Earrings for Your Face Shape

Whether you have a round, oval, heart, square or angular shaped face, we’ll help you find the perfect type of earrings for your face shape.

You may have mastered the absolute rules of haircut to face shape, but accessorizing around your pretty face with the right earrings for your face shape adds a whole new factor to appropriately custom-fitting your look.

From shoulder-skimming strands to simply stunning studs, the latest earring looks are so varied that you’ll have no trouble finding the most flattering pair for you.

Earrings for a Round Face Shape

If you have a round face — one that is essentially as wide as it is long — you’ll want to choose earrings that elongates and adds a little angle to your face.

Try long, narrow earrings with a wee bit of curve that draw the eye downward instead of in a circle. Square, oblong and rectangular earrings are also options, as are dangling and angular earrings.

Steer clear of: circular earrings, such as hoops, as well as tiny studs and button earrings.

Earrings for an Oval Face Shape

An oval face needs, well… not much. This almost “ideal” face shape finds its width at the cheek bones and tapers smoothly in either direction, with a chin slightly slimmer than the forehead.

Almost anything goes for an oval-facer, so grab that spiraled dangly pair of earrings, slide in a pair of classic studs, look cute in button earrings, or go wild with more elaborate, dazzling looks.

Steer clear of: to avoid sporting a too-long face, don’t wear incredibly long shapes that will just pull you down.

Earrings for a Heart-Shaped Face

The divine heart-shaped face, characterized by a wide forehead, stunning cheekbones and a tiny cherubic chin, require earrings that mimic the face’s shape, but upside-down.

Chandelier and teardrop earrings, as well as triangular earrings that have the tapered point at the top, work well to broaden the chin and narrow the forehead. Even circular and oval earrings will work with your face shape, so long as they don’t taper as they descend.

Steer clear of: earrings that mirror your face shape, such as those that come to a point at the bottom, or, obviously, heart-shaped hoops.

Earrings for Square or Angular Face Shapes

If your face is accented by a strong, square jaw line and an angular forehead that are close to the same width, you have yourself a square face shape. Add a little length to that visage, and you’re rectangular.

For earrings, you’re in need of a pair that will soften your features, taking a dash of edge off your look.

As long as you avoid harsh angles and square shapes, you can wear just about anything in the earring category. Hoops and curved edges will add the necessary roundness, and drop earrings, long tear drops, or multi-tiered dangling earrings will give a square shape some length. If you fall in the rectangular category, avoid much length, tossing in the shoulder-kissing drops for wider, circular shapes or thicker earrings that give your long face some width.

Steer clear of: square, rectangular or harshly angled earrings that echo your face shape.

Got the rules to finding the ideal earrings for your face shape down pat? The next step is finding the perfect pair.

House of Harlow 1960

Loaded with heaps of killer stack bangles, bracelets and cuffs, lots of gold plating, pearl finishes, leather and graphic patterns, House of Harlow 1960, Nicole Richie’s fabulous jewelry collection, is said to be inspired by the glitterati’s love of the 60s and 70s.

I can’t say that I was ever a fan of Miss Richie in her BFF with Paris Hilton days, but I do adore Nicole’s offerings as a jewelry designer; I just love this entire collection.

The retro, ethnic fusion-inspired jewelry collection is targeted at girls in their teens to women in their 30s who admire Nicole Richie and her bohemian style. The prices range from $23 for stack rings to $485 for her oh so boho Brass Seven-Strand Coin Head Piece, with most necklaces, pendants, cuffs, bracelets and earrings priced in the $50 to $200 range. Check out the entire House of Harlow 1960 collection >>

Engagement Ring Diamond Checklist

Find out all you need to know about buying the right engagement ring diamond.

When it comes to choosing a quality engagement ring diamond, there’s more to consider than just carats; there are four “C” word criteria that you should pay attention to when buying a diamond for an engagement diamond ring: cut, color, clarity, and carat.

