How to pair earring sets for multiple piercings

Having multiple piercings isn't just for rebels anymore. The release of the film "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" blew that one out of the water with a fully studded heroine. In 2012, couture designers Givenchy and Chanel sent their models down the runway decked out in piercings. Even more conservative women have been getting a second ear piercing for years. But that always leaves the question of how to pair earrings when you have to navigate two or more sets. Fortunately, there are great ways to find fine jewelry for multiple piercings.

A matter of personality

There are no hard and fast rules about how to pair earring sets. The important thing is to choose posts that fit your personality. Whether you like a more eclectic look or prefer a perfect match, you have endless options. You can even design custom jewelry to make all the piercings on your ears work together.

Matching elements

Even if you're prone to mixing and matching, a good way to be sure all your earrings work together is to pick a design element that they all feature. For example, they could all be made of platinum or all feature a matching diamond cut. If you want to mix a stud with a hoop, here's an idea of how to do it: Choose the Classic Martini Earrings for your second hole. They are classic, subtle and well-crafted. Get them in white gold. Pair the studs with the Basket Drops, also in a white gold. This look is complementary, as both earrings have studs but they are different enough to be interesting.

Varying sizes

You may prefer to have all your earrings perfectly matched. When doing this, choose either studs or hoops.The size of your earrings should diminish the further you move from the front of the earlobe. For example, when wearing studs, your first hole could feature a 0.5-carat diamond. The second hole should then drop in size to around 0.25 carats. These aren't hard and fast numbers, but you get the idea. The same goes for hoops. Choose huggies with a larger diameter for the front and decrease the diameter further back.

Subtle variations

Put a twist on the depreciating size method by creating visual illusion. Instead of wearing hoops that decrease in diameter, start with studded hoops and end with plain metal ones. The hoops with diamonds will appear larger because they are encrusted with light-reflecting gems. Double Huggies are great for this. They feature two rows of Brian Gavin Signature diamond melee to give your ears extra sparkle.