Earring

Pairs of earrings for sale at a roadside stand in Costa Rica

An earring is an ornament that is worn in the ear. Earrings are often made out of metal but can also be made out of bone or similar hard material. The earring is inserted into the ear through a piercing in the earlobe or some other external part of the ear, except in the case of a clip earring, which clips onto the lobe. Earrings are worn by both sexes, although they are generally more commonly worn by women.

Earring components can be made out of any number of materials, including metal, glass, precious stones and beads. Earring designs can range from small loops or studs to large plates or dangling items. Earring size is generally limited by the physical capacity of the earlobe to hold the earring without tearing, however.

Earrings are worn around the world in most cultures, both currently and historically.

There is a persistent myth that in North America and Western Europe symbolic information is conveyed if a man wears an earring only in the left ear, it indicates that the wearer is straight. If he wears an earring in the right ear, it indicates that he is gay. According to the myth, no information is conveyed by wearing earrings in both ears. There has, however, not been any evidence to support this, and substantial historical counter-evidence.