One of the most popular styles of earrings is the stud earring. Usually these are the ones inserted in your ear when you go to have your ears pierced and they come in various designs and sizes. Although the most common shaped stud used when for the initial piercing is the gold ball stud, there is a wide selection of other designs to choose from, including options ranging from cubic zirconia heart stud earrings to ones made of white gold with cut diamonds. Obviously I am biased and I love the heart jewelry options, but whichever ones you choose initially you will have to leave them in your ears for four to six weeks to allow your ears to heal and to stop the holes closing.

Once the healing process has passed you can take your studs out and move on to wearing the earrings of your choice – and believe me the selection is virtually endless. You can choose from studs, chandelier, drop and hoop earrings to name the most common types, although for the first few months studs are the best to wear until the holes have healed fully. One cautionary note, lots of people can be sensitive to non-hypoallergenic earrings so always try to choose those that are marked as “hypoallergenic’ or wear gold, sterling silver or platinum to help prevent any allergic reaction.

So which type of earring should you choose? This all comes down to personal taste, style and occasion. Personally for everyday wear I choose studs, whether it is my white gold heart stud earrings to match my other heart jewelry, my sapphire and diamond earrings to match my wedding jewelry or my gold studs from New York (these are so comfortable). Most stud earrings are subtle and understated and suitable to wear to the office, to the grocery store or for coffee with friends. The more elaborate ones with precious gemstones like diamonds, rubies and sapphires look really sophisticated when worn with a little black dress for more formal occasions.

Some women choose to wear hoop earrings on a daily basis and look really good in them. Some young women look great in the larger hoop earrings but as you get older, if you are going to wear hoops the smaller ones are less flamboyant and I feel that these suit the older women better.

Chandelier earrings and dangly earrings can look very feminine and glitzy especially for those special big ritzy events. Have you noticed how most of the celebrities choose these types of earrings for “red carpet” events and showbiz parties? Of course they are dressed up in their designer gown and want to show it off to perfection, so the more sparkling their jewelry the more it complements their outfit. Mind you, when you see the size of some of those earrings it is a wonder they can hold their head up! I’m not sure I could cope with the weight of these beautiful designs and if I had long hair I would be worried that my hair would get caught in them.

Having pierced ears certainly gives you more choice in the style of earrings available. However, if you don’t want to have your ears pierced you can still get heart stud earrings or even hoop earrings in clip on or screw back.

Which brings me on to the question I want to pose: have you noticed the increasing trend of men, especially celebrities and NFL and basketball players, having both ears pierced and wearing matching diamond stud earrings?  Is this the start of a trend that will spread?  Maybe history can give us a clue – because while the idea of pierced ears for both men and women goes back centuries, there was a time when the practice for men went out of style.  With it’s resurgence, and the fact that men are now wearing a style that one would usually think of as more for women, does it follow that they too will begin to choose other more traditionally feminine designs such as a heart earring?

As far back as early civilization both men and women have been adorning themselves with jewelry including earrings.  The ancient Egyptians were very accomplished jewelry makers and not only was the wearing of it a sign of wealth and status, it was important in ensuring a safe and trouble free journey to the afterlife.  When the tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt were discovered, such as that of Tutankhamen, the range of different pieces of jewelry found was quite staggering – there were bracelets, amulets, rings, necklaces, earrings, head bands, belts, anklets (and gold vests which were unique to the Egyptian culture).

In Old Testament biblical times there is a reference to the wearing of earrings by both of the sexes in Exodus chapter 32 verses 1-4.  When the Israelites were in the wilderness and they were waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain they asked Aaron to make them an image of a god that they could follow.  Aaron agreed to this and told them to bring him the gold earrings which were worn by the wives, sons and daughters.

Wearing earrings remained fashionable for both men and women until the Early Middle Ages but then the trend died out for a while.  During the 1900s, sailors made the wearing of earrings by men popular again.  One reason for the return of this trend was they believed that if they were lost at sea, when their body washed ashore, whoever found it would take the earring and use it to pay for a proper burial for them.   Having a pierced ear also signified that the sailor had crossed the equator or sailed round the world.

The modern trend of men having their ears pierced goes back to the hippie culture of the 1960s and 1970s.  Lets be honest, this was a time of breaking away from conventionality and the perceived stuffiness of the older generation (my father was in the Royal Air Force, and my father in law was in the Royal Marines during World War Two and I somehow cannot imagine them wearing an earring!).  During this time there was a debate as to which ear a man should have pierced depending on his sexual orientation; gay men should have their right ear done while heterosexual guys should choose the left.  Nowadays, this no longer applies as having both ears pierced is becoming increasingly the norm and even if only one ear is pierced (whether left or right) it is does not signify a man’s sexual preferences.

