Posts Tagged ‘Earring shapes’

How do you pick an earring????  Let me count the ways!  Besides price, color, gemstone, metal, metal allergies, size,  outfit needs, etc., there’s shape.  Shape dictates a lot about earring selection.  There’s shape of the earring and shape of your face and these are two very significant ideas.

Most people pick earrings rather intuitively.  They see something they like, something very appealing and then, as long as some of the other criteria are met, they will actually try on the earring.  That’s a pretty important step! You may love it, but if you’ve got it on, and something just doesn’t look right, you might change the shape of the earring you are choosing.

One caveat though: The key is whether you prefer to accentuate the shape of your face or create the illusion of a different shape.  Sometimes, we choose not to mask our natural attributes; and sometimes we want to do the opposite.

It’s essentially up to you, but here are some general suggestions for creating the illusion of a “perfectly” shaped face.

Oval Face — conventionally “perfect” — has the length equal to about one and a half times the width. If you have an oval face, you can usually wear any kind of earring you like.

Celeb example: Jessica  Alba.  Here are some good choices for this face. The Gold Leaf Hanami Earrings would be fun for casual outfits and the shape is fine for her face.   The Pink Topaz Earrings go beautifully with her face, as well as her skin tone.

Round Face – it is roughly as wide as it is long.  Theoretically, you’d like to lengthen it, therefore you would choose earrings that are long drops; square, oblongs and rectangles; anything elongated that will draw the eye down. Anything that dangles is a good idea.

Celeb example: Catherine Zeta Jones.  You’ll look great in long narrow drops;  These Mother of Pearl Earrings do a great job of bringing down your eye, and the Crystal and Druzy Drops definitely catch your eye with the dangling crystal.

Square Face – have the forehead, cheekbones and jaw line almost equal in width.    Conventional wisdom says soften the jaw lines with contrast, by wearing studs, long drops, teardrops, multi-tiered dangles, curved  or rounded edges.

Celeb example: Angelina Jolie. The Crystal Long Drop Earrings do a good job softening the jaw and the Concrete and White Topaz Drops have a nice round edge next to her face.

Oblong Face — is longer than it is wide.  Your goal, should you choose to embrace it, is to widen your face with round, square or fan shapes; drops that are wide but not longer than your chin; teardrops, hoops, stud and chandeliers.

Celeb example: Sarah Jessica Parker. The  Dark Green Round Chandelier Earrings add ample width and beautiful color next to her face.  The Sunrise Smoky Quartz Earrings also provide round shapes that broaden her face.

Heart-shaped Face – is wide at the forehead and cheekbones and narrow at the jaw. Your goal is to add length to your face and width to your jaw. Have fun with chandeliers that are narrow at the top and wider at the bottom; teardrop earrings; rectangle shapes; oval and circular earrings.

Celeb example: Reese Witherspoon. The Labradorite Sterling Silver Drop Earrings add rounding near her jawline; while the Glittering Ruby Earrings give width there.

But, in my mind, it comes down to this…Your jewelry should add pop, sizzle and smile.  If it perks you up, if you think you look great, and you smile when you’re wearing them, you are on the right track!

Come visit us at our Balboa Island boutique, we’d to help you pick out the perfect pair of earrings to flatter your face!