Screwback Earrings Questions

[chrono]

Why are screwback earrings so popular in Asia? I cannot find any pushback style at all and I've never heard anyone complain about the earrings hurting their lobes, getting infections (once the ears are healed from the initial piercing), micro abrasions, pokes behind the ears and all the other complaints that I commonly read about on Pricescope. Just curious and wondering.

 

[yssie]

Why are screwback earrings so popular in Asia? I cannot find any pushback style at all and I've never heard anyone complain about the earrings hurting their lobes, getting infections (once the ears are healed from the initial piercing), micro abrasions, pokes behind the ears and all the other complaints that I commonly read about on Pricescope. Just curious and wondering.

All my earrings from India are screwbacks... sort-of. The "back" envelops the entirety of the threading and covers the pointy post-end, so there's no discomfort, but the totality of the threaded post + envelope is much thicker than my holes can currently handle and the mechanism is a total PITA to clean!

My mum was horrified by my friction backs w/ exposed posts - as far as she's concerned only the cheapest sorts of earrings are outfitted that way. I wonder if it has to do with metal choice, actually - my Indian earrings are all 22k, which is much softer than the 18k/14k norms here, maybe the extra heft of "two beams" is simply a necessity for sturdiness..?

 

[chrono]

Yssie,
I've never seen this style of post and wonder if my Mum will end up getting me earrings with this style of post when she vacations in India this summer. I can see how the post is much thicker than the usual, with the outer covering required.

 

[thecat]

Yssie, it's an interesting type of post but it'd have been too thick for my ears. I need really thin posts.

 

[madelise]

This is speculation and totally biased, but I think it has to do with the nervousness of the culture? I was just chatting this weekend at the LA GTG about how old Asian ladies, like my grandmother, are paranoid of getting things lost or stolen, buy a bunch of jewelry, hide them and never wear them, and when they do, they think everyone wants to steal it off of them. My earrings from my grandmother are screwbacks.

Then there's also that underlying vanity of it... "It's how you tell it's real" aspect. My aunt has told my cousin that you can tell a girl's engagement ring is "real" if the head of the ring falls over to the side of the finger, because real diamonds are heavy. My grandmother has mentioned that only "high quality, real diamonds" have screwbacks because they're only put on "really expensive" earrings.

I check my earrings often to see if the screw has gotten loose, and do it out of habit. I was screwing it on tighter in class when a girl behind me exclaimed "those are real earrings?!" so I guess there's some truth to that? Let me go buy some 10ctw CZ studs and place them in screwback studs......

 

[yssie]

This is speculation and totally biased, but I think it has to do with the nervousness of the culture? I was just chatting this weekend at the LA GTG about how old Asian ladies, like my grandmother, are paranoid of getting things lost or stolen, buy a bunch of jewelry, hide them and never wear them, and when they do, they think everyone wants to steal it off of them. My earrings from my grandmother are screwbacks.

Then there's also that underlying vanity of it... "It's how you tell it's real" aspect. My aunt has told my cousin that you can tell a girl's engagement ring is "real" if the head of the ring falls over to the side of the finger, because real diamonds are heavy. My grandmother has mentioned that only "high quality, real diamonds" have screwbacks because they're only put on "really expensive" earrings.

I check my earrings often to see if the screw has gotten loose, and do it out of habit. I was screwing it on tighter in class when a girl behind me exclaimed "those are real earrings?!" so I guess there's some truth to that? Let me go buy some 10ctw CZ studs and place them in screwback studs......

Oh I think there's a lot of truth to both of these!

"Real" settings house "real" gemstones... My family back in India has the same hangup about gold, too - "real" gold is 22k or 24k, so any white metal is automatically determined to be a cheap house for a cheap stone...

And my mum never wears the five-stone I had made for her around extended family - she's absolutely convinced others will judge it, covet it, judge her, make unflattering assumptions about where she got it and how she got it and why she got it... And yet she seems to legitimately enjoy it on the few occasions she does put it on! The paranoia and desperation to conform to this inexplicable convention of "proper image" is absolutely bizarre. And that's ignoring the "save it for a special occasion" mentality, which is equally bizarre - it's not exactly going to wear away or rot...

