I’ve Got Your Back- Earring Backings!
Most of the time, when considering a new earring or piece of jewelry, the biggest concern is how it looks! That’s the fun part right? The pretty colors, designs, shapes, there’s so many styles and designs under the sun to wear! Often times we never stop to consider the back of an earring. Why would we? That’s the boring part! Well, the backing on a style can make all the difference in function, security, and comfort. And with modern advancements in piercing jewelry, there’s now a bevy of backing choices for every client, lifestyle, and preference! Let’s look at different backings, and when they might be useful!
Butterfly Backings
Arguably the most common backings, almost anyone who has had their ears pierced for a while has worn butterfly backing earrings. For many years these were the standard, and all you could readily find. Even new piercings were done with a butterfly back. And while these are user-friendly and easy to change out, many people are finding the cons outweigh the pros. Butterfly backs are commonly made of low quality materials, sometimes even a different material from the post. This leads to lots of clients having reaction and issues with the back of their earrings.
Low Quality Earrings turning green
They work by sliding the backing onto the post, but this often isn’t very secure. Because of this, many clients constantly press the backs tight against the ear. Over time this can cause irritation, and even stretch and enlarge your piercing! There is a small groove in the post that holds the backing in place, but these are almost always made as a one size fits all style. But we don’t have one size fits all bodies! People with thin lobes find that butterfly backs can sag forward and they constantly need to wear the backings too tight, and people with thicker lobes can find these backings too short and they pop off and loose them easily. You also often hear horror stories about the backing going “inside” the ear because they were too tight and small for that persons earlobe!
The shape of butterfly backings often allows debris, secretions from the piercing, hair products, and skin products to build up in the curved shape. Many clients have experienced remove butterfly backs only to find the backing coated in “gunk” or notice their earrings smell badly. This style is not the easiest to keep clean and collects debris and bacteria easily, which can be irritating in healed piercings and a health risk in healing ones.