It’s the Earrings for Me
The bigger they are, the flyer the outfit must be! Earrings are my favorite piece of attire to wear (that’s right, I said attire)!
I do not leave the house without earrings. I will wear earrings before panties or socks! HA! It’s something essential that an earring brings to a look, even if it is just a dab of sparkle or color from some little studs. At one point in my young life, real diamond stud earrings were all I wanted. Back in school, you were top-notch if you had real gold, real diamonds. But my parents weren’t into buying me real jewelry, so I had to settle for Cuban zirconia's that almost looked real from the hair store.
My mom did not get my ears pierced when I was baby, so I remember my visit to Claire’s to get my ears pierced. I was well into elementary school. I remember them dotting my ear with the black marker, and making sure it was in the right spot, and the piercing gun pinching my flesh and finally I had my first pair of studs. I remember the aftercare list they gave you with the cleaning solution. Every day you had to clean the piercing and the earring otherwise, the stench would smell so bad! Claire’s was a luxury in my life. When we would go to the mall, it was special occasion if I was able to get something out of there. I enjoyed the plethora of options and the packs of multiple different shaped studs. Back then, I was into silver and gold! It was exciting to switch up and change it up daily.
As a young girl, I didn’t believe I was supposed to wear big earrings. Studs and little hoops were my favorite. I used to love the stick-on earrings packs my mom would get me with all the different colors and designs. But they used to fall off too easily. Battles with self-esteem made me feel like I was too ugly to wear bigger earrings. So, I stuck with small studs and hoops.
When I got to middle school, it became more than earrings that were the essentials. It was earring, bracelet, and necklace sets. The Asian shops sold these multi-color gold and bead bracelets that all the cool girls would stack on their arms. The more, the better. So, I remember, finally finding a person in the Flea market that sold the bracelets at reasonable price and my mom finally bought me some bracelets and these bracelets were great because they didn’t tarnish. They lasted forever in water and beyond. The super cool girls then also had the real gold name plate earrings, necklace, bracelet and ring set. Those were the top-class, popular types of chicks. I NEVER had one of those sets! Lol.
Finally, I got to high school I begin to explore my mom’s collection more closely. My mom and my aunts, all had a unique collection of jewelry and so I begin to take interest into the vintage and unique pieces. My mom would have earrings from the 60’s and 70’s and I would begin to wear them with my lil outfits and try beads and such. Then during my short stent of college and clubbing days, I took it up and would wear beads and lots of plastic bangles and other accessories with my freakem dresses and booty shorts.
Later, as I was in my 20s, Instagram hit the scene and I begin to run into independent and small earring businesses who were making unique and handmade pieces. Along with my short haircut, I finally found the unique style and taste that would be my signature and I began to purchase earrings from then on out. Earrings are literally my happy place. I enjoy finding weird and odd pieces. Or color combos that are out of this world. But as I grew and got mature, I learned one thing about earrings over the years that I think we don’t emphasize enough of. See, while earrings help with a look or an outfit, it’s actually YOU that make the earrings look great! YOU make the earrings, the earrings DON’T make you! The confidence shouldn’t come because you have on earrings. The earrings should be just a result of, an enhancement of, a highlighter of the confidence that’s already in you! I did the work over the years to love and accept and believe in the woman that I am with or without the earrings. The earrings are a genuine extension of me.
I love every style of earring; it all depends on the mood and outfit. I love polymer clay with designs, and glossy resin bubbles. I also love the yarn tassels and hand painted wood pieces. I love fresh spin on retro art and I love the dazzle of colorful crystals, rubies, and gems. I love acrylic, plastic and yellow gold engravements. I love leather and feathers. I love glitter and beading. I love a big dangle, a furry hoop, and button stud, a gauge, ear cuffs, ear chains, and ear crowns. I can wear it all! The bolder, the bigger, the more I am in love. The world of earrings is so huge and steady growing. Earrings are absolutely my favorite thing in the whole wide world! And I never get enough! So, anyone out there who has an earring business, makes earrings, or just want to share some cool pieces, send me your earrings!
