Huggie hoop earrings are fast becoming the must-have jewellery accessory for everyone that loves to makes their ears look beautiful. But why are they called huggie earrings? And how are they different to regular hoop earrings?
Find out below.
What are huggie earrings?
The term huggie really comes from the earring’s close hugging of the earlobe, as they are hooped earrings with a small diameter. Like hoop earrings, they come in a variety of thicknesses from skinny huggies to chunkier huggies and have several different closures such as latch and lever closings.
These earrings come in many materials, but are mostly gold huggies and sterling silver huggies. Whilst they do vary in diameter, they are generally 10mm and under. Huggies are also referred to as huggie hoop earrings.
What is the difference between hoop earrings and huggie hoop earrings?
We mentioned before that the circumference of huggies is what makes them so small and gives them their name. This is one of the main differences between huggies and hoop earrings as hoop earrings have a much larger circumference resulting in a bigger distance between the ear piercing and the earring’s inner diameter.
Hoop earrings also tend to have a larger variety of closings than huggies do. For example butterfly backs, latch closings, hinged back closings and screw back closings are all backs that hoop earrings have.
Whilst these are all fine, huggies closings come with no fiddly parts that can go missing (like can happen with butterfly backs).
Huggies are designed to be worn in multiple ear piercings all over the ear with their small size, like studs are often used. Hoop earrings will be too large to fit some piercings such as the rook and tragus.
Are ear cuffs and huggie earrings the same?
No. Ear cuffs are adjustable to the ear as you lightly press them on to fit around the flesh of the ear. They do not need an ear piercing to be worn.
When huggies are worn they form a complete circle shape with closures at the back. They are not adjustable and require a piercing.
Ear cuffs are typically chunky to create more surface area to grip onto the ear. Whilst huggies range from skinny to chunkier types, they are generally quite thin in their thickness compared to ear cuffs.
Huggies are hollow whereas ear cuffs are solid throughout.
How do I know which size huggies to buy?
It is really easy to find out which size huggie earring you need to buy for each of your ear piercings.
- Take a ruler and measure from the ear piercing hole to the edge of the ear which will give whatever mm size you need to buy. For example, a lobe piercing may measure 5mm from piercing vertically down to the edge of the ear.
- Add on 2mm for huggies that will fit looser e.g 5mm + 2mm = 7mm.
- For a snug fit, choose the same measurement as you recorded on your ruler e.g 5mm.
Which ear piercings can huggies go in?
Aside from the earlobe, huggies are usually worn in the forward helix, the helix and the tragus.
What are the benefits of huggie earrings?
- Huggies are hollow and lightlight meaning they don’t pull or drag your piercings or earlobes.
- They are very easy to clean when you keep up with regular jewellery cleaning and maintenance.
- You are less likely to catch them on clothes and hurt yourself.
- They are a great everyday wear choice.
- You can travel in them comfortably and can keep them in for longer than other earring types.
- You can wear a single pair for a minimal, clean look or accessorise your ears by stacking them in multiple piercings.
- With so many designs to choose from such as more unusually shaped huggies or traditional circular shapes, huggies offer an opportunity to express yourself and experiment with various types whilst displaying a less obvious look than other earring types.
Can I sleep in Huggies earrings?
Whilst it isn’t recommended to sleep in any kind of jewellery, you can sleep in huggie earrings due to their design which sits closely to the ear. Their lightweight nature and the absence of butterfly backs which can irritate you at night makes sleeping in them possible.
Love huggies?
Now you know what huggies are (and aren’t), all their benefits and where they can be worn you can do the fun bit and find a pair you love!
