FitnessWear and care
Earring backs explained
There are six common ways to keep an earring in: a butterfly back, a silicone back, a screw back, a flat back, a hinged hoop and a hook. Most hold by friction or by shape, and most put a second part behind your ear. The seventh way leaves that part out: an anchor built into the post, lying crosswise behind the lobe. Here is how each one holds, at night and in training.
In short
There are six common ways to keep an earring in: a butterfly back, a silicone back, a screw back, a flat back, a hinged hoop and a hook. Most hold by friction or by shape, and most put a second part behind your ear. The seventh way leaves that part out: an anchor built into the post, lying crosswise behind the lobe. Here is how each one holds, at night and in training.
Butterfly backs
The butterfly is the back most studs come with. A small metal piece with two curled wings slides onto the post, and the wings press against it. It holds by friction.
It is cheap to make, easy to replace and fits most standard posts. Its weak point is the same friction. Every time you push it on and pull it off, the wings open a little and the grip goes. A collar, a towel or a pillow is then enough to push it off.
If a butterfly slides, pinch the wings gently back together. At night, its edges and the end of the post sit exactly where your ear meets the pillow. In training, it is the part a shirt or a towel catches.
Silicone backs
Silicone backs are small stoppers of silicone or soft plastic. Some are pure silicone, some have a small metal core, some sit around a butterfly as a disc. They hold by their own tension around the post.
They are soft behind the ear, and you notice that at night. The downside comes with time: silicone stretches, and skin oil and cream make it slippery. After a few months of daily wear, a stopper that once gripped well can slide off. Replace them often, they are made to be replaced.
Screw backs
A screw back turns onto a post with a thread. It does not slide, because it is not held by friction alone, and that makes it one of the firmer classic backs.
The price is time and hands. Putting it on takes both hands and some patience, and a thread that goes on crooked can be damaged. It only fits posts made with a thread. At night, a screw back is usually bulkier than a butterfly. In training it stays put, but taking it out before a match takes longer.
Flat backs
On a flat back, the back is a small disc fixed to the post. The decorative top is screwed in or pressed in from the front. Behind the ear there is nothing with edges, only the flat disc.
That makes flat backs calm behind the lobe. Changing the top takes two hands and some practice, and the length of the post has to suit the ear. A top that is not screwed in fully can work loose, so it is worth checking now and then.
Hinged hoops
A hinged hoop is its own back. A small segment swings open on a hinge, passes through the piercing and clicks into a catch at the other end. One part, nothing loose.
The catch is small, and it can wear. A worn catch can open when the hoop is pulled by a scarf or a strap. Size matters too: a small hoop that sits close around the lobe stays out of the way, a large hoop bends and catches. For training, large hinged hoops stay at home.
Hooks
A hook is a curved wire that passes through the piercing and carries the earring below it. There is no back at all: the shape of the wire holds it. Many hooks come with a small rubber stopper on the end.
Hooks are easy to put in and easy to take out. They are just as easy to lose when something pulls. The drop swings with every step and catches on hair, collars and straps. Hooks stay at home for training and for the night.
No back: an anchor behind the lobe
Baqless takes a seventh route. There is no back, and the anchor is hinged to the post itself. It goes through the piercing in line with the post and then lies crosswise behind the earlobe. The name for it is Click-Lock, and it is the same on every pair, studs and hoops.
The grip is yours to set: the anchor moves along the post and stops at one of several positions, depending on how thick your earlobe is. Too loose? Slide the anchor a little further. Too tight? Slide it back a little. One hand, no mirror.
Every pair has the same post, 1.0 mm thick, which is about 18 gauge, and 6 to 10 mm long, according to the maker. It took eight years to get there: a jewellery designer started work in 2010, and the mechanism was ready for the market in 2018.
Two limits come with it. Baqless needs a piercing in the earlobe, it is not a clip. And on a very thick earlobe the anchor has no room. If you are unsure, ask us before you buy.
All types compared
| Back | How it holds | One hand | At night | In training |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butterfly | friction of two curled wings | rarely | edges and post end behind the lobe | a collar or towel can push it off |
| Silicone | tension of the stopper | rarely | soft behind the lobe | grip fades as it stretches |
| Screw | thread on the post | no | bulkier behind the lobe | stays on, slow to take off |
| Flat back | disc fixed to the post, top screwed or pressed in | no | flat disc behind the lobe | top can work loose if not fully in |
| Hinged hoop | hinge and catch | depends on the hoop | depends on the size | large hoops catch and bend |
| Hook | shape of the wire | yes | the drop hangs and catches | swings, can be pulled out |
| Baqless anchor | anchor crosswise behind the lobe, grip set by you | yes | no back, the anchor lies crosswise | no back to lose |
Studs and hoops with the Click-Lock
Four pairs, one mechanism, with the maker's measurements.
- Honesty Alina Stud · 6.0 × 7.0 mm · 18 carat gold-plated
- Honesty Floral Silver Stud · 7.0 × 7.0 mm · rhodium-plated
- Amity Noir Alina Gold Stud · 6.22 × 7.26 × 1.94 mm · 18 carat gold-plated
- Embrace Sublime Silver Hoop · Ø 15.0 mm · rhodium-plated
Keep reading
- Lost an earring back? What helps now
- Fit and material
- Earrings and sport: wear them, tape them or take them out?
- Sleeping with earrings in: which ones work
Questions
What are the different types of earring backs?
The common ones are butterfly backs, silicone backs, screw backs and flat backs. Hinged hoops and hooks carry their own closure. And there are earrings with no back at all, like Baqless, where an anchor in the post lies crosswise behind the lobe.
Which earring backs hold most firmly?
Backs that hold by more than friction: screw backs on a threaded post, and locking backs with a small catch you press to open. Every one of them is still a second part behind your ear that can loosen and drop.
Are earring backs universal?
No. Posts differ in thickness, and a back only grips the post it fits. Screw backs need a threaded post. The Baqless post is 1.0 mm thick, about 18 gauge, according to the maker, and it has no separate back at all.
What is a flat back earring?
A stud whose back is a small flat disc fixed to the post. The top is screwed or pressed in from the front, so there is nothing with edges behind the lobe.
What is the Click-Lock?
The name of the Baqless mechanism. The anchor is hinged to the post, lies crosswise behind the earlobe, and slides along the post so you can set how firmly it sits. There is no back to lose.
Last checked on 7 October 2026.
