Over this past year, I’ve become quite fond of vintage clip-on earrings. I love how extravagant and showy the earrings from the ‘50s to ‘80s look, and you can usually find me flaunting a chunky button clip or flower cluster most days. And besides coming in lovely designs, clip ons also work for everyone, not just for those with pierced ears.
The downside to clip ons is that they can hurt, especially if they have good tension, which you want to actually keep your earrings ON your ear. Personally, I can only wear clip-on earrings for three to four hours before they start pinching my ear and leaving them itchy and red.
Still, I refuse to give up my clip-on earrings. You’d have to pry my Crown Trifari celluloid rose earrings and chunky faux pearl cluster clips from my cold, dead hands. When you’re accustomed to a certain lifestyle—in this case, wearing uncomfortable but beautiful clip ons—you learn how to make it work.
If you’re getting started on your vintage earring journey and want to learn how to make it less painful and unpleasant, here are go-to tips for wearing clip ons comfortably.
Adjust the hinge tension with pliers
I strongly advise against using your hands to adjust the hinge, as I’ve broken a few clip ons this way. A basic pair of needle nose pliers allows you to apply gentler, more targeted pressure so that your hinge doesn’t break off. Ideally, you want to create enough space between the hinge and the front so that your earring feels comfortable against your lobe without coming off. You do this by weaving the tip of your pliers between the little open clip on the hinge and prying it upwards (or outwards) ever so slightly.
Bear in mind that your mileage may vary with this method, since vintage metal can be very brittle and prone to breaking.
Opt for screw back earrings instead of clip ons
On a somewhat related note, you can choose screw back earrings if you find traditional clip ons too painful. With screw backs, you can adjust the tension by twisting the screws—they don’t clamp right onto your ear. My small note is that screw backs generally tend to be a bit daintier than clip ons, so that is one consideration you should weigh.
Use silicone or foam comfort pads
Many vintage clip ons actually come with a silicone or rubber stopper in the hole or a cover that goes on the hinge. I’m not a huge fan of the foam ones that come with my vintage earrings. I usually just pull them or scrape them off because I find that they can get really dirty. With the rubber ones, I can, at the very least, use an alcohol wipe to clean them.
If your clip on doesn’t come with a comfort pad, you can definitely buy some online or cut some out for yourself with adhesive foam.
Convert clip ons into posted earrings
If your clip-on earrings come with holes, you can loop kidney wire earring hooks into them. These aren’t as common as fish hooks, but they’re pretty inexpensive if you come across them at a craft store or buy them online.
Alternatively, you can attach your clip ons to studded posts. This can work whether or not your clip-on earring has a hole (although the hole makes it easy for you to pop your post through). Again, studded posts, like kidney wires, are relatively easy to find at craft stores. I recommend securing your clip-ons to studs with Epoxy glue for a strong hold. If you can, try to find bigger settings and longer posts–they will take the weight of your clip on better and feel more comfortable.
The downside to converting your clip ons into post earrings is that you permanently alter them. That’s why I prefer using kidney wires so that I can wear my earrings again as clip ons. Of course, with kidney wires, your earrings do become dangle earrings, which might not suit every clip on earring style or be to your taste.
I would be remiss if I didn’t sneak in a last note about caring for your ear lobes after you wear clip ons. After washing my ears during my nightly skincare routine, I give them extra TLC with hyaluronic acid cream, basic moisturizer, and Aquaphor. I also don’t wear clip ons every day. I’ll go a day without wearing any earrings and then another day with basic comfy pierced earrings before I reach for my go-to clip ons.
And so there you have it, some quick and easy tips for wearing clip ons comfortably. If you’re in the market for pretty vintage clip ons, don’t forget to stop by my vintage Etsy jewelry shop – I would greatly appreciate your visit!