 

[heididdl]

Cool topic

 

[pixgirl]

I love my screw backs and have them on my valuable earrings like my OEC studs. I don't worry about losing them and find that my push backs often loosen up. Just being safe, not paranoid.

 

[facetgirl]

I wish I could wear screw backs because I think they would be more secure, but the posts (at least on a pair of CZ earrings that I have) are really uncomfy. They are 14 kt gold and I left them in my ears for a few days to test them out. One actually got stuck in my piercing (the earring would not come out).

 

[KaeKae]

I had screw-backs for 20+ years, and only last year converted to the safety backs, because the threads on the posts were starting to wear down. My trusted local jeweler doesn't do the screw-backs, or I would have gone with them again.

 

[dk168]

I do not like going to bed with my earrings, and for work I may have to take them off from time to time, hence I would not have screw backs as I believe they are more time consuming and fiddly to wear.

DK

 

[chrono]

The earrings shown are my late grandmother's which are a hefty screwback in 916 or 22K. I've never seen 14K sold in the stores, only 22K and 24K. In larger towns, I can find some 18K but as you know, most locals frown on them as costume jewellery. Even so, I don't see push/friction backs. The 18K earrings are also screwbacks. I'm thinking the locals do not remove their earrings every day for cleaning, opting to wear these 24/7.

 

[MarionC]

The earrings shown are my late grandmother's which are a hefty screwback in 916 or 22K. I've never seen 14K sold in the stores, only 22K and 24K. In larger towns, I can find some 18K but as you know, most locals frown on them as costume jewellery. Even so, I don't see push/friction backs. The 18K earrings are also screwbacks. I'm thinking the locals do not remove their earrings every day for cleaning, opting to wear these 24/7.

I got a pair of Tiffany screw-back studs on eBay - and after wearing them for a while thought the previous owner must have sold them because the screw threads hurt - they really tear up my ears.
I much prefer push-on earrings, but I know the screw-ons are safer from loss.

I love seeing those fancy backs on your Grandmother's earrings!

 

[MarionC]

One actually got stuck in my piercing (the earring would not come out).

yes, I have the same problem. Taking them out can be excruciating. I have to "unscrew" them from my ears and even that hurts.

 

[facetgirl]

One actually got stuck in my piercing (the earring would not come out).

yes, I have the same problem. Taking them out can be excruciating. I have to "unscrew" them from my ears and even that hurts.

That's how I had to get mine out! I was worried that I had damaged/irritated the piercing somehow, but was able to put in a regular post after without issue. Even leverbacks are a problem for me (probably because of the thickkness of the posts).

 

[Rena7]

My diamond studs were screw backs but I had to get them changed. My ears were bleeding from wearing them. Then that made the holes start to grow together as they healed. It was a mess to get my ears back to normal. Luckily I did not get an infection.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

My OEC studs are screw backs and I HATE them! Between the prongs and the screw backs I cannot wait to have them reset into nice smooth bezels with la pousette backs! I think those are the best compromise for wanting something safer than a friction back but avoiding a screwback.

 

[diamondygirl]

i have 4cttw diamond solitaire studs and had a jeweller here in the us set them for me. my mom's friend has (had) 6cttw studs and lost one while changing in a room at a nordstroms horrified, i made sure mine were screw back! they're not thick at all- a tiny bit thicker than your average stem. don't hurt and look great

 

[simurgh]

I dislike wearing them as well, but won't wear anything else for expensive earrings - I have long hair that constantly seems to be working against me .... I lose a lot of push and lever backs. Most I find (in my hair! Or around me) but have lost enought to prefer screw backs. I'd love to hear where folks are getting thinner screw backs, particularly if they're one of the common PS vendors, and to hear if anyone has good suggestions for dangles that don't come off easily (at least not inadvertently).

 

[Dani5577]

I've had screw back posts put on all of my valuable earrings. I would be so nervous having push backs! The posts are all thin and they've never bothered my ears. The time it takes to screw on and off may be tedious, but it's worth it to me for peace of mind.

 

[SparkleyCarats]

I have such a horrible time with earrings that I rarely wear them anymore. My ears have become more sensitive as I have gotten older and both scerewback and push-on earring backs tend to irritate them. I have one pair of earrings that have tiny diamonds and are made of sterling silver that I can wear comfortably. Otherwise, the rest of my earrings are stored away.