published on May 01, 2024 in Blog

How to wear ear cuffs: learn how to nail one of the hottest celebrity jewellery trends

Need to spice up your jewellery game? Add an ear cuff into the mix to keep things interesting.

Worn around the outer edge of your ear, the piece simply slips over the cartilage and generally gives off a similar look to that of a helix or snug piercing.

A dazzling ear cuff is a great way to add some pizazz to your "earscape" (it's a thing, I promise!), without the pain of an actual piercing. But how to ace the celebrity-favoured jewellery trend?

How to wear ear cuffs

The key to nailing the ear cuff is to start simple. Get scrolling on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, whatever your poison of choice happens to be, and seek out some ear cuff inspiration.

MORE: Kate Moss steps out in Stella McCartney and The Vampire's Wife

Find some examples of the styles that you like – looking at photos of people with a similar piercing arrangement to your own is a decent place to start – and go from there.

Indulge in some celebrity inspo

The Fifty Shades of Grey star is an ear cuff fan

Dakota Johnson is a huge advocate for the ear cuff, and was pictured wearing one to the Vanity Fair Oscar party earlier this year. The Fifty Shades of Grey star styled a sheer Gucci feathered gown with a beautiful silver statement waterfall ear cuff, courtesy of Messika by Kate Moss. Dakota tucked her hair behind her ears and let her full-length climber cuff do all the talking.

Nicola Coughlan wore a Swarovski ear cuff to her first ever Met Gala

Another fan of the jewellery trend is Derry Girls actress Nicola Coughlan, who smashes red carpet dressing on the regular. For the 35-year-old star's first ever Met Gala appearance, she wore a dramatic bouffant Richard Quinn gown with an elegant rosy-hued Swarovski ear cuff which echoed the tones in her dress.

Try before you buy

For the committed online shopper, working out what style of ear cuff suits you by trying on a piece in person won't be a viable option. Luckily, the age of modern technology has you covered. Download Trillion, an incredibly clever app that allows you to try on jewellery virtually using only your phone camera.

READ: Statement jewellery: why fruit is the perfect accessory this summer

How do you make sure your ear cuff stays on?

When you decide upon a style that you're happy with, thread the ear cuff over the thinnest part of your upper ear and slide it over your cartilage into place. If it feels a little loose, give it a gentle squeeze to reduce the size of the gap and make sure your ear cuff stays put.

Can you wear ear cuffs on both ears?

Um, of course you can wear ear cuffs on both ears! There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to this jewellery trend. We recommend you avoid too much balance, and so if you're going to try it out, go for two different styles rather than wearing the exact same design of cuff on both sides.

Another stellar way of nailing the trend is by layering. Stacking ear cuffs on top of one another can be super stylish (note: we mean the horse shoe-shaped ones, not one of the larger, statement ones!), and mixing different textures can be really effective when it comes to curating an interesting earscape.

Hello! Fashion shares the most stylish ear cuffs to add to cart right now: