Flat Back Earrings

Flat back earrings are studs whose post ends in a smooth, flat disc that rests against the skin behind the ear, in place of the familiar butterfly back. Nothing pokes forward or digs in. That is why people choose them for piercings they sleep in, for cartilage, and for the second and third lobe holes that stay filled for months at a time. Everything here is made in 14K gold, with the front doing the talking and the back staying out of the way.

Almost anywhere a stud fits: the lobe, the upper lobe, the helix, the flat, and, depending on your anatomy, the tragus or conch. The disc lies flush where a butterfly back would press into cartilage, so a flat back earring is the kinder choice above the lobe.

One caution from the bench: these are for healed piercings. A fresh piercing should be fitted by your piercer, and if you need a particular post length for a tragus or conch, write to us before you order so we can confirm the fit.

A press-fit back holds by friction rather than threads. You push the two parts together until they seat, and to take the earring out you hold the disc and pull straight apart, with no twisting and no tiny screw to strip. The Diamond Press-Fit Flat Back Stud Earring is built around this closure. It's the one we point to for anyone who changes studs often and has run out of patience with threaded backs.

Nine of the thirteen designs are diamond: the press-fit stud, a bezel, a domed bezel, a rose-cut and a petite rose-cut, a marquise, a three-stone, a nature-inspired motif, and the 0.03 ct mushroom, named for its rounded dome. The rose-cuts deserve a closer look in this format. A rose-cut diamond has a flat base under a shallow dome of facets, so it gives a soft, glassy glow instead of sharp sparkle and sits lower than a pointed brilliant, which suits an earring meant to stay put.

Four: emerald, garnet, a white opal star, and a turquoise cabochon. They wear differently, so the numbers help. Garnet sits at 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale and emerald at 7.5 to 8, both sound for daily wear. Opal, at 5.5 to 6.5, and turquoise, which is similarly soft and slightly porous, ask for more care: keep perfume, hairspray, and lotion off them, and take them out to swim. Any treatment a stone has received is disclosed on its product page.

Yes, on many styles. Designs are offered as a single or as a pair, and some list a left or a right earring separately. Buying one is the sensible route when you're adding a helix stud to an ear that already has a lobe pair, or replacing a lost earring without starting over. The quantity choice sits beside the metal on each product page.

For most people they are the easiest studs to sleep in, because the flat disc spreads pressure across the skin instead of concentrating it at a point. The front matters as well. A bezel or domed bezel is smooth all the way around and slides over a pillowcase, while a marquise, with its pointed tips, or a three-stone has more edges to catch hair. If the earring is going in and staying in, start with the bezel shapes.

The collection is made in 14K yellow gold, 14K white gold, and 14K rose gold, with the choices for each design shown on its page. Flat backs usually join an existing stack, so match the metal of the hoops or studs already in your other holes. White gold brightens the diamonds and the white opal. Yellow gold warms garnet and turquoise, and rose gold flatters emerald green more than most people expect.

Warm water, a drop of mild soap, and a soft brush around the post and the disc, then dry thoroughly. Cartilage piercings gather more skin oil than lobes, so a flat back earring worn there benefits from a quick clean every week or two. Diamond and garnet tolerate this easily. Keep emerald, opal, and turquoise out of ultrasonic cleaners and away from long soaks.

Shipping is free on every US order by fully insured UPS Ground, and orders of $500 or more travel free by UPS Express with a signature required. Many pieces are made to order, so check the ship time shown on each product page.

You can return earrings within 30 days of delivery, and we cover the return shipping. Each piece also carries a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.