Here’s an interesting one. Apparently, in Brazil, and I don’t know
how many other places, stud earrings are given to (put into the
ears) of newborns. A friend has commission a pair of 18k earrings for
his baby girl due in February. They have the best of medical care
available to them, so hygiene is not my concern. I plan to carve a
minute earring in wax with either low relief or intaglio relief. Of
course, all edges will be rounded and nothing sticking out except
the stud. My question: have any of you made earrings for a newborn?
What do I have to be aware of? What dimensions? Etc.
I haven’t made earrings for a new born and find the idea very
bizarre indeed! However, my main concern, aside from hygiene, would
be the potential for choking. So they need to be really really
secure backs.
have any of you made earrings for a newborn? What do I have to be
aware of?
Yes. You have to be aware that babies swallow things, oftentimes
faster than their parents can stop them. You also have to be aware
(and if you’ve never worn a pair of earrings, how would you know?)
that stud earrings can be quite uncomfortable when the wearer lays
her head on a pillow. Make the kid hoops.
Here’s an interesting one. Apparently, in Brazil, and I don’t know
how many other places, stud earrings are given to (put into the
ears) of newborns. What do I have to be aware of? What dimensions?
Etc.
Part of the culture in the 5 Latin American countries I lived in was
that you can always tell the girl babies from the boy babies by the
earrings. Baby girls’ ears are pierced at 2 days or so, while still
in the hospital (It’s the godmother’s duty to take care of this) and
normally very small 18K studs are used. They are threaded and the nut
ends in a little ball/dome which pretty much covers the end of the
post. You should make sure that the post isn’t too long and that it’s
very smooth on the end.
stud earrings can be quite uncomfortable when the wearer lays>her
head on a pillow. Make the kid hoops.
Yeah they are really uncomfortable for me too, I can’t sleep in them,
so I only wear hoops. Couldn’t hoops be pulled out though if an
inquisitive finger got caught? The hoop would have to fit around the
lobe of the ear really snugly with hardly any gap between the flesh
and the metal.
why not make in 18 (or even 22ct) and then have a flat, fixed back
like a small smoothe disc- This is put through the hole in the ear
from the back and then a little rounded front which would be
attached by making the end of the “peg” with a thread. This is
threaded onto the rounded part (which would be the front…) I don’t
know if the description is clear ? Just seems it would have fewer
things to fall off or sharp bits to make them uncomfortable…
Yes, in parts of Europe it’s an old practice as well, and both my
sisters as well as all my female cousins were recipents of gold
earrings shortly after being born. It’s not that bizarre.
I would not make hoops, because those can be accidentally caught by
little fingers and pulled. Studs are the way to go, and I think you
can o this with a well constructed back that means the post won’t
get caught or pull out. Also, I would use gold, and this is also
traditional.
If it’s a cultural practice the family will know how to care for an
infants pierced ears, and whoever does thte actual piercing should
also let them know but anyway here are a couple of interesting, and
hopefully helpful links.
Hygiene and other issues are probably best sorted out between the
parents and their doctor; some docs advise waiting until the first
tetanus vaccine shot is given.
that stud earrings can be quite uncomfortable when the wearer lays
her head on a pillow. Make the kid hoops
Do NOT make hoops for a baby. They can not control their hands or
arms at that age, and will catch the hoops and rip the ear. Babies
do not lie on their sides ever at that age. Usually on their backs,
so the discomfort factor is not an issue.
Lisa, (my baby turned 21, and moved out a few weeks ago…empty
nest…) Topanga, CA USA
I live in Italy where baby girls frequently have earrings. These are
generally very small, 18kt gold circlets. They wear them day and
night as it would be a major hassle to remove and replace the
earrings every time they wake up or go to sleep.
I don’t know if you have ever tried sleeping with stud earrings but I
think that it could be painful for a baby.
I just made a pair for a baby who is 2 months old. I used a tiny
round trim piece from Stuller that takes a 1 pointer, and looks like
bead setting with a milgrain edge. It’s smooth - no prongs. I
soldered a bar across the back for the posts. For the ear findings, I
used my favorite ones, the Guardian posts and backs. La Pousette is
amost the same. They have the flat ear nuts that you must squeeze to
take off. The posts come with 2 notches. I cut the first one off, and
file down the second so it barely protrudes out of the nut. I don’t
make it as pointy like it’s supposed to be, but a little rounded so
it’s much more comfortable. What you want is a shape that will allow
the ear nut to snap onto it easily, but not so pointed that it feels
sharp when the nut is on the post. That way, the earring will be
comfy when the baby is sleeping on it. Use a little oil on the nut
for lubrication. When it’s super clean, it won’t snap on easily.
I do this to all the Guardian earrings for adults, too. The outer
notch is too long for most people, and the second one, although it
looks too short, is just right. Since the nut is shorter than regular
friction nuts, the post can be shorter, too. The distance between the
earring front and the nut is what matters.
These ear nuts must be cleaned every so often, because they have
moving parts inside that will get full of dirt after a while. I had
one customer who wore hers for years without taking them off, and
they were so full of gunk, that I had to use pliers to squeeze the
tabs on the ear nuts to remove them.
I made these out of 14K white gold because the customer insisted on
white gold. I explained that some people are allergic to the nickel
in white gold, and to watch the baby’s ears for an allergic
reaction. I also heavily rhodium plated them.
the Guardian posts and backs. La Pousette is amost the same. They
have the flat ear nuts that you must squeeze to take off.
Sumner, babies usually had ball or half ball earrings 3mm to 4 mm so
that once little fingers started exploring, they couldn’t get a good
grip and pull on the earring. As well as a screw on nut, there was a
friction nut that looked like an hour glass which covered the end of
the post. Hoops were not a good idea for a baby, likely to get
snagged on clothing, tiny buttons, mom, or little fingers. My next
door neighbor in Colombia was a plastic surgeon who did a lot of ear
lobe restoration. This type that Tom Kormylo just posted above
sounds good.
Thanks one and all. The mom, down in Brazil, decided that she wanted
the traditional sphere ear stud. Just as well, since I would need a
larger canvas to work with to make anything with any kind of
individuality. So, she will get what is available down there and I
will offer to make her the child’s second pair of earrings for when
the girl is a little older. I did find out that both Stuller and Rio
offer threaded posts and nuts that would work with baby earrings. I
liked the rounded backs that Stuller offered better than the
modified wing nuts that Rio had, but Stuller only had 14k, Rio has
18k.