Stacking earrings can be a lot more intricate than sliding on rings, bracelets, or necklaces. You still need an eye for balance, but it can also require piercing. In other words, a little more money, maintenance, and pain — though we have tips around that.
Here’s a few suggestions for where to best place earrings and how to draw attention to them, while having fun.
How do you wear earrings with multiple piercings?
As you move up the ear, stack earrings from biggest to smallest, or from statement pieces to simpler ones. Because you don’t have a ton of room to work with, avoid too many sizable pieces (an inch is enough) or showy details, like tassels.
That being said, the shape of your ear and the space available will determine which piercing placements are best for you; we’ll get into all of them later. But great news — retractable clasps and illusion earrings make it totally possible to create the impression of separate piercings without having them. So you can always experiment.
Branching outside of a singular style and/or texture is what’s going to get your earring stack noticed, if that’s what you want. You might pair plain earrings with pave, or danglers with huggies. It’s all about personality.
How to Stack Earrings for Multiple Piercings
1. Start With a Centerpiece
Typically, your biggest earring will be the bottom hole. The easiest way to visualize this is starting with hoops, then stacking studs and huggies. But your centerpiece could also be an ear crawler, which, as the name implies, would take up the side of your ear (it’s another sneaky way to get the look of multiple piercings while skipping the puncture). Your focal point could also be a personality piece, such as a name or star sign. When stacking earrings, you’re building out from your favorite.
When you have a showstopping earring, you’ll either want to avoid too many necklaces, bracelets, and rings, or match their aesthetic. That way, you’re either highlighting your earring or using it to create a cohesive look.
2. Cascading Rule
Drama should decrease the higher you ascend, but don’t limit your creativity. Basically, suspenders down low and snug up top for an effortless waterfall effect. A pairing that can best illustrate this is drop earrings and halo earrings, their names giving clues for which is top and bottom. You want your bolder, elongated pieces pulling the weight, while upper lobes and helix are safe bets for smaller players.
3. Abide by the 40/60 Rule
An earring stack is not just about the height and weight of your jewelry, it’s also about the balance of style. Because your ears are a smaller, more concentrated space, keep earrings 40% bold and 60% dainty. As with all of our advice, this is a suggestion, not a hard rule. But keep in mind that weight also impacts comfort.
Tips for Earring Stacks
- Simplify With Cuffs: Cuffs are usually commitment free. You don’t need piercings to slide them on, so they’re the perfect, painless addition to an earring stack to break up other pieces. These press-ons are a natural fit for the rim, especially your fake helix (aka the outside) or conch (aka your inner cup).
- Flatter Your Outfit’s Aesthetic: Match your earrings to your outfit’s style. If it’s elaborate, go intricate. If it’s casual, go charming. But it depends how much attention you want to draw to your jewelry. High necklines, such as turtlenecks, will enhance your earring stack because they pull attention to your face. This is still true of crew or boat necks, but these necklines put a bit more emphasis on your collarbone.
- Increase Visibility With Your Hairstyle: Pulling your hair back into a ponytail or bun will make your earring stack stand out. But you can also clip or bobby pin loose strands as necessary, so your jewelry style doesn’t go unnoticed.
- Say More With Minimalism: Sparkle looks and feels luxe, so a little goes a long way. Pair glittery pieces with matte ones, or use spacing to relax your look. Consider platinum earrings with rose gold, for example. Studs and hoops are lowkey anywhere on the ear, so they can also help enhance your centerpiece. How many earrings you wear and how often will also impact the upkeep.
- Emphasize Color: Because earrings are so close to the face, color offers plenty of opportunity for creativity. Pair vibrant earrings to complement or contrast your eye shadow and lipstick, or stack bright gemstones to bring out your eyes.
- Juxtapose Shapes: From stars to hearts to florals, mix and match shapes to add dimension to your earring stack. If you’re going to include earrings with dramatic shapes in your arrangement, such as drops or dangles, those longer lengths make the most visual sense in the first lobe. Consider pairing earrings that flatter the width and curvature of your face. For example, angular earrings to balance a soft, round face or chandelier earrings to elongate it.
- Contrast Sizes: You don’t have to go big to go bold. Switching up weight and density (as in whether your earrings are heavy or slim) also creates a fast focal point. But your earring constellation will depend on the size of your lobes and cartilage. With smaller ears, you’ll want to space out your stack so it doesn’t look busy.
- Vary Texture: Embellishments are the difference between quaint and considered. If you stack similar earrings, such as hoops, sculptural details can differentiate them so it feels less uniform. Consider adding bulky or braided or ridged details in between the classics. From polished or hammered metal, and smooth pearl earrings to tough diamonds, blending texture is a shortcut to stack style.
- Do What Feels Right: Don’t stress, there’s no right or wrong way to layer earrings, or any jewelry. Non-traditional can be another way of saying trendsetting. If you have the confidence to add a chain to your barbell earrings, or the coordination to mismatch each ear, feel free. Experiment with geometry and asymmetry.
