Earrings
Earrings are jewellery worn on or through the earlobe, made in four principal forms: studs, drops, huggies and hoops. Ministry of Gems sets ours with Ceylon and Australian sapphires from our own family gem fields — three generations of Ceylon mining heritage reaching back to the 1960s — alongside aquamarine, tourmaline and diamond accents hand-selected by our gemmologist. Every stone is graded and disclosed in Sydney by our FGAA-qualified gemmologist before it goes into a setting.
Ours is a mine-to-market house — we mine the sapphires, cut them, commission the settings, and grade the finished piece in Sydney. Coloured stones we do not mine are bought direct from cutters we have worked with for years. Every earring carries treatment disclosure, laboratory certification on request, and free lifetime re-authentication.
Common questions
How much do sapphire earrings cost in Australia?
In Australia, sapphire stud earrings in 9ct or 18ct gold typically start around AUD 900 to 1,500 for small accent pairs, with AUD 2,500 to 8,000 covering most one to two carat matched pairs. Fine unheated Ceylon pairs run higher, because two stones must match in colour, cut and clarity. Setting metal, diamond accents and certification all move the figure.
What is the difference between huggie earrings and hoops?
A hoop is a full or near-full circle that hangs below the lobe and swings; a huggie is a small, thick hoop, usually 8 to 13 millimetres across, that sits close against the lobe and barely moves. Huggies suit everyday wear and second piercings, while hoops read as more decorative. Both usually close with a hinged post-and-catch rather than a butterfly back.
Which gemstones are hard enough for everyday earrings?
Sapphire and ruby are corundum at Mohs 9 and the most durable coloured stones for daily earrings; diamond at 10 is harder still. Aquamarine sits near 7.5 to 8 and tourmaline around 7 to 7.5 — both fine for earrings, which take far less knocking than rings. Emerald is 7.5 to 8 but brittle from its inclusions, so it suits occasional wear and protective settings.
Are the gemstones in earrings usually heated or treated?
Often, yes. Most sapphires on the market are heat-treated to improve colour, and heat is a stable, long-accepted treatment. Aquamarine is commonly heated to remove green, tourmaline may be heated or irradiated, and emerald is almost always oiled. Ministry of Gems states the treatment for every stone set in an earring on its product page, and names the unheated stones as unheated.
