Hypoallergenic Earrings

If cheap earrings make your ears itch, weep or go red, it's usually the metal. Plated alloy often contains nickel, and once the plate wears, your skin is sitting against it all day.

Every earring we sell is 316L stainless steel, the grade used for surgical steel, and it's hypoallergenic for most wearers. Hoops, huggies, studs and drops, in silver steel or 18k gold plated over the same steel. They don't tarnish and they're water resistant, so they can stay in through showers and sleep.

We say most wearers because nobody can promise every ear; if you react to surgical steel, you'll know. If you've only ever been able to wear gold studs, a plain silver huggie is the one to start with. Most people who switch to steel don't go back.

Why does 316L help?

It's a low-nickel surgical grade of stainless steel with no plate on the silver to wear through, so the metal against your skin stays the same. That's why it doesn't react for most wearers.

What about the gold ones?

They're an 18k gold plate over the same 316L steel. If the plate eventually wears at the post, what's underneath is still surgical steel, not brass.

Can I wear them with new piercings?

For a fresh piercing, follow your piercer's advice on metal and style before switching to your own earrings.

What size hoop should I get?

Hoops are measured across the ring. 20mm is the most popular size and sits just off the lobe. Smaller hoops and huggies sit closer to the ear; 30mm and up reads as a statement. If you already own a pair you like, measure across them.