The New Clip On Earrings: Good For Pierced Ears Too!

Do you love clip on earrings -but hate the pinch? Are you tired of heavy pierced earrings that tear your lobes? Then the new generation of adjustable clip on earrings is for you! Once upon a time clip on earrings pulled, tugged and pinched the ears - and left many women with a "clip on earring headache" after just a few hours of wear. In fact, many women chose to have their ears pierced simply to get away from the pinching pain.

Now, however, fashion has gone full circle, with many pierced earring fans turning to a new generation of clip on earrings to provide comfort as well as style. "Many of our customers who traditionally wear only pierced earrings are now requesting their favorite styles in clip on earrings -particularly the long, dangling Boho styles - because they don't want to stretch the holes in their ears, or risk tearing their lobes, which is actually a problem that's becoming increasingly more common," says jewelry designer Colette Bouchez.

Indeed, plastic surgeons nationwide are reporting that ear lobe repair is among the fastest growing elective cosmetic surgeries. According to plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Bermant, large or heavy earrings will gradually elongate the hole and eventually tear through the lobe.

The larger the earring, he says, the more momentum for tearing and the more easily damage happens. Making fast, sharp movements - such as turning your head quickly, may increase the risk.

Bouchez says that choosing one of the new non-pinching clip on earrings instead - particularly the tension screw back style or the tension clip, will minimize stress on ear holes, and keep your lobes healthy and looking good.

And, in fact, one of the most popular styles of clip on earrings at CountryDutchess.com are the tension screw back. In this style you custom set the size to fit your ear just once, then you can clip them on and off as often as you like - the setting holds. Also popular at CountryDutchess.com are earrings with a tension set clip on style - one that closes only as far as it takes to touch the back of the ear and then gently hug, but not pinch it.

"Gone are the days, when clip earrings had to be so tight they almost pierced your ear while wearing them! - the new styles are comfortable and they look amazing!", says Bouchez.

Clip On Earrings That Don't Hurt: What To Look For

While a whole new generation of clip on styles may be available, not every earring you see is equally comfortable. So how to do you know which ones will pinch and which ones won't - before you buy, especially if you're shopping on line?

Herein designer Colette Bouchez offers the following tips to help you judge just how comfortable your earring will be!

1. Look for the store's guarantee that their earring won't pinch. It may sound silly, but if the store makes a point of saying their earrings don't pinch then it's likely they are selling higher quality, better designed earrings.

2.Look for balance in the earring design. One of the reasons clip on earrings hurt is because they are poorly balanced, especially heavy dangle earrings. The lack of balance pulls on the ears and causes pain.

To find a balanced earring design look for the heaviest part of the earring to be close to the top - with the lighter sections, like dangling beads, further down. If, however, there is a long drop - for example from a chain - and multiple stones near the bottom, the imbalance will create more tension on your ears.

3.Look for a clip size that is in proportion to the earring. If the earring is large, or long and it's suspended from a thin, non adjustable clip, then it's likely to cut into your ears after an hour or two of wear. If the earring is large, the clip in the back of the earring should be substantial to hold it in place without pinching.

4.Whenever possible look for adjustable back clips - either those with a tension screw back that adjusts to the size of your ear lobe, or tension set clips that close according to the size of your ear lobe. When checking for these in a store, the clip should be able to stop at any point between open and completely closed. If your earring has only two positions - fully opened or snap shut, then it's likely to pinch.

5. When purchasing the "look of lever backs" - a popular new clip on style that simulates the look of a pierced earring - always look for the adjustable screw back styling. Clip ons with the look of pierced that have a simple snap back closure will almost always pinch and pull on your ears, especially if the earring is substantial.

6.Finally, for the most comfortable clip on Bohemian style earrings look for designs that are suspended from a loop that is situated on the front of the earring - as compared to at the very bottom of the earring. If the entire weight of the design swings from a loop that comes close to or at the bottom of your ear lobe, the weight is more likely to create tension - and that creates a painful pull on your ears.

Where To Find The New Clip on Earrings: For a wide selection of the new tension set and adjustable clip on earrings, as well as easy to wear pierced styles that won't hurt your ears, visit http://www.CountryDutchess.com