The Piercing Trends To Know In 2024
When it comes to styling your ears, curated piercings are a highly personalized form of self-expression. CHARLIE BOYD speaks to the jewelry world’s piercing connoisseurs and shares their knowledge and secrets…
With the start of a new season, there’s an inescapable itch that takes hold of jewelry enthusiasts. As much as you might feel the need to refresh your wardrobe staples or shop new-season workwear, magpies succumb to an intense urge to update their piercing repertoire. For 2024, it’s time to take a more holistic approach to piercing placement. However, curating your piercings and the jewelry within them to create a highly personalized stack requires some thought-out styling – and turning to the experts is a great place to start.
“I think of curating an ear like choosing the perfect outfit: every component works together for a combination that is all the wearer’s own,” says Maria Tash, who founded her luxury piercing and fine-jewelry brand in 1993 and is now the go-to guru for the likes of Hailey Bieber, Rihanna and Ashley Graham. “Great curation is imaginative and memorable, and there are many ways to achieve it... There really are infinite ways to layer, combine, and custom-fit earrings to create an individualized look, or even tell a story with how pieces relate to each other,” she adds.
Just as with fashion trends, the A-list has led the charge. “Celebrities like Dua Lipa and Kaia Gerber have introduced chic ways to style layered piercings on the red carpet this year – with a slick bun and punkish styles by the likes of Roxanne First, along with elegant diamond studs and emeralds,” says Libby Page, market director at NET-A-PORTER. Page argues that a fully stacked-up ear has become a go-to styling choice that can be just as easily paired with a white T-shirt as with statement chandelier earrings and a minimalist gown for occasionwear.
Where to begin? Read this first…
“My number-one tip for looking chic is don’t make it too busy,” says Emily Johnston, fine-jewelry buyer at NET-A-PORTER. “Careful curation is key to making your stack look effortless,” she explains. Your lifestyle and whether you can make the time commitment to aftercare are important factors too, but once you’ve determined these, you’re free to play. Sketch out your piercing design ahead of time so you can get the balance right. You could even start with commitment-less ear cuffs to get a feel for how the permanent fixture will look – Anita Ko and Mizuki have some stunning options.
“I think of curating an ear like choosing the perfect outfit: every component works together for a combination that is all the wearer’s own
”Maria Tash
The key piercing trends for 2024
Much like fashion and beauty trends, fine jewelry is feeling the influence of the 1990s in full force, with the return of brow, lip and industrial piercings (two piercings at the top of the ear, connected by a sleek bar). This time around, however, ’90s placements are being populated with dainty gemstones and mixed-gold tones – a far cry from the metal-heavy silver designs pre-Y2K. Maria Tash’s floating diamonds have become hugely popular in recent years, with delicate stones adorning unexpected parts of the ear, yet she is witnessing a gear change: “We are seeing larger clusters of stones, different diamond cuts and shapes in unusual combinations, hidden in the ear,” she says. The consensus among experts is that forward-helix piercings are also trending, along with ‘constellation’ piercings (a smattering of delicate studs that create a pattern across the ear) and ‘snake bite’ piercings – a double set of studs spaced side by side. Flat cartilage piercings are also proving popular for 2024 – adding a hint of sparkle that sits flush upon the flat of the ear.
How to choose the right jewels for your piercing
Just as important as the placements is the jewelry itself – working out which metal tone you prefer is the best starting point. “Yellow gold is still the most popular choice, but I see the demand for white gold is gaining momentum again, especially with larger diamond pieces,” says Anita Ko, an LA-based fine-jewelry designer. Ko’s best-selling ‘Safety Pin’ earring is regularly spotted on A-listers and is available in multiple hues of 18-karat gold and colored gems, so you can choose which best suits your skin tone and existing stack. Brian Keith Thompson, owner of LA’s iconic piercing studio Body Electric Tattoo, is also finding that requests for white gold are on the rise – he often pairs its cool tones with rose gold to add a fresh twist. As for gemstones? Suzanne Kalan’s baguette-cut sapphires and Mizuki’s teardrop-shaped diamonds are dainty enough to wear on your second or third lobe piercing alongside larger drops, while Maria Tash’s pavé-sprinkled ‘Mini Carson’ studs will add celestial shimmer to mixed-metal groupings. To elevate your everyday look, consider Messika’s signature, scintillating ‘Move Uno’ diamond earrings, à la British model Adwoa Aboah.
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The people featured in this story are not associated with NET-A-PORTER and do not endorse it or the products shown