The Button Earring Revival Is On

By Victoria Gomelsky | September 18, 2024

It may not be a news flash to those of you tuned into pop culture, but here it is: Button earrings are having a moment.

Typically round or oval, with a post-back or a clip-on, button earrings are larger than a stud, and tend to draw attention to the ear with their chunky gold silhouettes.

Over the decades, the style has been associated with sophisticated, ladylike looks, thanks to the iconic women—think Coco Chanel, Jackie Kennedy, and Diana, Princess of Wales—who popularized them.

Now, thanks to a few recent pop culture cameos, in Apple TV’s late ’60s society comedy Palm Royale and Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, which premiered on FX earlier this year, button earrings are back in the spotlight. The gold-forward statement styles are unapologetically glam, with an appealing retro vibe that cycles in and out of fashion, recalling either the 1950s and ’60s or the 1980s, when the style had a memorable redux.

A perfect complement to singular statement designs, like cuffs and collars, button earrings come in many variations, from sculptural all-gold styles to designs featuring faceted or cabochon-cut gems set in frames of yellow gold, with or without a border of pavé.

Look to the eminently chic pair featured at the top of this page, by the private Palm Beach, Fla.–based designer Mish Tworkowski, for the ultimate example. Part of his new Color Theory collection, which is rife with button earrings in various hues, the citrine and yellow gold style that caught our eye is so much more than cute—it’s downright lovable.