Bow earrings: A Ribbon Motif With Eighteenth-Century Roots

Portugal, from 1780 to 1800: the V&A records a bow-centered necklet with long matching earrings shaped like bows, later bequeathed by Ada Eliza Stuart. She called it “my old Spanish necklace” in her will. That detail is good company for bow earrings, a shape that can be sentimental without becoming syrupy.

 

The bow-knot was popular in the second half of the eighteenth century, sometimes at the center of a necklace or adorning a sleeve. Cooper Hewitt's workshop drawings remind me that a jewel began on paper before it was worked in metal and gems. The soft ribbon, translated into a clean outline, is the point.

 

Gold bow studs and earrings range from one tiny stud to a longer drop. For the smallest scale, Zoe Chicco's Itty Bitty Bow is 14k yellow gold and sold as a single stud; Oradina's 14k studs add screwback closures and measure 5 by 7 millimeters. Ana Luisa's Tracy is 0.48 inch wide by 0.31 inch high, with folded loops and short tails. Those are three distinct decisions: one bright dot, a screwback, or a little more ribbon.

 

Gorjana's polished 18k gold-plated bows have tapered ends; BaubleBar's Just For Fun pair is 14k gold-plated sterling silver. Ettika's Bow Organica measures 1.5 inches wide by 1.9 long, so I would save it for a clean collar or a short haircut. Before choosing, I would check the listed dimensions and closure against the scale I want beside my face.

The V&A's Portuguese bow set also includes long pendoloque earrings, pear-shaped drops beneath bows. A pearl at the knot is not the only route to a statement, so I would decide first whether I want a small center accent or a drop below the lobe.

 

Gorjana's Bow Pearl Earrings put small white pearls at the centers of gold-plated bows. Edge of Ember uses freshwater pearls on 18k gold-plated recycled sterling silver, in a 15 by 5.5 millimeter pair. The Pearl Source sets clustered 3.5 to 4 millimeter freshwater cultured pearls in 925 sterling silver, while Lele Sadoughi's faux-pearl drops put a pearl stud above a larger dangling teardrop.

 

With a fine knit or an open collar, I would keep the rest of the jewelry quiet. Check the listing carefully: faux pearls are not freshwater pearls. What I would skip: choosing a metal tone solely because the pearl seems right. Estella Bartlett's silver-tone faux-pearl studs and BCBG Generation's gold-tone drops make two different cases.

A three-drop earring is called a girandole by the V&A, a form typical of the mid-to-late eighteenth century. One French example hangs its drops from a stylized bow, so the knot can be the structure, not just a little outline.

 

Oscar de la Renta's Small Pavé Crystal Bow is brass and glass crystal with a post back, made in Italy. Self-Portrait lengthens its gold-plated crystal bow to 2.4 inches. For color, BaubleBar's Peppermint Twist mixes red-and-white enamel stripes, glass, surgical steel, and cubic zirconia, with a 1.5-inch drop. Its All the Trimmings set gives three pairs in red, green, and pink, also with enamel, glass, and cubic zirconia.

 

The shape test is whether I want one bright point or a full drop. Brook and York's Adeline is a half-inch 14-karat gold-vermeil drop, while Pandora's sterling-silver Sparkling Bow studs are 5.8 millimeters high. I would wear the compact pair with a printed top and leave the long tails for a plain neckline. What I would skip: a novelty enamel set if I want one pair to wear beyond December. The color is the point, so choose it only if you will repeat it.

Cooper Hewitt's jewelry drawings show how a silhouette could be worked out on paper before a jeweler handled metal and gems. I like that discipline for statement bows too: decide on the loop first, then see whether a long tail belongs in the outfit.

 

Ettika's Pavé Cubic Zirconia Bow Drops are brass with 18k gold plate and cubic zirconia, at 66.04 millimeters long by 38.1 wide. Kenneth Jay Lane's Oversized Bow Drops are 3 inches long and 50.8 millimeters wide in a gold-tone finish. Jennifer Fisher's large Bow Clip-On Studs avoid a post; Karine Sultan's 24-karat gold-overlay drops are one inch long. For a smaller counterpoint, Nadri's Eros ribbon studs are a quarter-inch with cubic zirconia and a glass pearl. Velvet Luna's silver-tone bows hang from slim hoops and measure 1.5 inches.

 

I would wear a big loop with a simple neckline and no competing collar detail. Check the drop length and backing: Jennifer Fisher uses clips, while Ettika, Kenneth Jay Lane, and Karine Sultan list posts. What I would skip: a statement pair if scarves or high collars are your daily uniform. Long tails need a clear line, not a fight with fabric.

I would decide whether the bow is a quiet punctuation mark or the entire sentence, then compare closure and dimensions before choosing a finish. For a pared-back day, I would pick a small stud; for an evening look, I would choose the bigger loop and keep pearls or crystals to one place.

 

Bow earrings work when the knot looks intentional, not like an afterthought on a crowded ear. Ada Eliza Stuart's old necklace was one small piece of language. The pair I choose should say just enough, then let me get on with the day.