Get familiar with common earring styles and backs.
The most common type of earring back, also called push backs or butterfly backs, have a single post that goes through the piercing and is held in place by a separate piece of metal that pushes onto the post, securing it.
A single post attaches to a separate closure piece that spins together to fasten and unfasten. Commonly found on fine jewelry pieces, screw backs are more secure than friction backs.
Designed for maximum comfort, flatbacks, or ‘threadless posts', are a great choice for first-time piercings or advanced piercings like the helix or conch since they won’t poke behind your ear. The post slides from the back of your ear and secures at the front.
Often found on dangling or drop earrings, a latch closure, similar to a fence gate, provides added security to keep earrings locked and looped through the ear.
Sometimes referred to as a ‘saddleback’ the earring post fits snugly into a groove and securely clicks into place. Most often found on huggies and hoops for comfort and reliability.
Similar to the shape of a fishhook, a thin piece of curved metal threads through the earlobe and rests in place. Typically used on dangling earrings, this closure does not lock or attach, but generally the weight of the earring keeps it in place.
Like a delicate thread weaving through fabric, threader earrings are thin pieces of metal that gently go through the earlobe and hang down on either side. Simplistic yet edgy, these open-ended styles make a major statement.