An earring back is a removable part of an earring that prevents the earring from coming out of the ear. The design and fit of earring backs vary from traditional push-on butterfly attachments to more complex screw and Alpa System backs and more. An overview of the most popular types of earring backs is provided below.
Stud Earring Fittings
Butterfly/Friction (Push On) - simple straight post with a small notch/notches and a small metal back. Easy to put on and take off, comfortable, and reasonably secure.
Screw-Back - small screw mechanism to secure the earring in place. Usually believed to be more secure, however, poses an increased risk of loss due to unscrewing accidentally or over time. Can be fiddly to put on and take off.
Alpha System (Guardian) - clutch-like design with a protective alpha shape that lockes the earring in place. Very secure fit, least likely to slip off, minimal chance of accidental loss.
Omega Back/Clips - have an open centre that also allows the post of a pierced earring to pass through. Designed to support heavier earrings without causing discomfort or sagging. Comfortable, easy to put on, relatively secure, however, prone no accidental opening, especially when changing clothes with the earrings on.
Drop Earring Fittings
Leverback - hinged back that closes behind the earlobe. Relatively secure closure, however, can be prone to accidental loss if the closure is not very tight, and espesially when being phisically active or changing clothes with the earrings on.
Huggie - small hoops that “hug” the earlobe. Comfortable, stylish, less prone to snagging, relatively secure.
Latch Back - hook-shaped back that latches onto a small bar. Secure fit, stylish, easy to put on and take off, relatively secure.
Ear Wire/French Wire - classic wire earring backs. There are also kidney and fishhook wire variations. These earrings are usually not the most secure and are typically used in cheaper earrings.
Most Common Stud Earring Fittings Comparison
The traditional butterfly/friction attachment remains the most popular type of stud earring back. Most jewellers sell earrings with this type of attachment as a standard fitting. It's easy to use and it's secure enough. Security in this instance, is also enhanced by the simplicity of use. For example, reduced security of screw backs (which are falsely perceived as more secure) is due to an extra hassle of taking them off and putting them back on again. With daily use, ensuring secure and tight fit of screw backs each time becomes problematic and that's when accidental unscrewing can happen. Screw back earrings can also loosen the grip over time and the repair of his closure can be costlier because it often requires replacing both the earring post and back. Statistically speaking, screw backs themselves are most commonly lost when people try to put them on/take off and accidentally drop the back (without being able to locate it afterwards) because the whole process is somewhat fiddly. Traditional butterfly earrings may psychologically be perceived as being less secure but in practice they tend to to be secure enough, especially if the fit is tight and the posts are thick. Loose butterfly/friction ear backs can be very easily re-tensioned. By carefully inserting fine-nosed pliers into each opening, it is possible to tighten the fit of each butterfly against the inserted post. Any jeweller can do this instantly upon request.
When comparing 'push', 'screw' and 'Alpha System' earring backs, Alpa System are the most secure. Alpa System is commonly used by default in the most expensive earrings, it's also commonly preferred by luxury fine jewellery brands. Alpha System is a more advanced design of push-backs that combines the ease of a push-back with security surpassing a screw-back, and offering the highest level of protection for valuable fine jewellery. The back simply cannot slip off the post regardless of the force applied to it because it gets steadily fixed in the notch of a post. This level of security comes with its own risks of accidental damage of an earlobe if the earring gets accidentally stuck somewhere, so one has to be cautious about one's own safety now rather than about loosing the earring.
Different types of earring backs
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