Butterfly clutch: A fitting that slides onto the back of an earring post to secure it in place.Button Earring: An earring with no dangling parts.
Chandelier Earring: An earring with a drop suspended like a chandelier. Also called a "Drop Earring" or "Dangle Earring".
Charm: A pendant or trinket worn on a bracelet, earring or necklace.
Clip-back Earring: A hinged ring with a pad, called a "comfort back", at one end to secure the earring to the earlobe without requiring that the ear be pierced.
Cluster Earring: A decorative earring made up of a cluster of glass and/or metal beads and stones
Clutch: A device that is slid along a post to secure a piece of jewelry, such as the earring back of a stud for pierced ears.
Comfort back: A rubber or plastic pad that goes over the clip end of a clip-on earring to cushion the earlobe.
Dangle Earring: An earring that dangles below the earlobe. Also called a "Drop Earring" or "Chandelier Earring".
Disc Earring: A round flat stud attached to the earlobe with a post and clutch.
Door Knocker Earring: An earring with a hinged bottom that hangs below the earlobe.
Drop Earring: Any earring which hangs below the earlobe. Also called a "Chandelier Earring" or "Dangle Earring".
Earring back: A disk or bead that fits over an earring post and holds the earring securely in place, like a catch.
Earring jacket: A small piece of jewelry with a hole pierced in the center designed to be held onto the ear with a stud earring.
Fish hook: A fishhook-shaped finding used to make earrings. The hook end hangs from the lobe of a pierced ear.
French wire: A curved wire resembling a fish hook which passes through the pierced earlobe and has a catch closure. It is mostly used with dangling earrings due to their extra weight.
Girandôle: A style of earring or brooch in which a large stone or decorative element suspends three smaller pear-shaped pendants of similar design.
Half-hoop design: An earring which resembles a ring but does not form a complete circle.
Hammered: A texture applied to the surface of an object with a hammer to give it a dimpled look.
Hoop Earring: An earring made from metal wire or tubing that has been shaped like a hoop. Charms and other ornaments are sometimes hung from the hoop.
J hoop: A hoop earring in which the hoop is elongated into a shape resembling the letter J rather than being circular.
Lever back: A means of attaching an earring to a pierced ear with a hook that goes through the ear and is then secured by a hinged lever attached to the back of the piece.
Omega back: These work a bit like lever back earrings, in that they have a hinged lever on the back of the earring near the bottom, but in this case the lever ends in an O shape that closes over a post in place of a clutch to secure the earring to a pierced ear.
Post: The pin that sticks out the back of a stud earring. The post goes through the pierced ear and is secured in place with a catch that slides onto it behind the earlobe.
Screw back: A type of earring attachment for non-pierced ears where the earring is tightened against the earlobe by means of a screw with a flat padded end.
Snap bar closure: The hinged bar on the back of a lever back or omega back earring.
Stud: A simple style of earring for pierced ears that has a single stone (such as a pearl) or metal ball on a straight post with no dangling parts. (See also Button earring)
