What Are Huggie Earrings? Sizes, Fit and How to Wear Them
Huggies look simple, but a few millimetres decide whether a pair hugs your lobe, pinches it or hangs loose. Here is what they are, how they differ from hoops and sleepers, and how to choose, wear and open a pair.
The short answer
Huggie earrings are small hoops that sit close around the earlobe, as if hugging it. They usually close with a hinged bar that passes through the piercing and clicks shut, so there is no separate back. You only need one standard lobe piercing to wear one. Size them by inner diameter, the space your lobe sits in.
- 7mmThe inner diameter of our smallest huggies, for a close fit around the lobe.
- 12mmThe inner diameter of our larger huggies, with room for a piercing placed higher up.
- 1 piercingAll you need. The hinged bar passes through a standard lobe piercing.
What are huggie earrings?
A huggie is a small hoop that sits snugly around your earlobe, with little space between metal and skin. The name comes from the way it hugs the lobe. It usually closes with a short hinged bar, which passes through your piercing and clicks into the other side of the hoop.
The names overlap, but the differences come down to size, fit and closure.
| Style | Fit | Usual closure | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huggie | Small, sits close around the lobe | A hinged bar that clicks shut | Everyday wear, first holes and stacks |
| Hoop | Larger, hangs below the lobe | A hinged click, a latch, or a post and back | Everyday to statement |
| Sleeper | Small and light, traditionally a thin hoop | Often a fine hinge or wire | Wearing day and night |
What size huggie earrings should I get?
Two measurements matter. Inner diameter is the distance across the inside of the hoop, where your lobe sits, so it decides the fit. Outer diameter includes the metal, so it decides how big the hoop looks.
Our Small Huggie Hoop Earrings and Small Bold Huggie Hoops, for example, both have a 7mm inner diameter, so they fit the same way. The bold pair has a 4mm band instead of 2mm, and a 13mm outer diameter instead of 10.6mm, so it looks chunkier.1
With a mirror and a ruler, measure from the centre of your piercing down to the edge of your lobe. Choose an inner diameter a little larger than that for a close fit, or a few millimetres larger for a looser one. Measure each piercing separately, as each sits a different distance from the edge. Our hoop earring size guide covers diameters in more detail.
- 7 to 8mm inner diameter: our Small Huggie, Small Bold, Mini Pavé, Freshwater Pearl and Teardrop styles. A close fit for a piercing near the edge of the lobe.1
- 12mm inner diameter: our Bold Pavé and Reversible Two-Tone styles, found in our hoop earrings collection. More room for a piercing placed higher up.1
Can you wear a huggie earring with one piercing?
Yes. A huggie needs only one standard lobe piercing: the hinged bar goes through the hole and clicks into the hoop behind your lobe. You can wear a pair, one in each ear, or a single huggie on its own.
Huggies also suit second and third lobe holes, where their small size keeps a stack neat. Our guide to building an ear stack covers placement and spacing. If your piercing is new, check with your piercer before swapping a stud for a hoop, and see our guide to changing a lobe stud to a hoop.
How do you open and close huggie earrings?
- Open the hingeHold the hoop between finger and thumb. With your other hand, gently pull the hinged bar away from the hoop until it swings open. Open it only as far as it moves easily.
- Guide it throughPass the free end of the bar through your piercing from front to back. A mirror helps.
- Click it shutSwing the bar back to the hoop and press until you feel or hear a click.
- Check it is closedGive the hoop a gentle tug. If it opens, line the bar up and press again. To take it out, open the hinge the same way and slide the bar back through.
Can you sleep in huggie earrings?
You can, once your piercing has healed and if the pair is comfortable. A huggie sits close to the lobe, with nothing hanging down to catch and no back to press into your skin.
Fit still matters. If you sleep on your side, the hoop sits between your ear and the pillow, so a pair that already feels snug in the day may feel tight overnight. If your piercing is new, follow your piercer's advice first. Our sleeper earrings guide covers overnight wear in more detail.
Which huggies are best for sensitive ears?
A huggie's bar sits inside your piercing for as long as you wear it, so the metal matters. The NHS lists nickel and cobalt in jewellery among the allergens that commonly cause allergic contact dermatitis.2 UK rules require nickel release below 0.2 µg/cm² per week from the part of an earring that goes through a piercing, and no more than 0.5 from jewellery in prolonged contact with skin.3
Our huggies are made from ASTM F136 implant-grade titanium. The gold tone is a titanium nitride ceramic layer topped with 24K gold, and the silver tone is chromium nitride topped with platinum. Independent Intertek testing of our jewellery confirmed the F136 composition and measured nickel release below 0.1 µg/cm² per week, on both the coated surface and the post.4 Our guide to the best earrings for sensitive ears compares metals in more detail.
rhokea huggies
Small huggies in implant-grade titanium
Close-fitting huggies with 7 to 8mm inner diameters, made from ASTM F136 implant-grade titanium in gold or silver tone. Sold as pairs.
Shop huggiesHuggie earring FAQs
What is a huggie earring?
A huggie is a small hoop earring that sits close around the earlobe, as if hugging it. It usually closes with a short hinged bar that passes through the piercing and clicks into the hoop, so there is no separate back. Huggies suit everyday wear, on their own or as part of an ear stack.
What is the difference between huggies and hoops?
Huggies are a type of hoop. The difference is size and fit: a huggie is small and sits snugly around the lobe, while a standard hoop is larger and hangs below it. Huggies usually close with a hinged bar, while larger hoops may also use a latch or a post and back.
Can I wear a huggie earring with one piercing?
Yes. A huggie goes through a single standard lobe piercing. The hinged bar passes through the hole and clicks into the hoop behind your lobe, so you do not need a second piercing. You can wear a matching pair, one in each ear, or a single huggie on its own.
How do you open huggie earrings?
Hold the hoop between finger and thumb and gently pull the hinged bar away from the hoop until it swings open. Pass the bar through your piercing from front to back, then press it back into the hoop until it clicks. A gentle tug confirms it is closed. Never force the hinge.
Are huggie earrings comfortable to sleep in?
They can be, once your piercing has healed. A huggie has nothing hanging down and no separate back to press into your skin. Fit matters most: a pair that feels snug during the day may feel tight against the pillow at night. If your piercing is new, ask your piercer first.
Sources
- rhokea. Product specifications (inner diameter, outer diameter and width) for Small Huggie Hoop Earrings, Small Bold Huggie Hoops, Mini Pavé Hoop Huggies, Freshwater Pearl Huggie Hoop Earrings, Teardrop Hoops, Bold Pavé Huggie Hoop Earrings and Reversible Two-Tone Hoop Huggies.
- NHS. Contact dermatitis: causes. Page last reviewed 3 May 2023. NHS
- Business Companion (Chartered Trading Standards Institute). Jewellery safety: metal content. Business Companion
- rhokea. Material testing certificate summarising Intertek reports TSNH00571888 and TSNH00571900, December 2025. PDF
