Huggie earrings refer to earrings made up of small hoops that fit closely around the ear lobes, but are a bit thicker than most standard hoops. It is the thickness of these kinds of earrings that makes them look as though the earrings are "hugging" the ear lobe when they are being worn. In some cases, these earrings are referred to as ear hugger earrings. This term is also used sometimes to describe a kind of earring that is shaped like an abstract human body that is designed to fit around one of the upper exterior folds of the ear so that it looks as though the figure is climbing up the ear. These kinds of earrings can be made out of many different kinds of metals and may be embellished with embedded stones.
The earrings attach the ears with a post that fits between two halves of the hoop. As huggie earrings fit around the earlobe, they are designed with a hinge that allows the wearer to open and close the earrings in order to put them on and take them off. The hinge is at the bottom of the hoop and faces the wearer's shoulder. This means that the hinge is usually nearly invisible when the earrings are being worn.
One of the benefits of huggie earrings is that they fit closely to the ear lobe and are rather small, but are rather visible because of their thickness. This is useful for people who are concerned about having their earrings catch on something, an event that may lead to ear lobe damage. A person who works with small children or a parent of small children may wear huggie earrings so that even if the child notices and grabs at the earrings, it is less likely that they will be able to grab and pull at them.
More expensive huggie earrings are made out of precious metals such as platinum, white gold, and yellow gold. The most expensive varieties include precious stones such as sapphires, rubies, and diamonds. There are also some fine huggie earrings that are made out of titanium. These earrings may be designed around precious gems. Less expensive earrings are made out of less valuable metals. If they are accented with embellishments, these embellishments may be made out of semi-precious stones, glass, or even plastic.