Parts of a Stud Earring – Post, Back, Setting, Ear Wire

All 12 parts on the diagram

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Stud earrings 6

Post A narrow post going straight through the piercing. The stone or ornament of a stud is mounted on it.
Earring back A removable friction back. Also called a clutch, a butterfly or an ear nut. It is pushed onto the post, tight against the earlobe. Its curled wings grip the post.
Stone The gemstone that shows on the front of the ear. A stud can carry another ornament in its place.
Setting The mounting that holds the stone on the post. Here it is a prong setting: claws reach round the edge of the stone.
Threaded post Some costlier studs have threaded posts. A back can then be screwed on and not lost.
Screw back A back that screws onto a threaded post. It holds the stud securely in place.

Hook, lever back and hoop 6

Ear wire A curved wire that passes through the piercing with no catch. This shape is the French hook, also called a fishhook.
Jump ring A small ring that joins two parts. It is opened, hooked through them and closed again.
Drop The stone or ornament that hangs below the earlobe. A drop earring is also called a dangle.
Lever back An ear wire with a hinged lever. The lever swings shut behind the ear to close the loop.
Hoop A ring that goes through the ear. This one opens on a hinge and its thin wire snaps shut.
Hinge A tiny hinge lets one part of the hoop swing open. A catch holds the other end when it is closed.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two sources use it: Wikipedia, Earring, text only (stud, gemstone mounted on a narrow post, friction back or clutch also called butterfly or scroll, threaded posts and screw backs, French hook, drop, hoop, hinged sleepers with a tiny hinge and a small clasp); the earring glossary in Modern Jeweler, September 1992, https://archive.org/details/sim_modern-jeweler_1992-09_91_9 (earring back, earring post, ear wire, French back, fishhook, drop, dangle, hoop, stud); the jewelry maker's supply catalogue Gems & Findings, 2019-2020, https://archive.org/details/gemsfindings0000vari (ear posts, threaded posts and nuts, friction ear nuts, prong settings and post earring mountings, lever-back ear wires, jump rings, hoop earrings with hinge); and Heather Dismore and Tammy Powley, Jewelry Making & Beading For Dummies (Wiley, 2005), https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780764525711 (posts, earnuts, lever-back hinged earwires, jump rings). The last three were read through archive.org's full-text search. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's design, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A stud is a stone or ornament on a post, held by a back behind the ear. The first drawing shows two studs from the side; the second has three earrings that hang.

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The stud first, then the ones that hang

Numbers 1 to 4 are the top stud: the post, the earring back pushed onto it, the stone and its setting. Numbers 5 and 6 are the bottom stud: a threaded post and the screw back that turns onto it. Open the second drawing for 7 to 12: an ear wire, a jump ring and a drop; a lever back; and a hoop with its hinge.

The piece behind the ear has many names: earring back, butterfly, clutch, ear nut.
French hook and fishhook both mean a hooked ear wire with no catch.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a stud earring called?

A stone or other ornament in its setting, a narrow post that passes through the ear, and an earring back that is pushed onto the post behind the earlobe to hold it in place.

What is the back of an earring called?

An earring back. The common push-on kind is also called a friction back, a clutch, a butterfly or an ear nut; one that screws onto a threaded post is a screw back.

What is a screw-back earring?

A stud whose post is threaded, so the back screws on and holds the stud securely. It is used on some more expensive studs, such as diamond ones, to keep them from being lost.

What is the hook on a dangle earring called?

An ear wire. A plain hooked one with no catch is a French hook, also called a fishhook. A lever back is an ear wire with a hinged lever that closes it.