Classic and Modern Earings Styles

Earrings are the most visible jewelry on women. Together with the face, earrings are completing women's look, and greatens their look. The jewelry is designed to be attached to the ear lobe, more often hooked through pierced ear. The earliest earrings are known to be used by ancients Greeks. They began as images of gods, tiny at the start, then large that the ear could not longer support the weight, so the earrings hung over the ears even suspended past the shoulders. The ancient Egyptians preferred to craft their ear jewelry using gold, while the Greeks combined multi-colored gemstones. The idea to secure ornaments through a hole in the ear lobe originated in the Far East. The earliest earring designs were hoops or pendant.

Over some hundred years the earrings got a meager development. They started to be wire posted, so a hook was used, than screws backed the earrings and clips went in use. Primarily the earrings were made from gold, now they are made from all types of gold, platinum, silver and a large variety of non oxidant alloys. And the real innovation was decorating the earrings with precious and semiprecious gemstones and the use of brilliant diamonds and pearls.

Diamond earrings in a form of diamond studs are the most popular, attractive and the most priced by women. Diamonds are sparkling with brilliance, luminous beauty, color on women's face, reflecting here eye look, love, happiness and making here image. Diamonds on earrings make women captivating, eye-catching, and attracting. That's why earrings and specially decorated earrings took women over the world.

The materials and decorations along with the design usually determine the earrings type: platinum, gold, silver, diamond stud earring, pearl earrings, earring with sapphire and emeralds, round, oval, etc. Ball earring, foe example, are named from the round shape of material or stone. Button earrings are flat and shaped like a button. Chandelier earrings are long, oversized dangling with large stones. Changeable earrings made with several types of interchangeable units. Clip back - earrings fastened to the ear by a spring clip.

Cluster earrings are designed to carry a group of pearls or gems, tightly packed together making a big unit. Door knocker are large hoop attached to a clip. Drop earrings - a dangle pendant on a clip. Gypsy earrings are large metal hoops. Hoops earrings made as circles or ovals free of fastening. Pierced earrings are designed to fit through pierced ear. Screw back are earrings for pierced ears fastened with a screw in the back of the ear. Wedding band - is a wide gold hoop earring. Wire earrings are made of wire base with various applications, mostly beads, made from glass and other non-precious materials. The more recent styles of earrings are bezel earrings, diamond studs, hoops and drops, beaded earrings.

Out of all the earring types diamond earrings stand out on its own. Usually diamond earrings come in yellow, white gold or platinum and also silver. The pure gold is marked 24 karats and is 100% gold, but is too soft for jewelry. Gold alloys, marked as gold 18 kt or 14 kt have percentage of gold 75% and 58.33% respectfully and are most frequently used for jewelry and particularly for earrings. Sometimes earrings are made "gold filled", with a layer of gold alloy applied to a base metal, which must be marked as 1/20 of the weight of the base metal. Platinum is the most expensive and durable of all metals used in jewelry. It always remains bright and shiny.

Diamonds in earrings, make a significant part of their value. Four characteristics determine the diamond quality. The diamond cut expresses the depth, width, and facets of the stone. Their proportions determine the ability of the diamond to reflect light and to sparkle. The most popular and most priced diamond is brilliant cut having 58 facets. Do not be confused by notions such oval, round, radiant diamond what applies to diamond shape. Diamond weight is a factor of diamond value, expressed in carats. 1 ct. makes 1/5 of a gram weight. The more carats, the greater the value. Total carats weight means the weight of all stones together in the entire item. Colorless and near colorless diamonds have the greatest value and are graded from D to H, but, fancy colored diamonds like these yellow diamond studs are also highly priced.

Clarity of diamonds refers to absence of inclusions, good quality ranges from IF to SI2. No inclusions is a rarity, normally every diamond has natural inclusions. To proof diamond identity and value, diamond needs to be certified by one of the reputable gemological labs in America or Europe (GIA, AGS, and EGL).

Diamond earrings as well as diamond jewelry are widely combined with pearls. Pearls have many colors: yellow, white, black, pink, red and gray. Pearls can be natural, artificial and cultured. Diamond and pearl earrings are simply irresistible.