Hoop earring sizes are given in millimetres: how long the hoop is from top to bottom, or its diameter for a round hoop, and how wide or thick it is. Most hoops fall between about 10 mm, which sits close to the lobe as a huggie, and 30 mm and above, which hangs as a statement. This guide sets out the twenty plain gold hoops in our hoop earrings collection that carry a full spec sheet, with each one's length, width, gold weight and backing exactly as its listing gives them, so you can judge size against real pieces rather than a generic chart.
Hoop Earring Sizes, Measured
The table runs from the smallest hoop to the largest. Every figure is copied from that pair's own listing. Most listings give a length and a width; a few round hoops give a diameter instead, and where a listing does not state a figure the cell says so. Weight is the listed gold weight for the pair.
| Hoop | Length or diameter, from its listing | Width, from its listing | Weight, from its listing | Backing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide small hoop | 10.00 mm | 7.00 mm | 2.55 g | Snap lock |
| Small rice hoop | 11.00 mm | 11.00 mm | 1.5 g | Snap lock |
| Square huggies | 12.00 mm | 10.00 mm | 1.5 g | Snap lock |
| Rectangle hoop | 13.00 mm | 10.00 mm | 1.8 g | Snap lock |
| Puffy C huggies | 14.10 mm | 13.90 mm | 1.2 g | Push back |
| Crossover hoop | 14.80 mm | 15.30 mm | 1.5 g | Push back |
| Polished C huggies | 16.00 mm | 10.40 mm | 3.4 g | Push back |
| Post hoop | 16.20 mm | 4.10 mm | 4.6 g | Snap lock |
| Paperclip huggies | 19 mm | 13 mm | 3.1 g | Snap lock |
| Twist hoop | 20 mm diameter | Not listed | 1.68 g | Snap lock |
| Petite ultra puffy hoop | 20.00 mm | 20.00 mm | 3.4 g | Hinged snap-back |
| Endless round hoop | 21.00 mm diameter | 2.00 mm | Not listed | Endless |
| Puffy post hoop | 21.80 mm | 22.50 mm | 6.2 g | Snap lock |
| Wide puffy hoop | 22.25 mm | 9.50 mm | 3.25 g | Snap lock |
| Large omega C hoop | 24.20 mm | 25.10 mm | 5.1 g | Omega back |
| Endless oval hoop | 25.00 mm diameter | 2.00 mm | 1.5 g | Endless |
| Puffy ribbed scallop hoop | 26.50 mm | 23.70 mm | 3.6 g | Hinged snap-back |
| Puffy hoop | 27.00 mm | 25.00 mm | 4.6 g | Hinged snap-back |
| Endless pear hoop | 32.00 mm | 22.00 mm | 1.9 g | Endless |
| Endless paperclip hoop | 44.00 mm | 24.00 mm | 2.6 g | Endless |
Read down the length column and the twenty fall into four rough bands. Six are under 15 mm, the huggie range, where a hoop wraps the lobe. Five sit between 16 and 20 mm, still small but with a visible curve below the lobe. Seven run from 21 to 27 mm, the everyday medium hoop. Two pass 30 mm, the endless pear at 32.00 mm and the endless paperclip at 44.00 mm. The six diamond hoops with spec sheets are left out of this table, because their listings give the diamonds and the backing rather than a length and width; their backings are counted further down.
The weight column tells a different story from the length column. The endless paperclip is the longest hoop here and weighs 2.6 g, because it is drawn from fine wire. The puffy post hoop is half its length and weighs 6.2 g. Size tells you how a hoop looks; grams tell you how it feels on the ear by the end of the day.
How do you figure out what size hoop earring to get?
Hold a millimetre ruler against your ear lobe in a mirror and note where a hoop of each length would end. Then compare with a pair you already own and like: measure it top to bottom and across. A hoop of the same length will sit the same way. Our listings give length and width for that reason, so the comparison rests on two numbers rather than a word like small or medium.
What size is a 10mm hoop earring?
A 10 mm hoop is a small hoop that sits snugly around the lobe, which is why it is usually called a huggie. In our range the wide small hoop measures 10.00 mm long and 7.00 mm wide, with a snap lock, and weighs 2.55 g. Pieces of this size suit a first lobe piercing worn every day or a second piercing beside it.
Thickness and Width
Two hoops of the same length can look nothing alike. A hoop drawn from 2.00 mm wire, like our endless oval and endless round hoops, reads as a fine line of gold. A puffy or wide hoop of the same length reads as a bold shape, because there is far more gold facing the eye.
Listings use the word width in two ways, and it is worth knowing which. On the endless hoops it is the thickness of the wire, 2.00 mm. On the puffy and omega hoops it is the width of the whole hoop across its face, from 20.00 to 25.10 mm. The post hoop's 4.10 mm and the wide puffy hoop's 9.50 mm describe how broad the band of gold itself is. When two listings look alike on paper, the photograph settles which measurement is meant.
A thicker band is not always heavier. The wide puffy hoop at 9.50 mm weighs 3.25 g, while the slimmer post hoop at 4.10 mm weighs 4.6 g.
