller scale. The entire selection of earrings across types is gathered in the Earrings collection.
Many are sold as a single earring, not only in pairs
A large part of the earrings here are sold as Single, that is as one individual piece of jewellery and not automatically in pairs. This is worth being aware of for two reasons. If you need a full matching pair, you buy two. And if you want to build an asymmetric combination with several holes, you can freely mix different models and sizes instead of being locked to two identical ones.
Many people combine, for example, a small Small Prong Diamond Stud in the lowest hole with a huggie higher up the ear. Because it is all the same 14 carat gold, the metal matches regardless of which models you put together. If you want to combine several pieces of jewellery with the same look, the Matching jewellery collection is gathered with that in mind.
Which earrings are best for new piercings?
For a brand new hole, most piercing clinics recommend a simple stud in a skin-friendly metal that stays still while the hole heals. Solid gold is one of the metals best tolerated by most people, because there is no outer layer that can wear off and release nickel from the metal underneath. A small, plain stud or a simple Tiny Prong Diamond Stud with a discreet stone is a calm first choice, because it does not get caught in hair and clothes.
It is important to emphasise that the gold earrings here are jewellery, not piercing equipment. A brand new hole is pierced at a clinic or piercer that uses sterile first-time equipment. How long the first earrings should stay in, and when you may change them, depends on the healing and should follow the guidance you receive at the place where the hole is made. The gold earrings here are the ones you switch to once the hole has healed.
How do you clean gold earrings?
Solid 14 carat gold does not rust and does not tarnish like silver, but oil from the skin, skincare and hair products settle as a film that makes the gold dull. A simple cleaning at home removes most of it: lukewarm water with a little mild soap, a few minutes of soaking, and a soft brush or cloth to get the dirt away around the setting and behind the diamond, where it collects. Rinse afterwards in clean water and dry completely.
Avoid using toothpaste or abrasive products, which can scratch the metal, and be careful with the diamonds in dangling and bezel-set models. If you need a step-by-step walkthrough, Longvé has a guide on How To Clean Earrings and a more general How To Clean Jewellery. The smell some people notice from earrings typically comes from accumulated skin oil and dead skin cells around the post and usually disappears with regular cleaning of both the earring and the earlobe.
Do you want gold or white gold
This collection shows gold earrings in yellow 14 carat gold, the warm, classic gold colour. If you prefer a cool, silver-like tone, the same basic types are available in White gold. White gold is also a gold alloy, but mixed with white metals, so the colour becomes white instead of yellow. What white gold exactly is, Longvé explains in the article What Is White Gold.
The choice is first and foremost a matter of what suits your skin tone and the other jewellery you wear daily. If you otherwise wear gold on your fingers and neck, yellow earrings give a unified look, while white gold matches silver and white metals.
Gold earrings as a gift
A pair of gold earrings is a classic gift, partly because the size does not have to fit as with a ring. The price depends especially on whether there are diamonds in them and how large they are. A plain huggie or a small stud is at the milder end, while dangling models with larger diamonds such as a Short Dangling Diamond Bezel Stud of 0.41 carat are higher.
If you need to hit a particular budget, you can go directly to gifts by price, for example Gifts under €200 at the low end or Gifts under €400 a step up. Because many models are sold as a single earring, you can also start with one pair and build further later with matching jewellery.