Piercing Power
Photo credit: @nomis_jewelry
Celebrate National Piercing Day
Yes, there is a national day for just about anything and May 16th is officially National Piercing Day. It’s a day dedicated to celebrating one of the oldest forms of body modification.
Piercing (ears and body) has been around for thousands of years and served as a way to celebrate and showcase people’s religions, heritage, and even social status.
Single piercings on the earlobe are by far the most common, but of course, over the centuries body piercings have gained popularity as a way to showcase one’s individual style. Who can forget the belly button boom of the early 2000s (a-la Britney Spears)?
Fast forward to the current day and multi-ear piercings have taken over as the “It” piercings. High-profile celebrities to the fashion set of varying generations have embraced the ear party! Yellow-gold, white gold, and diamonds in everything from ear pins and threaders to mini hoops and cascading studs displayed on the helix and conch to the daith and tragus. It’s a trend with no end in sight – which is a good thing.
Ear Pin
NOMIS is a Ukrainian brand founded by Alyona Kiperman who creates pieces that are “not only beautiful but empowering, spectator and striking.” This ultra-sleek ear pin is a head-turner that embodies all three of those things when worn in the ear, but it also turns heads when worn as a centerpiece on their bolo-style necklaces.
NOMIS 18k yellow gold and diamond bottom with white gold and diamond top “Omotesando Combination Ear Pin”, $6,286 at NOMIS.
Crescent Hoop
Lizzie Mandler is a handcrafted Los Angeles-based brand, known for creating modernized classics including her signature knife edge pieces. These mini hoops showcase those details in an everyday staple that works as an ideal starting point for getting your ear party started.
Lizzie Mandler 18k yellow gold and pave diamond mini “Cresent Hoop”, $925 (single) at Lizzie Mandler.
Floating Diamond
You can’t talk about ear piercing without mentioning piercing pioneer Maria Tash.
She coined the Curated Ear®, which is when “clients combine studs and rings in unique stylings that reflect their aesthetics”. She even patented the Tash Helix℠ and Tash Hidden Rook℠; piercings that conceal part of the earrings to create the illusion of floating diamonds, like these “Plume Threaded” charm earrings.
Maria Tash 18k white gold frontal, 14k solid gold post, and floating diamond “Plume Threaded” charm earring, $1,280 at Maria Tash.
Mini Drops
Sophie Thoerner and Hannah Traulsen are the founders of Visa Versa. A fine jewelry brand that is made up of 14k gold and natural diamonds in sophisticated and versatile everyday designs. These drops combine their signature ball chain with diamonds for a two-in-one earring effect that can work from the earlobe to the helix.
Vice Versa 14k yellow gold and diamond mini “Gemini Drops”, $2,800 at Vice Versa.
Beluga Pearl
Designer Hirotaka Inoue launched his first collection in 2010 with the rainforest as his main inspiration. Since then, he has referred to nature in his designs and created styles that showcase “clean lines, organic silhouettes, and stunning details.” This stud embodies those descriptions with a modern Art Deco flair.
HIROTAKA 10k yellow gold, diamond, and pearl earrings, $475 at Broken English.
Hinge Hoop
The founder of Wildlike, Alysa Teichman has made it much easier for earscape lovers to get even more piercing with her recently opened New York store/piercing parlor. The shop is a wonderland for anyone looking to get a body or ear piercing with an endless number of jewels to choose from. This beauty is meant for the Daith (ear) or your septum (nose), the choice is all yours.
Wildlike 14k white gold and marquise and round diamond hinge clicker hoop, $940 at Wildlike.
Magic Wand
New York-based brand Labulgara was launched in 2016 by designer Nadia Todorova. The aesthetic focuses on contemporary designs with an avant-garde flair. This needle earring is fierce and delicate all at once, with a rod decorated with a diamond arch and two stand-alone diamonds that all create a multi-piercing effect.
Labulgara 14k yellow gold and diamond “Magic Wand Needle” earring, $960 at :At Present.
Fan
EF Collection founder Emily Strauss creates ultra-wearable pieces that people can connect with and even make memories in. That goes for all the earring styles that customers have been flocking to for their newest earscape piercings. It’s almost like getting a tattoo, you can’t just get one!
EF Collection 14k white gold and diamond marquise “Fan” earrings, $998 (single) at EF Collection.
Cascade
What could be better to layer onto your ear than an earring that is all about catching light and harnessing energy? Tara Maria Famiglietti’s pieces for her brand Ondyn do just that and this amply named “River” earring is a great way to start your earring flow.
Ondyn 18k yellow gold and diamond “River” earrings, $4,500 (each) at Ondyn.
Threader
Karen and Stevie are the mother-daughter team behind the colorful jewelry brand Stevie Wren. Their combined vision of focusing on the details and styling perspective are what make each piece special. This threader can be worn in many different ways from hanging in a single piercing to threading through multiple or adding one of their charms for a bolder look.
Stevie Wren 14k yellow gold and diamond “5” Threader”, $195 (each) at Stevie Wren.
Market Editor: Johannah Masters
