Huggies have a reputation as the earring you wear when you can't decide. Small, close to the lobe, a little safe.
We'd argue the opposite. The huggie is the hardest-working earring you own. It stays put, it anchors every ear stack, and it's the best way ever invented to wear a charm.
What makes a huggie a huggie
A huggie is a small hoop that sits snug against your earlobe, close enough that it looks like it's hugging it. Plenty of huggies are technically hoops, but not every hoop is a huggie. Once a hoop gets big enough to swing away from the ear, it's a hoop.
Most huggies measure somewhere around 10 to 15mm. Ours mostly sit at 14mm, the roomy end of that range, which leaves space for a charm to hang just below the lobe.
Why they earn their spot
They stay put. A huggie sits close to the ear, so it's less likely to snag on hair, scarves and sweaters than a bigger hoop.
They anchor an ear stack. Stylists usually build an ear from the bottom up: the biggest piece in the first hole, getting smaller as you climb. A huggie with a drop is the natural first piece, and plain huggies fill the holes above it.
They're the perfect charm hanger. A stud has nowhere to hang anything. A big hoop makes a charm look lost. A huggie holds a drop right where it catches the light.
A plain huggie is a hanger. The charm is the outfit.
Sizing in 30 seconds
Measure from your piercing to the bottom edge of your lobe. A huggie close to that number will hug; a few millimeters more will hang a little looser. If a huggie pinches, it's too small for your lobe, so size up.
Going up the ear, step the size down so the stack gets smaller as it climbs. And if your piercing is new, wait until it has fully healed before switching to hoops of any kind.
Five huggies we'd start with
**Gold Heart Huggies, $79.** White crystal hearts hanging from gold huggies. Sweet without trying too hard, and easy to wear every day.
**Gold Star Bezel Huggies, $79.** A bezel-set crystal star on a hoop lined with white crystals. They work as the bottom of a celestial stack or alone.
**Silver Pear Huggies, $79.** A single pear-shaped crystal drop on a silver-tone hoop. Simple, bright, and easy to wear with anything.
And for the Black Gold side of the jewelry box:
**Mystic Topaz Pear Huggies, $79.** A pavé huggie with a mystic topaz pear drop that shifts color as it moves.
**Black Butterfly Huggie, $59.** A butterfly charm set with mystic topaz crystals. It's sold as a single, so wear one as the odd one out in your stack, or buy two.
“Goes with everything and adds a little sparkle to every outfit”
Stop calling them basic
Huggies aren't the earring you settle for. They're the earring that makes the rest of your ear work: the anchor, the hanger, the piece you reach for when everything else feels like too much.
Put a charm on one, and it stops being basic.
Shop the story
Gold Heart Huggies
Gold Star Bezel Huggies
Silver Pear Huggies
Mystic Topaz Pear HuggiesQuestions about huggie earrings
What is the difference between huggies and hoops?
Huggies are small hoops that sit snug against the earlobe, usually around 10 to 15mm. Larger hoops hang away from the ear and swing more.
What size huggie should I get?
Measure from your piercing to the bottom edge of your lobe. A huggie close to that measurement will fit snugly. If one pinches, go up a size. Most Oomiay huggies are 14mm.
Can you wear huggies in a second or third piercing?
Yes. Huggies are a popular choice for second and third piercings. Use smaller sizes as you go up the ear so the stack steps down.
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Your turn. How many huggies are in your ears right now, and which hole gets the charm? Tell us in the comments.