22 Ear-Piercing Stack Ideas For Every Aesthetic

Stocksy

In recent years, ear piercings have transformed from the standard lobe to intricate, personalized displays of style. Curated earscapes have taken the jewelry world by storm, blending multiple piercing types—like daith, tragus, rook, and helix—with earring styles extending beyond the traditional hoop or stud. Much like how you would map out the look and placement of tattoos, many choose to plan out their earring stacks with a piercing professional. But knowing what you may want before booking a piercing appointment or ordering jewelry is always a good idea.

Ahead, find 22 earring stack ideas for every piercing type and aesthetic.

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On-Theme

Close up of an ear with Western themed earrings. — @studs / Instagram

The simplest way to curate an earring stack is by centering it around a specific theme, choosing icons that match the vibes. Here, we see a take on the wild, wild West, but, you can choose any theme you'd like from nature to holidays.

02 of 22

A Pop of Color

Close up of an ear with gold hoops, studs, and an emerald stud. — @catbirdnyc / Instagram

Pair your favorite metallic earrings with a gemstone of your choosing for a simple yet eye-catching pop of color.

03 of 22

Crystal Encrusted Conch

Conch Piercing Hoop — @lebonmarcherivegauche / Instagram

Conch piercings are placed through the thick tissue of the center of the ear. Multiple conch piercings come together for a bold look that's perfect for those who want to go beyond the classic piercings.

04 of 22

Styled Stacked Lobe

Earscaped ear with cartilage and lobe piercings featuring stacked earlobe — @studs / Instagram

Earscape your way to a stacked lobe. These piercing placements give you more space to play with. Slot in more piercings above your existing lobe piercings to get the stacked look.

05 of 22

Dripping In Jewels

An ear with dangly, bejeweled chain earrings. — @studs / Instagram

Who needs a necklace when you've got rows and rows of dangling earrings? The mix of metallic and jewel chains strikes the perfect balance between casual and formal. But if you want to add glam to your stack, we say go pavé all the way.

06 of 22

Snakebite Stack

An ear with gold and diamond mismatched earrings, including two sets of round snakebite studs. — @studs / Instagram

Snakebites—aka two piercings positioned side by side—are typically seen on the lower lip. But, we're loving how the double piercing looks on the lobe and cartilage.

07 of 22

Dainty Chain Hoops

woman with multiple piercings on her ear — Catbird / Pinterest

These delicate pieces reinvent the thick gold chains of 1999. Interspersed with minimalist hoops, the look reads super chic and style-conscious.

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Futuristic Blend

Close up of a woman's ear with chunky, gold bar earrings and multiple gold hoops. — Give Me That Thing / Pinterest

Earrings galore! This assemblage of streamlined gold hardware welcomes those clunky ’90s piercings to the present day. If you’re into wearing a lot of jewelry but don’t want to look too dated or extreme, this simple, urban aesthetic is your answer.

09 of 22

Itty Bitty Collection

Close up of an ear with dainty piercings. — Charlotte van Steenberge / Pinterest

Downsizing each piece of jewelry is the perfect way to prevent an earful of piercings from looking too gothic or dated. Keeping the color scheme streamlined further emphasizes that chic, cool-girl aesthetic.

10 of 22

Plenty of Pearls

Close up of an ear with multiple earrings, including two pearl studs, a star stud, and a pearl drop hoop earring. — @catbirdnyc / Instagram

Though pearls are often associated with classic, traditional aesthetics, we see the gemstone in a more modern light here. From the multiple pearl shades and rose gold settings to the whimsical star stud, this set is perfectly unique.

11 of 22

Cute and Coquette

Close up of an ear with a gold earring stack including bow studs, pearl hoops, and diamond studs. — @studs / Instagram

Baby bows? Yes, please. This stack is totally on-trend, giving off major coquette vibes. To push the look further femme, add some pearls to your stack.

12 of 22

Hoop, There It Is

Close up of an ear with a large gold and pearl hoop earring stack, with an accent gemstone stud. — @catbirdnyc / Instagram

Though smaller, huggie style earrings are how we typically see hoops stacked, we adore this bolder iteration.

13 of 22

Lower Lobe Placements

Close up of an ear with lower lobe piercings, including a few hoops and whimsical studs. — @catbirdnyc / Instagram

No need to fill your entire ear up with bling if you don't want to. This look proves that restricting your jewelry placement to one section of the ear is another cool-girl way of trying the multi-piercings trend.

14 of 22

Tiny Stacked Hoops

Close up of an ear with four small huggie hoops and one flat circle stud. — Creators of Desire / Pinterest

We love the unique spacing of these tiny gold piercings. Adding a delicate circle stud to the mix of hoops also puts a distinctly contemporary spin on the look.

15 of 22

Matchy-Matchy

Close up of an ear with three matching pearl and diamond studs. — Catbird / Pinterest

Not into the mismatched earring vibe? Try stacking your piercings with the same earring style. So sophisticated.

16 of 22

Give Me Green

An ear with mismatched emerald, gold, and diamond earrings. — @studs / Instagram

For an even bolder—yet still sophisticated—stack, go all in with one color. We adore this emerald mismatch earscape, but think it would also look stunning in ruby, aquamarine, or topaz.

17 of 22

A Bunch of Baguettes

An ear with mismatched gold baguette diamond earrings. — @studs / Instagram

While round diamonds tend to be the most popular shape for stud earrings, baguettes are an equally appealing option. The classic cut is sure to add a vintage touch to your look.

18 of 22

Mixed Metallics

An ear with silver and gold hoops scattered across the lobe and cartilage. — @studs / Instagram

Combining different shades like gold, silver, and rose gold can create a visually striking effect that elevates even the simplest of looks. To keep the cohesiveness, choose earrings that are of a similar style.

19 of 22

Alternating Hoops and Studs

An ear with a mix of hoops and studs — Taye Hansberry / Pinterest

Alternate between hoops and studs to keep your collection from looking too crowded. This might just be the chicest tragus piercing we’ve come across, on Pinterest or otherwise.

20 of 22

Forward Helix

Situated above the tragus, a forward helix is the perfect spot for a dainty hoop or stud. Add more to your earscaping with this less common piercing. This placement will round out the look of your ear piercings when piercing with lobe and cartilage piercings.

21 of 22

Hidden Gems

Close up of the back of an ear with assorted decorative earring backs displayed. — @studs / Instagram

Often, we're so caught up with what the forward-facing parts of our ears look like that we forget the back entirely. But these days, plenty of earrings come double-sided for a flash of bling on the front and the back.

22 of 22

Birthstone Round Up

An ear with a gradient of rainbow colored studs. — @maisonmiru / Instagram

It doesn't matter what month your were born in—all gemstones are up for grabs. Wear them all at once to embrace color and cheer.

FAQ

How do you begin curating an ear?

Consider what piercing would look good on its own and then continue building from there. It also might be helpful to think about whether you prefer a symmetric or asymmetric look. The former is the more classic style whereas the latter can be rather intriguing when done right. Talk to your piercer about the overall look you're going for and they'll be able to help you with a design—or at least guide you in the right direction.
If you are getting multiple ear piercings, how far apart should they be spaced?

They can be as close together or as far apart as you'd like. It really comes down to personal preference. However, with the earlobe, traditionally, the first hole tends to favor a larger stud than the second, third, etc. Your piercer should be placing the second piercing at a distance far enough away from the first one so that they don't touch.
How can you fix the position of an ear piercing that you no longer like?

In most cases, the right earring and its placement can help (this is much easier than re-piercing). For instance, you can adjust the posts on your earring—e.g. move it further to one side—to create better alignment with its neighbor piercing.