Trend Articles
Statement Earrings
With each statement earring you can be whoever you want to be that day.
Accessory - a remarkable example of a word whose use is at odds with its apparent meaning. ’There is nothing accessory about ‘accessories’’, says one of the earliest masters of statement earrings, Yves Saint Laurent.
According to its meaning, to be an accessory is to be of help to the main party, yet the statement earring is anything but that. You would be right to think that accessorising may be the last thing on your mind when your alarm clock rings, but a pair of gorgeous earrings (or a single one) can negate bad hair days, elevate modest outfits and navigate the boardroom-to-bar dress code more easily than any other piece. They can even create an entire look for a FaceTime or Skype conversation, even if one’s bottom half is still dressed for sleep. Essentially, statement earrings are what shoes were to Carrie Bradshaw - more than a simple adornment, they are a bold statement of their own.
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Ranjana Khan
Gucci
Pierced earrings first made their debut in the Middle East as early as 3,000 B.C. and, as a rule, were intended to provide strangers with a quick and easy clue as to the wearer's religious, political or tribal identity. They were also an indicator of the individual's social status in the community and were worn as a matter of choice and pride by those who were in power and as a label of inferiority and shame by those who were enslaved. However rules are meant to be broken, and statement earrings are bold enough in their look and meaning, for all of the historical facts above to be crossed out of the rule book when it comes to the fashion of wearing statement earrings today.
My personal favourite thing about statement earrings is that they are so easy to adopt. Anyone with earlobes (they don’t even have to be pierced) can wear them, and there is no trouble, like with rings for example, of finding out what your right size is - it is one-size-fits-all magic. “It’s not like dying your hair where you have to commit to it; it’s not as if it’s a fabulous winter coat that is thousands of dollars. It’s just a little bit of fun.’’, says Tilly Macalister-Smith, senior director of content at Diane von Furstenberg. You can change them every day, (or even 2 times a day, like I sometimes do - guilty as charged), and with each statement earring you can be whoever you want to be that day - it gives you a personality of it’s own and completes you. It's unnecessary to pair them with anything else, be it a necklace or make-up. It's entirely a question of balance. Dangling earrings are worn in pairs to maintain a certain balance, just like in ancient or tribal civilisations. On the other hand, ear cuffs are worn individually for a more modern take. And since we are talking about singular earrings, “Did you lose an earring?” asked me a friend once. ‘’Yes. Actually no. Well, it's complicated.’’ Be bold and turn your misfortunes into a fashion trend.
It is hard not to mention that there is an increased interest and an appetite for statement earrings not just for me personally, but globally too - enough to influence a great jewellery industry change.“ Fine jewellery is becoming more fashion influenced, and the price point between fashion jewellery and fine jewellery is narrowing,” says Patti Worth, jewellery buyer at MatchesFashion.com.
Ranjana Khan, Mercedes Salazar, Christie Nicolides, Marni, Cult Gaia and so many more…
‘My personal favourite thing about statement earrings is that they are so easy to adopt.’
From the runway to the street, earrings have smoothly become an integral part of any look or allure. “What I love is that it is so mainstream which is unusual for a jewellery trend because often things are shown on the runway and then people won’t wear it,” says Carol Woolton, British Vogue’s jewellery editor. “It’s Topshop and H&M; it’s Piaget and Chopard; it’s Céline and Marni. Literally everybody is into big statement earrings.” And who wears them? From all the young and pop Hollywood celebrities and models, to the presidential Ivanka Trump to the effortlessly elegant, Maryl Streep. It’s probably easier to say who isn’t. Statement earrings have become a symbol of self-confidence. And for those of you who think that confidence is not your strongest suit and statement earrings are probably not for you - think again - as my favourite writer and speaker, Amy Cuddy says, “Don’t fake it till you make it, fake it until you become it!"
Lastly, although even a young woman in her 20s like me, can afford a beautiful pair of statement earrings today, I couldn’t not share this short anecdote from Business of Fashion article, that made me truly appreciate the love of other people for statement earrings and the joy they bring:
“In May 2017, at the Sotheby’s “Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels” sale in Geneva, Switzerland, a pair of contrasting coloured diamond earrings (a blue one at 14.54 carats and a pink one at 16.00 carats) fetched a record $42.1 million and $15.3 million respectively, and were bought by the same buyer for a record $57.4 million. “Sometimes they put the stones in a setting just for the mounting,” notes Woolton. “Or often they’ll be sold separately, but they sold these together to the same buyer and I like to think that it’s because they’d like to wear them. $57 million for a pair of statement earrings!” Be bold, be a conversation starter, wear statement earrings that introduce you before you speak.
Liza Danilova,
Girl with a Statement Earring (@girlwithastatemtnearring)