The guide
How to wear mismatched earrings
Wearing different earrings on each ear is not a new idea, but it is easy to get wrong: too much on one side, nothing linking the two, everything the same size. These are the simple rules we use when we put an ear together.
1. Keep one thing the same
Mismatched works best when something links the two ears. Pick one of these and change everything else:
- The metal. All gold on both ears, with different shapes.
- The motif. A Half Moon Stud on one side and a Moon Charm Hoop on the other.
- The material. Freshwater cultured pearls in different forms: a Pearl Dot, a Tide Hoop, a Pearl Climber.
2. Big at the bottom, small as you climb
Put the largest piece in the first lobe piercing: a drop, a bigger hoop or a climber. Use smaller studs and tight huggies in the upper lobe, and the smallest flat-back studs on the helix and tragus. The ear then reads from bold to delicate, which looks deliberate.
3. Leave a gap
You do not have to fill every hole. One empty piercing between two busy ones gives the eye a rest. A bare second ear with a single statement piece can look better than two crowded ones.
4. One busy ear, one quiet ear
A simple way in: three or four pieces on one ear, one or two on the other. The ear desk lets you try this before you buy.
Which single for which piercing
| Piercing | What sits well |
|---|---|
| Lobe | Studs up to 8 mm, drops, threaders, hoops from 10 mm, climbers |
| Upper lobe | Small studs and 6–8 mm huggies, small charm hoops |
| Conch | Ear cuffs (no piercing needed) and tiny flat-back studs in a healed conch piercing |
| Helix | Flat-back studs and 6–8 mm huggies, for fully healed piercings only |
| Tragus | Tiny flat-back studs, for fully healed piercings only |
Every product page lists the positions a piece suits and its post thickness and length. If you are not sure, ask us at support@paruneli.com.
Three easy starting points
- Odd Box No.3: a half moon, a pearl hoop and a cuff.
- First Three: a quiet dot, a 6 mm huggie and a tiny clear stone.
- Blush & Ink Five: one colour per ear, with a plain huggie between them.
Our earrings are for healed piercings. Never use them to pierce, and stop wearing a piece if your ear becomes irritated.