What Size Gold Hoops Should You Get?

Hoops are the piece people ask us about most, and the questions are almost always the same two: what do all these names mean, and what size should I actually buy?

We have thoughts.

First, how hoops are measured

Hoop size is given as diameter, the width straight across the circle, not the distance around it. So a 12mm hoop is 12mm across.

There's a second number that matters just as much: width, sometimes called thickness. That's how substantial the gold itself is. A 10mm hoop at 1mm wide and a 10mm hoop at 3mm wide are the same size on paper and look completely different on the ear. You can also expect the wider one to costs more, because it simply contains more gold.

The names, explained

Most of the confusion comes from the fact that hoops have style names that sound like sizes. They're related, but they're not the same thing.

• Sleepers are continuous hoops with no clasp sticking out. That's the whole advantage: nothing to catch, nothing poking out, which is why they're the ones you can leave in while you sleep. We make them in a few sizes.
• Mini hoops are our smallest sleepers, at 8mm. They're our bestseller. They layer beautifully across multiple piercings, and they're a great first pair for kids, which is why they're featured in our Mini Collector.
• Huggies are short, hinged hoops that close snugly around the lobe, hence the name. They're usually wider and more substantial than a sleeper, so they read bolder even though the diameter is small. A huggie is about presence in a small footprint.

A size ladder, with something to compare it to

Millimeters are hard to picture, so here's a real-world reference. A US dime is about 18mm across. A quarter is about 24mm.

• 8mm (mini), smaller than a dime by half. Sits tight to the lobe, barely moves. The quietest hoop you can wear.
• 10mm (classic hoop or torsade), still well under dime-sized. Visible as a hoop, still very understated.
• 17mm (sleeper), roughly a dime. The sweet spot for a lot of people: unmistakably a hoop, still completely wearable every day.
• 25mm to 30mm (everyday), a quarter and up. This is where a hoop starts to become part of the look rather than a detail.

Most people end up with two: something small they come to leave on for weeks at a time, and something larger for when they want the earrings to do more.

One thing nobody mentions about sleepers

Because there's no clasp, a sleeper can be fiddly to put on. You're threading a fine wire through a piercing you can't see, with very little hoop to hold onto, so if you have long nails or you're helping a child with theirs, expect a moment of patience the first few times. The upside is the reason you bought them: once they're in, they're in, and they stay that way.

A note on gold, since you're here

Hoops get worn harder than almost any other piece of jewelry. They're in your ears through workouts, showers, sleep, and everything else. That's the case for solid gold rather than plated or vermeil: there's no coating to wear through, because the metal is the same all the way down.

It's also why hoops are where hypoallergenic matters most. More reactions and discomfort happen in the ears than anywhere else on the body, and solid 18K gold is naturally hypoallergenic. (More on why gold purity matters for sensitive ears here.)

Everything we make is 18K solid gold, made in Italy. You can see the full range of sizes in our gold hoop earrings collection.