Invention of the clip-on earring
The first clip-ons were designed for Victorian ladies at the very end of the 19th century, and they were a simple, screw back fastening. It was considered vulgar to have your ears pierced so the upper class Victorian’s used these.
The 20’s saw the arrival of the clip which opened with a hinge and a couple of decades later the paddle clip (with a wider back) was invented.
One cannot imagine that as close as to the 60’s wearing pierced earrings was an act of defiance. Hippies wore them in the 60’s and then punks in the the 70’s. But that’s when the popularity of the pierced ear started coming back.
For the past 5 years we have seen a real come back of the clip-on earring.
Advantages of the clip-on earring
There is a small portion of the population that doesn’t have their ears pierced for a number of reasons. If you think of clips you often thing of you mum or grandmother right?
Clips have many advantages. If you want to wear large eye catching pieces (and sometimes heavier) and do not want the weight to pull your lobe clip-on earrings are best. Earrings for pierced ears can pull on your ear holes and make them bigger. There is often less of an allergic reaction with clip-ons as no metal is touching the more sensitive part of the ear. People who suffer from Keloids (overgrowth of scar tissue) and haemophiliacs might find clip-ons better too. They are also easy to clean too.
Ouch they hurt- well some do and some don't! You can add soft rubber pads to make them more comfortable and the well made and good quality pairs from the 1950’s onwards are much less likely to hurt. You can adjust your paddle back earrings too (with lifting the middle column slightly with a flat head screw driver). I always make sure that the ones I sell in my shop don't hurt.
Wearing vintage jewellery pieces has become both fashionable and good for the planet. So clip-ons are super cool and fashionable again. They are worn by royalty and movie stars as well. They are easier to lend or rent out too.
To view our range of new and vintage clip- on earrings click here