Bow Earrings  

From body piercings to magnets to cuffs, earrings can be worn in so many ways. These beauties are loved and used far and wide. You probably won’t go a whole day without seeing an earring or two. There are so many designs available, not to worry, we’ll talk extensively about this further into the article.  

Stars, arrows, hearts, flowers, bows, and many more are symbols that an earring may feature. Each one is stunning on a person’s ear. One that we love and will be talking about is the bow earrings. We promise you’d love the sight. Continue reading and in no time you will be on your way to the next jewelry store or online retailer to make your purchase. 

What Are Bow Earrings? 

Earrings are pieces of jewelry that are used to adorn the ear. They can be placed on the earlobe or cartilage. It has a symbol embedded in it. The bow is the star of the earring. You look at the ring and the first thing that catches your eye is the gorgeous bow center stage. 

We’ve mentioned bows and earrings much more than once since the start of this article. For one, it’s because the whole article centers on bow earrings. You should know what a bow is and even if you don’t, we’re here to tell you! 

What Is A Bow? 

Usually made of cloth or similar materials, it is characterized by two loops and two loose ends. It usually features a knot in the center. It is very common to find bows on clothes, shoes, and even on hair. As much 

as bows are used to hold things in place they make quite the fashion statement. Hence, their widespread use in but is not limited to earrings. 

Earrings can be found in many shapes, styles, and colors. Why should you purchase an earring with a bow symbol? Well, one thing that might just have you hooked to these ear ornaments would be their rich history. 

History Of Earrings 

Earrings have existed for well over 5000 years. This isn’t just another human assumption. It will fascinate you to know that in 1991, the preserved body of a man named Ötzi who is believed to have lived in  3300 BC was found. The relation to jewelry is that in this perfect body preservation, piercings were found in his ears. That’s right, his earlobes were fairly stretched indicating that this man had worn heavy earrings sometime in his life. 

Earrings over the years have held numerous meanings. The trend of using them has risen and fallen quite several times. They have signified wealth, power, rebellion, protection, slavery, etc. You may not have found bow earrings as we know them today in any of these ancient times. Nevertheless, you’d find earrings in beautiful gemstones, metals, and forms. 

The use of earrings is evident in ancient Egypt. Earrings were initially used by Pharaohs. One of such is King Tutankhamun, who was found with ear piercings in his mummified state when his tomb was unsealed in 1923. Of course, the use of earrings spread wide among the Egyptians at the time. 

In ancient Rome, earrings were worn by slaves and in ancient Greece, these jewelry pieces were worn by prostitutes. In Asia, earrings were 

worn mostly by men, they signified people of the higher class. There are carved images of soldiers wearing earrings in ancient Persia. 

The church banned the use of earrings in the 13th century. They believed it was a sin to modify the body as it is deemed holy. During this time thieves and people of the lower class wore earrings. They might have done this simply to disobey the orders of the church. 

In the 16th century, the use of earrings became popular in England. After a while, it was considered a piece of feminine jewelry and many men refrained from them.  

There’s a much deeper history to the beautiful ear ornaments. However,  there is so much we can talk about in this article. We have highlighted a  few of the historic information about earrings. If you’re interested in learning more, you can dig deeper. There is substantial information on this out there. 

Before we discuss styles available for bow earrings, you must know the types of earrings available. 

