Types of clasps on earrings

When choosing earrings, you need to pay attention not only to the appearance of the decorative part, but also a number of other nuances, one of them is the lock. In this article, we will look at the most common types of fasteners on earrings.
English Castle

The English lock is a pin that is inserted into a puncture on the earlobe and has a hook at the end. The mate is a movable arm with a hole. The clasp closes with a distinctive click. To open the English lock, you need to lift the pin slightly with your thumb, and push the shackle back with your index finger. 
The lock is considered one of the most reliable, and it is almost impossible to undo an accidentally serviceable fastener. The configuration of the seam allows you to make it not only open, but also hide it behind the base of the earring. More often it has the shape of a rounded rectangle, but there are also more rounded modifications.
All our English lock earrings are here
What to pay attention to

    The length of the pin. It is important that it matches the thickness of the lobe. If the eyelet is thicker, the clasp will not fasten, if it is noticeably thinner, the balance of the earring will change, it will constantly fall down. In the first situation, jewelry will have to be abandoned, but in the second, you can make an additional file on the pin in the jewelry workshop, thereby adjusting the depth of the clasp.
    The depth of the seam, its internal space. In the case of a high puncture or a large lobe, the clasp can bend the ear, which is inconvenient and ugly.

Italian Castle (omega)

The clasp resembles a clip in appearance. A straight pin is inserted into the puncture, it does not snap at the back, but is squeezed by a movable shackle with a wide clip loop. Such a lock is reliable, but at the same time it is quite difficult to manufacture, therefore it is used in products made of precious metals and premium jewelry.
Most often, the Italian lock has medium and large earrings, the decorative part of which covers the puncture area. This design allows you to hide possible defects of the earlobe. However, there are also relatively small decorations and pendants on an elegant open base. Due to the balance of the product and the large support area (the loop-clamp distributes the weight of the jewelry throughout the lobe), even massive earrings with an Italian lock are very comfortable to wear, and a thin smooth pin does not injure a puncture.

Unlike English, an Italian lock similar to it can be adjusted in depth. It is difficult to unbutton it unnoticeably or accidentally. Keep in mind: it is necessary to monitor the serviceability of the hinge joint of the movable arm and the base of the jewelry, and in case of its weakening, give it to a jewelry workshop for a lift.
All our earrings with an Italian lock are here
French Castle

Locks of this type were extremely common in Soviet times. They usually have earrings with one accent stone or another static decorative element. It is an elastic loop that is threaded into the ear and fixed with a triangular movable loop or a fixed hook, more often behind the base of the decoration.
It is believed that earrings with a French lock are suitable for children due to their simplicity, reliability and atraumatic nature.

With the apparent simplicity, it is difficult to accidentally unbutton the clasp, but even if this happens (for example, the fastening of the loop is loose and therefore slips off), the decoration still remains in the ear.
What to pay attention to

Earrings with such a lock leave the puncture area open. This may be important if the hole in the earlobe is quite large.
Leverbeck

A kind of combo of English and French castles, and therefore combines their advantages, smoothing out the disadvantages. A curved thin half-loop pin is inserted into the ear, behind the lobe it enters the groove of the movable arm. Since the pin is longer than that of an English lock, this attachment is less demanding on the thickness of the lobe, you should only pay attention to whether your ear has enough space inside the fastener.
Reverse lock, brizur (brizura), chohu

It is rare now, but in the 19th century it was very common among Russian jewelers. An earring with such a mount is worn from behind, and snaps in front of the lobe. The movable arm passes through the puncture in the ear and is fixed in a fixed loop or groove on the base of the decoration. It can be similar to a French lock (a thin or tapering half–loop arm is included in the loop), or a leverback (a movable arm enters a groove located on the base or on a fixed part of the fastener located in front of the lobe). This type of lock is very reliable: it is almost impossible to accidentally unbutton it. However, you will have to practice putting on jewelry.
Poussette or carnation

One of the most popular types of locks. Its simple and at the same time reliable configuration allows you to use this type of fastener on both small studs and large chandelier earrings. It formed the basis for relatively new types of earrings: jacks and cuffs. The straight pin is inserted into the lobe, fixed on the reverse side with a stopper.