Now that some men are becoming “metrosexual”, taking more pride in their looks and wardrobe, using products such as moisturizers and make up (things I know my parents would have thought “unmanly”) maybe jewelry designs for men will change as well.  In an earlier post I suggested that men are still not seen wearing a heart chain, but maybe if one of the professional athletes or a male celebrities started wearing some heart jewelry then maybe we would see a heart earring, or heart chain selection in the men’s jewelry section in stores.  So look our for heart bracelets, heart necklaces and heart charms to populate the men’s jewelry section and join up with the heart earring offerings as well.

There are a number of things to consider when purchasing any sterling silver jewelry to ensure that you get the best quality, the right design for the recipient and value for money.

Silver like gold and platinum is a precious metal and as with gold it has many grades.  Although the finest silver is 99.9% pure, this is found to be too soft to make practical, serviceable pieces so silver is usually alloyed with another tougher metal, usually copper, to produce a stronger more durable metal.  Sterling silver is the highest grade used in the making of jewelry and other silver products and is hallmarked 925.  This indicates that the piece is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. When buying any sterling silver heart jewelry (for example, heart rings, heart charms or a heart chain) be sure to check its authenticity and the grade of the metal by looking at the hallmark.  Any reputable jeweler will be happy to help you do this.

Apart from the fact that sterling silver is often a cheaper alternative to white gold for jewelry pieces, it is also a very versatile metal and looks good with any outfit and can be worn for any occasion.  Not only will it complement your work clothes but it will also look great with that little black dress for more formal events and will not look out of place on the beach or when teamed with T-shirt and jeans for a casual look.  Check out magazines like Hello, OK and People to see what jewelry the models and celebrities are wearing.  Many of them are choosing sterling silver.

When choosing the style of heart earrings you wish to buy, another factor to take into consideration is the face shape of the person who will be wearing them.  If the recipient has a round face then more elongated styles should be considered.  For those with a more square shaped face, hoops or dangly or chandelier designs are more suited – while for a heart shaped face, shorter length or studs look best.  Ladies with oval shaped faces can wear any design – studs, chandelier, hoops or drop earrings.

If you plan to choose a pair of sterling silver heart earrings with gemstones set into them then consider which to choose by reference to eye color. Blue or green gemstones like sapphires, Lapis Lazuli, aquamarines, emeralds, peridots and jade will emphasize the light eye colors such as blue, green or gray.  On the other hand, amber, onyx and yellow tourmalines are better suited for someone with darker eye colors. These are only guidelines and the final choice should be left to the individual, because they may well have a favorite gemstone and may wish to co-ordinate with other pieces that they have in their jewelry box.

Finally, when choosing silver heart earrings, especially if they are for someone other than you, think about the person they are for and their particular fashion style and the type of jewelry they usually wear.  For instance, if the recipient tends to wear classical style jewelry then a pair of stud heart shaped earrings would perhaps be the most appropriate, whereas for a more flamboyant character, large hoops or chandelier heart earrings might be more apt.

Whoever they are for (yourself, a friend, relative or loved one) sterling silver heart earrings are an excellent choice, because there are so many designs to choose from, they can be worn in any setting and are easily teamed up with other pieces of heart jewelry like a silver heart locket or a sterling silver heart charm bracelet.

I came late to having my ears pierced, in fact I was thirty before I plucked up the courage to go to the jewellery store to get it done.  And the reason I eventually had it done was because I liked the dainty stud earrings that were not available in clip–on ones.  I already has a pair of clip-on silver earrings but I really wanted to wear these new gold ones.

Although I had talked about it for a few days I suddenly decided one afternoon as I was going to pick up my children from school that today was the day.  One thing I had forgotten was the fact that I was also picking up my friend’s two sons who were coming to play with my kids and staying for dinner.  Having made the decision I decided to go ahead with it as I thought if I didn’t I would chicken out and it would be a long time before I got the courage up again!

So with four kids in the car off we went to the local jewellery store.  Having told the children what I planned before we went home they were looking forward to seeing how it was done.  We duly arrived at the shop and in we all went.  I remember sitting in the chair with these four pairs of eyes avidly watching as I picked out a pair of studs and then had my ears cleaned with surgical spirit and a cross put on them as to where the holes should be.

Feeling very nervous I sat there as they put the studs in the gun and placed it against my ear.  I thought it couldn’t really hurt a lot because after all lots of baby girls have their ears pierced when they are only a few months old and a mom wouldn’t subject their infant to any pain would they?

Well I must be a wimp – because it did hurt!  But because I had the children with me I had to pretend everything was okay.  I gritted my teeth while the second ear was done and I breathed a big sigh of relief when it was all over.  Getting back in the car I remember my ears burning and being hot to the touch but when the kids asked if it had hurt I admit I told a white lie and said it didn’t.  I did all that was asked with regard to cleaning the site and turning the studs and fortunately I had no ill effects.

I couldn’t wait until I could take out the initial studs and wear some of the lovely earrings that I had so admired.  In fact, shortly afterwards my husband was on a business trip to New York and bought me a beautiful pair of 24 carat gold earrings which I wear more than any others – with perhaps only the exception of my heart earrings.