Types Of Earrings 

• Stud Earrings: We’re starting with this because stud earrings are loved by all. The earrings appear to be floating when viewed from the front of the ear lobe. It has a back holding the earring in place;  this could be a screw back, friction back, push back, or guardian back. The earrings may also feature gemstones. 
• Dangle Earrings: Unlike the stud, these earrings drop below the earlobe to form an elegant appearance. They are also called drop earrings.
• Chandelier Earrings: These earrings are somewhat a kind of dangle earrings. They feature gemstones or other designs arranged to resemble a chandelier.  
• Hoop Earrings: Hoop earrings take the shape of a hoop. It could be a full circle or a semi-circle. This is a rather ancient form of earrings. Quite stunning and comfortable. The hoops may also take other shapes like triangles, stars, etc. 
• Ear Crawlers: This is a contemporary style of earrings. Rather than drop down as with dangle earrings, ear crawlers climb up. The earrings start at the piercing on the earlobe and climb upwards toward the cartilage. 
• Jacket Earrings: The stunning feature of these earrings lie in the fact that the earring comprises latches or stones in the front to hold the earring in place while part of it sits behind the ear. It extends to the front of the ear, just under the earlobe. This extension can feature many gemstones or symbols. This makes it a very good choice for bow earrings. 
• Cluster Earrings: In the same way as rings, it features a cluster of gemstones as opposed to the single gemstone in stud earrings. 
• Huggie Earrings: Just as the name implies, these rings hug or wrap around the earlobe. 

The earrings listed above are very beautiful and so are the others you may find in the market. Now that you know all about earrings and their history; it is time to properly look into bow earrings and the styles available for them.

Styling Your Bow Earrings 

When you think of the earrings, you think of an earring featuring a metal shaped into a bow. Sure enough, a metal has luster and shines on its own. But nothing matches the sparkle of a gemstone. So, what if you want your earring to sparkle. 

Bow Earrings And Gemstones 

As with most jewelry, it is very possible to adorn these earrings with gemstones. Goldia has many of these earrings featuring several gemstones. 

We’ll be talking about some of these gemstones, starting with the ever-popular, and gorgeous stone, the diamond.  

• Diamond: This is the hardest naturally occurring substance. It is a  crystalline form of carbon. The diamond is very popular in the jewelry industry because of its beauty, durability, and brilliance. It has its hardness at a 10 on Moh's scale of hardness. 

Diamonds have been widely used from ancient times till now. The cut styles of diamonds have been modified over the years. Today,  you will easily find a diamond that exhibits remarkable brilliance and fire – that is, the diamond emits colored light and white light when light passes through it. 

If you’re going to get a bow ring with a gemstone, you can never go wrong with diamonds. There are so many shapes to choose from: round cut, cushion cut, princess cut, oval cut, emerald cut,  Asscher cut, marquise cut, pear cut, baguette cut – these are only 

the modern cuts. If you’re into vintage and antique diamonds,  that’s a whole other story. You should know that in bow earrings,  you’ll likely be getting the diamond in small carat sizes. 

Diamonds range from colorless to very colored. You can decide to get a colorless stone or one that is colored. The colored diamonds are termed “fancy” diamonds because they are very rare. Hence,  have more value. Diamonds follow a D–Z color scale. 

Now, the most desired diamonds would be the ones without visible inclusion or blemishes. We recommend you get a diamond that appears eye-clean. It’s no use getting a VVS1 diamond if an S1  looks eye clean; they will appear the same. When you’re dealing with earrings though, you can get a gemstone that shows minimal inclusions. This is because people will not get an up-close view of the earrings when you’re wearing them, so, they will likely not decipher any inclusions. 

If you’re somebody that likes big diamonds, you can go for it in your bow earrings. However, the earring might feel heavy especially if you have sensitive earlobes. You should not focus on carat weight and neglect color, clarity, and cut(especially). Since we don’t get to view your earrings closely, we should get to see them sparkle gorgeously; the cut determines this. 

The value of diamonds depends on their color, carat weight, cut, and clarity. The higher any of these 4C’s, the higher the diamond’s value. You should consult a jewelry expert if you’re on a budget,  they’ll help you find the best possible diamond within your available funds. 

• Cubic Zirconia: We're explaining this gemstone right after diamond for one reason, it is a diamond simulant. It resembles diamonds very closely and can serve as a substitute for diamonds. 

It is made from zirconium oxide. Natural cubic zirconia is very rare, so, most in the market are man-made. 

This gemstone exhibits more fire rather than brilliance. That is, it emits rainbow colors as opposed to white light. Cubic zirconia is a  very durable gemstone; it has an 8 to 8.5 on Moh’s scale of hardness. 

