Measured: Earrings are named for how they attach. Drop length is measured from the top of the finding to the lowest point of the design. Post thickness is quoted in gauge, with 20 gauge, 0.8 millimeters, standard in the US.
The basics
What to know about earring style
Earrings divide by two visible things: how the piece attaches to the ear, and how far it falls below it. Movement follows from both, from a stud that never moves to a chandelier that never stops.
Naming follows construction rather than decoration. A hoop with a charm hanging from it is still sold as a hoop. Likewise, a long suspended design is a drop even when it ends in a circle. Findings, the metal parts that do the attaching, carry their own convention. A US earring post is normally 20 gauge, about 0.8 millimeters thick. Elsewhere, 18 gauge posts at 1.0 millimeters are common, and they will not pass through a piercing worn only with thinner posts.
Weigh the styles against security as much as looks. Anything above roughly 10 grams per ear becomes noticeable within an evening and, worn for years, gradually elongates the piercing. Check the back as carefully as the front, since friction backs are the commonest way to lose an earring.
