Pick the drop and the grams first, then the stones and gold, and ask which back it wears
Choose by weight and length before the stones. A chandelier hangs below the lobe in parts that swing, so the grams decide how long she can wear it. The weights on the listings run from 3.5 to 10 grams, and few give the drop. Buy 14K for a pair that moves all evening, and have the desk confirm the drop and the back.
What they are: chandelier earrings vs drop earrings
A chandelier earring hangs below the lobe in several pieces, so it moves and throws light as she turns her head. A drop earring falls in one line, often a single stone. The name comes from the ceiling light, with its arms and hanging crystals. On the dangling flowers, diamond blooms swing from the gold. The Sunlit pair mixes white emerald cuts and rounds with yellow pears in a chandelier shape. The bezel diamonds, the pear-cut sapphire and both pearl pairs never say how they hang, so study their photos.
Length and grams: how long and how heavy chandelier earrings are
Where a listing gives them, the weights run from 3.5 to 10 grams and the drops hang just under an inch. Read the grams first, because a chandelier hangs from one small hole all evening. Only the pearl hoops say their number is for the pair, so check the rest with us. Under about 5 grams a pair feels light for hours. Past about 8 grams most women feel it by midnight, and the back matters more. Only two listings give a drop, both short enough for day or night.
Stones and origin: pearl and sapphire chandelier earrings, lab-grown diamonds
Eight of the nine are set with diamonds. Two pairs add sapphire, Ceylon blue on one and a pear-cut stone on the other. Two carry pearls, the pearl and diamond hoops and a ladies pair whose title names no diamond. Only the Sunlit drops say lab-grown, with 9.10 carats, the most any listing here gives. The pearl hoops call their side diamonds natural. The other diamond pairs read natural on the origin line too, and the ladies pearl pair names no diamond.
Which gold: 14K or 18K chandelier earrings in yellow, white or rose
14K suits a chandelier that goes out often. Where the parts of a chandelier meet, they rub each time it moves, and the harder alloy wears slower there. Six pairs here are 14K. The three in 18K are softer and warmer in color, so keep those for nights out. Yellow, white and rose gold are her choice on eight listings, and the Sunlit drops come in white gold only.
Which back: lever back, omega back or push back on a heavy earring
An omega back is the one for a heavy chandelier, and since the nine listings leave the back out, settle it with us before the pair ships. The omega is a hinged loop that folds down behind the lobe and holds the drop flat against it. A lever back closes a hinged catch over the end of the wire, so the earring will not slide out. A push back is a small clutch on a straight post, quick on and off, and it loosens with wear. Past about 8 grams, ask whether the pair can take an omega. For any of the nine, the desk will tell you the back over the live chat, or at 212-872-9692 from 10 AM ET.