Gold Stud Earrings

Whether adorned with gems or simply straightforward, gold stud earrings are a sophisticated statement to support any wardrobe or style. Closely hugging the ear, gold stud earrings offer a tidbit of tantalizing allure that seemingly floats along the lobe.

Gold has been a chief medium of earrings for millennia, with even the world’s oldest cultures using the relatively malleable metal as a means of jewelry design. Many of these early earrings took the form of simple hoops or loops, yet over time, as technologies progressed, the stud became increasingly popular.

Initially, these earrings were secured with screw backs, but the more recent advance of the friction, or butterfly, back made the wearing of stud earrings all the easier. Even amidst changing styles and tastes, gold studs continue to be a classic, both because of their versatility and their very striking presence.

Quick Facts

• Many early gold earrings emerging from ancient Mesopotamia featured elaborated hammered motifs. This hammering was in part practical, as the supply of gold to this region was small
• One of the oldest surviving earrings from ancient Egypt appeared at auction at Christie’s London in 2013. Crafted from calcite and designed as a stud that pushed entirely through the lobe, this singular earring sold for $5,051
• South Africa was once the world’s richest source of gold, producing at one point close to 40 percent of all mined gold from its rocks. China, though, has recently surpassed South Africa in the extraction of gold