Diamond Cut

A facet is a flat, polished surface on a fashioned gemstone, and “cut” refers to the facet proportions on the surface of a diamond.

Brilliance, Dispersion & Scintillation

According to Tiffany & Co., the precise shape, placement and angle of each facet determines a diamond’s brilliance, a quality which describes the intensity of the internal and external reflections of white light through the crown of a diamond. The ideal cut creates a diamond of perfect proportions, angles and finish, which cause it to reflect light like a mirror — exactly the effect you want for an engagement diamond ring.

In addition to brilliance, dispersion of light (also called a diamond’s “fire”), and scintillation (the flashes of reflective light that emanate from a diamond when it is moved, also called “sparkle”) are also determined by a diamond’s cut.

Sacrifice Diamond Size for Beauty

When an engagement ring diamond is cut to maximize brilliance, dispersion, and scintillation,  it usually loses size since more of the stone must be cut away. Likewise, when cut for maximum size, the stone usually loses some of these beautiful qualities. The Professional Diamond & Jewelry Consultants at B2C Jewels insist that it is best to choose a diamond for its beauty, not size, and that additional facets will not necessarily create a more brilliant diamond.

A diamond’s cut is considered the most important of the four C’s, since this quality gives the diamond that irresistible shimmer and brightness that makes diamonds the king of all bling. Cut, therefore, has a major impact on the overall value  and the impressiveness of an engagement diamond ring.

Diamond Color

The ideal engagement ring diamond is colorless (white) or nearly colorless, the rarest of all diamond colors. The closer a diamond is to being colorless, the more valuable it will be.

The Gemological Institute of America (G.I.A.) grades color alphabetically from D (totally colorless) to Z (yellow). For a diamond to be considered “colorless,” the G.I.A. requires that it be a D, E, or F — the average grade of engagement diamond rings in North America is G to H.

The colored tint of most diamonds is the result of minute impurities within the stone; most of these tints are imperceptible to the untrained eye, however these “invisible” differences can affect the value by thousands of dollars.

Fancies

While most diamonds have a tint of color, a select few exhibit a strong, pure hue; they come in almost every color imaginable but the most popular colors are yellow, blue, and pink. These colored diamonds are sometimes called “fancies” and are extremely rare, making them all the more sought-after.

Diamond Clarity

Even the most beautiful and valuable diamonds have natural imperfections called inclusions and blemishes. All gem-grade diamonds receive a clarity rating based on standardized industry scale: FL (flawless) to I3 (heavily included).

A diamond is categorized as truly “flawless” if —  under the 10x power magnification of a loupe (a strong jewelry magnifying glass) —  no external imperfections and no internal flaws are visible. These unique specimens are exceptionally rare and therefore extremely expensive.

Likewise, for those majority of diamonds which are not deemed flawless, the smaller and fewer the blemishes, the more valuable the stone. Many of the blemishes that reduce a diamond’s value are invisible to the naked eye.

Carat

Carat is the standard unit of weight, not size, used for gemstones. One carat is equal to 0.200 grams. Large diamonds are very rare, and two diamonds of equal weight can have very different values depending on their clarity, color and cut.

Ethically Responsible Stones

While the diamond industry can bring essential jobs to hundreds of thousands of paid citizens and enormous economic value to many countries, the sale of blood or conflict diamonds has also funded brutal civil wars responsible for violence, slavery and atrocities in many African nations including Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire), Sierra Leone and elsewhere.

More consumers and retailers are exercising their political and ethical beliefs by choosing to purchase engagement ring diamonds only from suppliers who certify that they are not endorsing bloodshed.

Canada: A Source of Conflict-Free Diamonds

Ethically mined certified Canadian diamonds — extracted from Canada’s Arctic — are bloodshed and conflict free. For more information and suppliers: Canadian Diamonds, De Beers Canada, Sirius Diamonds.

Search for certified loose diamonds to build your own totally unique engagement diamond ring.

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