Every pair of earrings you will ever make starts with the same quiet decision: what actually holds it on the ear. That part — the post, the wire, the hoop — is the earring finding, and choosing it well matters more than almost anything you hang from it. The right base disappears; the wrong one is the earring you fiddle with all evening, or worse, the one you find missing at the end of it.
When I sorted my own findings drawer last week, the earring bases had quietly become three little families: posts, leverbacks and one-touch hoops. So this is the guide I wish I'd had at the start — what each family is, how it fastens, where it shines, and one honest comparison chart so you can pick a base in about ten seconds and get back to the fun part.
1. Ear posts: the everyday stud base
An ear post is the stud base of earring making: a thin straight pin that passes through the piercing, with a decorative front attached, held in place by a separate back. Posts sit flush against the lobe, which makes them the go-to base for minimal, everyday earrings.
If you only stock one earring base, make it the post. The mechanics could not be simpler: a straight pin through the piercing, a back to hold it, and whatever you design sitting flush on the front. That flushness is the whole charm — studs read as quiet and intentional, which is why they survive every trend cycle.
These satin-brushed mini triangles are a good example of how much a 'simple' post can carry. The geometric front is the design — no dangle required — so a pair is finished the moment you add backs. I keep a few pairs like this ready as gifts, because a small brushed metal shape is about the safest taste bet there is. They come two to a pack, which is exactly one pair: tidy for sampling a shape before you commit to a bigger batch.
2. Leverback ear wires: the secure drop base
A leverback is an ear wire with a hinged lever that snaps shut behind the lobe, closing the loop completely. Unlike an open French hook, a closed leverback cannot slide out on its own, which makes it the preferred base for drop earrings you don't want to lose.
Ask a room of makers which base they trust for a dangle they actually care about, and you'll hear the same answer: leverback. The little hinged lever closes the loop behind the ear with a soft click, and that click is the difference between checking your earlobe at the end of the night and not thinking about it at all.
This particular leverback adds a detail I love: a flat round pad on the front. That pad is a mounting surface — glue on a flat-backed stone or cabochon and the finding itself becomes the earring, no extra links needed. Six to a pack means three finished pairs, and because the lever does the safety work, they're a kind choice for anyone who's ever lost one half of a favorite pair. (We've all mourned that single earring.)
| Finding | How it fastens | Best for | Maker skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ear post (stud) | Straight pin + separate back | Minimal everyday studs, flush designs | Beginner |
| French hook ear wire | Open curved wire, no closure | Light, easy on-off dangles | Beginner |
| Leverback ear wire | Hinged lever snaps the loop shut | Drops and dangles worn all day | Beginner |
| One-touch hoop | Hinged hoop clicks closed | Hoops, sleeper-style, charm hoops | Beginner |
3. One-touch hoops: instant polish
A one-touch hoop is a complete hoop earring with a built-in hinge: press the two ends together and it clicks closed through the piercing. At 13mm, it doubles as a finished huggie-style hoop on its own, or as a base you thread a small charm onto before closing.
One-touch hoops are the shortcut of the earring world. The hinge and catch are already built in, so a 'making session' can be as short as opening the bag — wear them bare as clean 13mm huggie-style hoops, and nobody will guess they came from a findings shop rather than a boutique.
The maker move, though, is threading something on first. Slide a small charm or a couple of beads onto the open hoop, click it shut, and you've made a charm hoop in under a minute — the same hinge that makes them easy to wear makes them genuinely fun to iterate on. I like making a little run of them with different charms and letting friends pick; the base is identical, but every pair leaves the table looking like its own design. Six pieces per pack — three pairs of nearly-instant earrings.
4. The front of the earring: flat back cabochons
A flat back cabochon is a smooth, domed stone with a completely flat reverse side — no hole, no loop. It attaches by gluing onto any finding with a pad, which turns plain bases like pad posts or pad leverbacks into finished, stone-fronted earrings.
Here's where the bases from sections one to three get their faces. A flat back cabochon has no hole and no loop — just a polished dome on one side and a dead-flat surface on the other — and that flat side is an invitation. A drop of jewelry adhesive, thirty seconds of holding it steady on a pad finding, and a plain base becomes a stone earring.
These long leaf cabochons are a satisfying shape to work with: slim enough for the round pad on the leverbacks above, distinctive enough that the finished pair doesn't look like anyone else's. The first time I glued a cabochon onto a pad ear wire I remember being faintly suspicious it could be that easy. It is. Six to a pack gives you three pairs — or two pairs and a spare for the inevitable glue experiment.
Final Thoughts
Strip any earring back to its base and you'll find one of these three families: a post sitting flush, a leverback clicking shut behind the lobe, or a hoop hinging closed through it. Pick the base for how the pair will be worn — flush and minimal, swinging and secure, or instant and round — and the rest of the design tends to fall into place. Keep a small stock of each and you'll never stall a making session because the right base wasn't in the drawer.
Build your earring drawer from the full range in Earring Findings (allaboutfindings.com/collections/earring-findings).
Quick FAQ
What is the difference between ear wires and leverbacks?
A standard French hook ear wire is an open curved wire with no closure — easy on and off, but it can slip out. A leverback adds a hinged lever that snaps the loop completely shut behind the lobe, so the earring stays put until you open it. Both are bases for drop and dangle earrings.
Which earring finding is most secure?
Closed-loop findings are the secure ones: leverback ear wires and one-touch hoops both click fully shut, so they can't slide out the way an open French hook can. For drops you plan to wear all day, a leverback is the usual choice.
Which earring findings are best for beginners?
All of the bases in this guide are beginner-friendly. Flat-pad posts and pad leverbacks are the fastest start — glue on a flat back cabochon and the pair is done. One-touch hoops are even quicker: thread on a charm, click shut, finished.
How do flat back cabochons attach to earrings?
With jewelry adhesive. A flat back cabochon has no hole or loop — you glue its flat side onto a finding that has a pad (a flat mounting surface), such as a round pad leverback or a flat-pad ear post, hold it steady for a moment, and let it cure.
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