The great thing about this stone is that it mimics the diamond at an affordable price. If you’re on a budget and would love the sparkle and appearance of a diamond, you can get cubic zirconia. It makes for the same look on your bow earring. 

Since Cubic Zirconia is lab-grown, it typically exists in a  completely colorless state. That is, it gets a perfect “D” on the color scale. There are also colored variations of the stone available.  Cubic zirconia can be found in green, blue, pink, purple, or even a  multicolored state. 

Again, the fact that cubic zirconia is man-made means that you will find no inclusions on the stone. So, you don’t have to bother about the clarity scale when going for cubic zirconia. 

As with every other gemstone, cubic zirconia will increase in value as carat weight increases. Your choice of carat will depend on your budget and individual preferences. 

• Aquamarine: This gemstone is considered semi-precious. It is found in blue to blue-green hues. It is a member of the beryl family alongside emerald and morganite. Its name is gotten from a Latin word, aqua marina, which means “seawater”; this is because the natural hue of the gemstone resembles the color of the sea.

Aquamarine is a durable gemstone and with proper care is suitable for everyday wear. The score of this stone on Moh's scale ranges from 7.5 to 8.  

This stone is almost always found in a flawless to near flawless state. It is rather common to find aquamarine gems without inclusion or blemishes. 

Aquamarine occurs in large amounts naturally. Such stones can result in multiple smaller carat gemstones. 

The blue hue of aquamarine is what is desired by most people. For this reason, aquamarine will be exposed to intense heat to diminish any green hues present in the gem. This treatment does not affect the gemstone but should be divulged by your jeweler if carried out. 

If you check well, we have explained one stone from the precious gemstones, one from the lab-grown, and one from the semi-precious.  The above gemstones will work elegantly on your bow earrings.  However, your options are not limited to those three, oh, not at all. There are several gemstones to choose from. You can find many of these at goldia. 

What Metal Can I Get My Bow Earrings In? 

Almost every piece of jewelry will call for one metal or the other. After all, you can’t set a gemstone on thin air. Below we’ve listed some of the metals you can feature in your bow earrings. 

• Gold: Gold is a timeless metal. For many centuries, gold has served many purposes not excluding jewelry. Pure gold is too soft 

to use in jewelry so, it is alloyed. The other metals in the alloy increase the durability of gold and may alter its signature yellow tinge. These alloys are yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold. 

• Silver: Silver is as well a classic metal and very soft too. So, it is commonly found in an alloy, sterling silver. This alloy comprises nickel and other metals in minute quantities. 
• Platinum: This is the most durable of these metals. And unlike some alloys gold will not result in allergies; it is a hypoallergenic metal. It has an elegant luster but costs significantly more than gold or silver. 

When Should I Get Bow Earrings? 

There’s no rule governing when and who you should get bow earrings.  You can get them as an engagement gift, a wedding gift, anniversary gift, birthday gift, graduation gift, etc. You can even get them on a  normal day without any celebrations. 

Get them for your mom, your partner, your friend, or yourself. Whoever in your lift that you want to gift something, you can get these earrings for them. 

How To Care For Your Bow Earrings 

The first time you set your eyes on your earrings, they’d sparkle and glow but over time the glow will fade away and your earrings will be a  shadow of what it once was. Relax! That will only happen if you don’t care properly for your earrings. To keep that first-time glow, you have to 

clean it well, store it properly, and even take it for occasional inspections at the jewelry store. But how do you clean and store it properly? Follow  this simple process: 

• Get a clean bowl, and mix in water and mild detergent. • Soak earrings in the bowl for a minute or two. 
• Scrub earrings with a soft brush, gently. 
• Rinse under running water. Make sure to leave a bowl under your hands, no one wants an earring down the drain. 
• Pat dry with a clean cloth. 

Viola! You’ve properly cleaned your bow earrings. The next thing is storage. It is quite simple as well: 

• Wrap them in a clean cloth. 
• Store separately from other jewelry. 

Just two simple steps. Do these maintenance practices regularly and we assure you that you’d have your earrings glowing much longer than expected.