There are two types of poussettes: pin and screw. In the first case, the pin has a small notch, into which a stopper in the shape of a lamb or a cylinder with a seal inside is snapped. This is the simplest, and therefore inexpensive, fastener.
Of the disadvantages, it can be noted that if the pin is quite long or has a sharp end, it can injure the skin behind the ear. This nuance is worth paying attention to when trying on or when viewing a photo in an online store.

Contrary to popular belief, it is difficult to unbutton a serviceable puset lock unnoticeably - even on a smooth rod with a stopper, the lamb sits tightly and securely. If over time it did not fix the jewelry so well or became deformed, this is corrected by a facelift in a jewelry workshop.

Screw sockets have a slightly increased diameter of the threaded rod. A plug is screwed onto it, which has a stop loop for convenience. The latter not only helps to tighten the stopper, but also protects the neck from scratches and pin pricks. If the puncture is small in diameter, then the earring may be painful and difficult to insert, you will also have to practice screwing without looking (you can often find advice to keep the stopper stationary and screw the earring into it).

Stud earrings are often chosen as children's jewelry.
Ring

This type of attachment is most often found on congo earrings. The design of the earring is not a ring, but a spiral: from the second turn there is only a small segment with a smaller thickness. This is the pin that we insert into the earlobe puncture. Behind the ear, it is threaded into the hollow body of the earring. Obviously, it is impossible to unbutton such an earring by accident. However, it is rarely easy to open rings on your own (especially small diameter ones), more often you need outside help.
Bracket and pin

These are two different types of locks, but they have the same principle of operation: a movable thin pin is threaded into the lobe and fixed in a loop, groove or hook on the base. If the pin is straight, we are dealing with a pin fastener (American lock), if it is made in the form of a rocker arm, we are talking about a bracket. Such locks are used on fairly large earrings located perpendicular to the earlobe, often these are decorations in national styles (especially the bracket). With careful handling, such a clasp can withstand the weight of quite large jewelry.
What to pay attention to

When choosing earrings with a pin lock, pay attention to the fact that the length of the free pin is quite a bit more than the thickness of the lobe - this way the jewelry will be comfortable to wear, and it will look aesthetically pleasing. The fastener is universal in terms of size, however, it must be borne in mind that it leaves the puncture area uncovered.
Threading

Most often, this is a chain, on one side of which, for ease of putting on, there is a straight pin, and on the other a decorative limiter. In order to put on the jewelry, the pin is inserted into the puncture, then the chain is carefully stretched to the base of the earring. You can find models that are not worn “all the way”: there is a curved rod on the chain, which remains in the lobe, while part of the chain hangs from behind, and part in front of the ear.
What to pay attention to

When choosing such earrings, it is necessary to pay attention to the weaving and the thickness of the chain size: it must be strong, smoothed and not very thick – this way it will be possible to avoid injuries to the lobe. Also, the obvious disadvantages include the fact that the chain clings to clothes and hair, but it will not be possible to take it out of the ear unnoticeably by accident along with the hat.
Hook

A long hook is inserted into the puncture, which is not fixed in any way. The configuration is simple, so earrings with it are easier and cheaper. The earring stays in the ear due to balance and its own weight.
Since the hook does not have a lock, it can be accidentally removed by hooking clothes. Ordinary silicone stoppers for poussettes will help to avoid this trouble.
Clamp

The decoration is put on the cartilage or earlobe, however, despite the name, it does not compress it, but lies on it, clinging to protrusions and pits. It does not require a puncture, but a habit is needed – at first it may be inconvenient. Clamps are used in climbers and cuffs.
Clip

Another type of fasteners that does not require a puncture. The earring is fixed in the ear either with a presser foot located on the back of the lobe, or with a clamping screw. Sometimes the design is complemented by a magnet in the base.
General recommendations

Regardless of which lock earrings you choose, you need to pay attention to the following points when buying and using:

    Quality of execution: the lock should not have sharp edges and burrs, too deep filings or very thin fragile elements.
    The metal should not be soft, but elastic, so that the fastener elements always return to their original shape.
    You need to unbutton and fasten the jewelry carefully so as not to damage the lock.
    If the movable joints are loose, it is necessary to give the earrings to the workshop for a facelift.
    It is impossible to sleep in jewelry, since thin and fragile elements can be deformed in a dream.