My newest obsession?

Stud earrings!

When I was little, I begged and begged my mother to let me get my ears pierced. When she gave in (I was in third grade), she had one stipulation: studs only! I did, of course, get them pierced anyway, expecting her to back down, but she held firm. Anything that dangled at all below my ear lobe (save for a very small loop she finally allowed me in the sixth grade) was strictly verboten. Her reasoning? They could get caught while I was running around on the playground at rip my ear off! The combination of their intrinsic danger, watching all my friend sashay around in whatever dangly earrings they pleased, and admiring my mother's own rather impressive collection of dangly earrings made me lust for them like nothing else. When I realized that my mother was no longer enforcing her 'no makeup' rule, as I was sucessfully wearing mascara to school every day with little to no resistance, I decided to challenge the earring rule as well, with immense success.


After that (and that was ninth grade--ages ago!), all the earrings that I wore and purchased were dangly. I was forever through with studs--or so I thought. This past winter, I was visiting the Czech Republic, and I loved all the amber and garnet jewelry that was for sale in the Chrismas markets. I wanted some, but on a college student budget, my options were limited. The piece that caught my eye and didn't break my budget was a pair of nicely green-tinged amber studs. I went for them. And I wore them every day for about the next two weeks. There's a sophistication, a simplicity, to wearing jewelry so small and subtle. It's especially pronounced when you're wearing very pretty studs--it's just so sexy that something so small can draw the eye. So, on my last trip to the mall (which is a rare trip for me--I usually only go for Target), I hit up Claire's accessories, and came home with two new pairs of studs, a pair of black rosebuds (like the ones pictures, but. . . black), and little princess-cut black rhinestones (I couldn't resist a pair of sparrow-shaped dangly earrings too, but I mostly got studs!), and thusfar, I'm really enjoying them.

In fact, I need more. Any suggestions?

(Earrings pictured are from Urban Outfitters, La Garconnne, and Forever 21, respectively.)