Trend File: Souped-Up Studs

With all the jazzy multi-earring looks and giant hoop earrings trending this summer, it would be easy for fine jewelry retailers to forget about the ongoing demand for the humble stud.

But those fashion-forward “ear parties” typically rely on a stud or two to pull them off. And even women with multiple piercings and sizable jewelry collections don’t want to wear danglers every day; even the fanciest fashion gal takes a yoga class or weeds the yard on occasion.

Studs are popular, obviously, because they’re casual and low maintenance—and like the immensely popular huggie earring, they can be slept and showered in (a key attribute for women with young kids, I can attest).

In response, designers are pushing the once-humdrum stud into exciting new territory, incorporating of-the-moment gems, animal motifs, and fetching geometric forms.

Below, a few studs I’m currently coveting.