Why We Love Earring Stacks
Kick Casual Up a Notch
Curating says “Yes, I take myself seriously and definitely meant to wear this,” or “Oh? Do these go together? I can pull anything off.” Either way, it reads confident, which is why stacking is a trend for every type of jewelry.
Showcase Your Style
Stacking is basically your earlobe’s wardrobe. The amount, placement, and types of earrings can be daring, flirty, elegant, quirky — because there’s more jewelry, there’s more opportunity to express who you are. The individual elements of each earring, combining with another, is all your own vs. a matching set. Upper or lower lobe, inner or outer ear, it’s a reflection of your unique design. You can even design your own diamond earrings (or lab diamond earrings) to make your stack truly one-of-a-kind.
Get More Out of Your Jewelry Box
The same earrings can be worn in different placements on different days with different companions. Hoops and studs, for example, can go back and forth between lobes and helix. So stacking earrings lets you play with your jewelry in new ways, making it multipurpose. You can customize, rather than choose between matching sets for an outfit.
Does the earring order matter in an earring stack?
Start with the first hole of your lower lobe. Then adorn upward, with either smaller or same-size pieces. Your first earring is usually your biggest and anchors the style.
Earring Types Perfect for Stacking
- Stud Earrings: Small with a single post backing, stud earrings are ideal when your stack is short on space. Usually a gemstone or metal ball, they’re not suitable for cartilage due to swelling.
- Cluster Earrings: A grouping of gems, cluster earrings are perfect for layering in texture and shine.
- Ear Climbers: These earrings have a long, hooked appearance, as if crawling up or down your ear. It gives your stack some sweeping movement.
- Jacket Earrings: A stud with a hidden backing, extra flair dangles behind or wraps around your lobe. A jacket earring is a strong first pick if you want a bold stack.
- Hoop Earrings: Hoop earrings are a classic, alone or together. Layering hoops in increasing sizes is a simple go-to stack.
- Huggie Earrings: Clipping on to “hug” your ear, these hoops are a small, simple addition to any stack on any part of the lobe.
- Single Earrings: Whether you’re looking for a statement piece or some subtlety for balance, single earrings offer total flexibility. They’re a fun way to mix and match new friends in your stacks.
- Bajoran Earrings: Trekkies will know. A Bajoran earring is a long chain linking multiple cuff earrings along the rim of your ear, and worn on one side (the right). In the show, it was a cultural symbol of faith. On your own ear, it’s an elaborate addition to your stack.
- Barbell Earrings: A dynamic bar worn across the ear, it has a bead at either end, so it can be angled any which way you have a piercing to bring some depth to your stack.
Common Ear-Piercing Placements
1. Helix
The thin edge of your upper ear closest to your head. Low-pain and perfect for studs or hoops.
2. Conch
Also called the cup or the dome, the conch is the cartilage along the inner curve of your ear. More pain, but more gain (aka surface area for jewelry, especially rings or barbells).
3. Tragus
The oval in front of your ear canal. Pretty painful, we won’t lie. But a bold place for studs or hoops (and barbells if you get an anti-tragus piercing on the outside).
4. Lobe
Old reliable. The lower lobe is usually everyone’s first and least painful home base. Anything goes — dangles, drops, etc. The upper lobe is the thinner part up top for earrings on the edge.
What ear piercings look good together?
While you can mix metals for an off the “cuff” look, match your earrings to your skin tone. Sterling silver earrings pair perfectly with cooler tones (blue veins). Gold earrings, especially yellow and rose gold, hang well with warmer tones (green veins). Vermeil earrings bind silver and gold together.
As you stack, you can complement the metal within its range of hues. Layer cool metals with gemstones in blue, green, and purple; warmer tones with pink and red gems.
You should also style earrings that share an aesthetic. Thinner, daintier pieces feel more chic, while cuffs, chains, and barbells have an edgy rocker vibe. An everyday stack is usually 3-5 earrings, with 5 being the most dramatic.
Earring Stack FAQs
What is a stacked ear piercing?
You have multiple piercings along your cartilage and your lobes, allowing for more jewelry to be worn.
How many ear piercings can I get at once?
Avoid more than 2-3 in one session, and keep spacing and position in mind for later additions. The thicker the cartilage, the more flexibility for styling.
How do you layer multiple earrings?
Your largest earrings go in the first hole of your lobe. Keep earrings consistent and vary one of the following elements: metal, gemstone, size, shape, type, texture, color.
Final Thoughts
Ready to start stacking? Shop all earrings at Brilliant Earth for jewelry with a conscience, including lab diamond earrings. You don’t have to sacrifice your values for value. Need guidance in finding your perfect earrings pairs? Talk to our experts to build gorgeous layers.