Huggies: The Smallest Hoops
A huggie is a hoop small enough to hug the lobe, closing close to the skin instead of hanging below it. Our huggie earrings run from the square huggies at 12.00 mm to the paperclip huggies at 19 mm. The square and paperclip huggies close with a snap lock built into the hoop, and the two C-shaped huggies use a push back on a post, the same kind of back a stud wears.
What is the difference between a huggie and a hoop?
A huggie is a hoop, made small enough to sit close around the lobe with almost no gap below it. A hoop is the wider family, from huggies up to large statement pieces that swing as you move. In our range, the huggies run 12.00 to 19 mm long and the plain gold hoops reach 44.00 mm, so the difference is scale and how close the earring sits.
The square huggies are the smallest at 12.00 mm and 1.5 g. The puffy C huggies are the lightest pair in the whole table at 1.2 g, and the polished C huggies, at 16.00 mm and 3.4 g, are the most substantial.
Types of Hoop Earrings
Hoops are named for their outline and for how they close. The outlines in our range are round, oval, pear, square, rectangle and the elongated paperclip, plus the C hoop, an open curve that stops short of a full circle. Surface and volume add the rest: puffy hoops are rounded out to look full, twist hoops are spiralled, ribbed and scalloped hoops are textured, and the crossover hoop loops one band over another.
The closure gives the other set of names. An endless hoop is a continuous fine wire whose end slips into its own tube. A hinged hoop carries a section that swings open. A C hoop or post hoop goes through the ear on a straight post. The diamond hoop earrings are a separate family again, with diamonds set along the front and, on several, along the inside of the hoop as well.
Backings and How They Close
Every hoop with a spec sheet in our range lists its backing, and five kinds appear across the twenty-six of them, diamond hoops included. The table counts each one.
| Backing, as listed | How it closes | Hoops in our range that use it |
|---|---|---|
| Snap lock | A short post on one end clicks into a catch on the other | 9 |
| Hinged snap-back | A hinged section of the hoop swings shut and snaps into place | 8, including five of the diamond hoops |
| Endless | A fine wire end slides into the hollow end of the hoop | 4 |
| Push back | A straight post through the ear, held by a back that slides on behind | 3 |
| Omega back | A post with a hinged clip that folds up and closes over it | 1 |
One diamond hoop lists its backing simply as a secure clasp. Snap locks and hinged snap-backs are the most common because the closure is part of the hoop itself, so there is no separate back to drop. Endless hoops are the lightest and least visible closure and suit fine wire. Our guide to the types of earring backs covers each back in detail.
How do you close a hoop earring that has a snap lock?
Thread the post through the piercing from the front, then press the post end gently into the catch on the other side of the hoop until you hear or feel it click. Do not force it at an angle; line the post up with the opening first. To open it, hold the hoop near the catch and ease the post back out along the same line.
Solid and Hollow Hoops
Every hoop here is 14K gold, never plated, and that is what the word solid on our listings means: solid gold rather than gold over another metal. How the gold is shaped is a separate matter, and one of ours, the puffy post hoop, is listed as electroform and weighs 6.2 g at 22.50 mm wide.
Weight is the plainest guide to how much gold a hoop holds. Compare two hoops of a similar size in the table and the heavier one carries more metal. Our guide to hollow vs solid gold chains explains what construction means for wear, and the same logic applies to a hoop.
Wearing Hoops Every Day
For daily wear, the hoops that cause the least trouble are small, light and closed by a built-in catch. In the table that means the snap-lock and hinged hoops under 20 mm, most of them under 3.5 g. Larger hoops are worn every day too, and the light endless hoops make the most size for the fewest grams.
What size hoop is best for a second piercing?
A second piercing usually sits closer to the edge of the lobe, so a smaller hoop that stays close fits best. Huggies are made for it, and they pair well beside a larger hoop in the first piercing. Our square huggies at 12.00 mm and polished C huggies at 16.00 mm cover that range in 14K yellow gold.
Are 14K gold hoops nickel-free?
Yes, 14K yellow gold is nickel-free, so a 14K yellow gold hoop does not bring nickel against the piercing. White gold depends on its alloy, so ask us about a white gold pair. If your ears react to some metals, choose yellow gold and keep the hoop and the piercing clean.
Caring for Gold Hoops
Hoops collect skin oil and soap film where the catch meets the hoop, and that is where a closure starts to feel stiff. Rinse them in warm water with a drop of mild soap, work a soft brush around the catch or hinge, rinse and dry completely before wearing. Our guide to cleaning diamond earrings covers the diamond hoops, and the guide to caring for white, yellow and rose gold covers the rest.
Store each pair closed, so a hinge or snap lock is not left bent open, and keep them apart from pieces that can scratch them. If a hinge loosens or a catch stops clicking, bring it in rather than pressing it shut by hand.
For more on the metal itself, see what 14K gold is and how to tell if gold is real.
Compare sizes in person through our hoop earrings and huggie earrings collections, or start with the puffy hoop in 14K yellow gold, 27.00 mm long with a hinged snap-back.
Warranty. Every DEEVE piece carries a lifetime manufacturer's warranty for the original purchaser, serviced in-house, with complimentary cleaning, inspection and prong tightening for the life of the piece and rhodium re-plating on white gold at no charge. Read the warranty.
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