There’s no escaping the current piercing craze. Piercings of all kinds – from multiple ear piercings to face piercings – are among the most popular jewelry trends for 2022. Early 2000s piercing trends, like septum, nose, and lip piercings, made an official comeback and were all over the designer runways this season. While these face piercings bring back nostalgia, the curated ear trend continues to be the most prominent (and practical) piercing trend for everyday wear.
Stacked ear piercings started to appear everywhere around 2019 and have gained increasing momentum over the pandemic. The curated ear trend encourages personalization with no set formula on how to select your multiple ear piercings. Every placement choice is unique to the individual to allow everyone to express their personal style through their earrings. (Familiarize yourself with the chart below to see the different ear piercing types you should consider.)
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Ear styling has become its own art form, inspiring curated ear ideas available everywhere. Whether you’re stalking on Instagram pages or celebrity photos, certain placements and ear piercing combinations clearly are having a moment.
Read on to learn more about the top ear piercing trends to try for Spring 2022 and new ideas to refresh your ear party for the season ahead.
Anti-Tragus Accents
The anti-tragus piercing is done on the small curved area of cartilage right above your ear lobe across from the tragus. You can style this unique placement on its own as a standalone earring using a diamond stud or small hoop for a simple statement. For a minimalist curated ear, combine the anti-tragus placement with coordinating lobe or helix piercings. Integrate it with a flat piercing or lobe constellation for a more dynamic look.
If you’re thinking about getting an anti-tragus piercing, it shouldn’t necessarily hurt more than a typical cartilage piercing. However, the anti-tragus is a sensitive area to get pierced and takes from 6-12 months to fully heal.
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Stacked Borders (Stacked Lobes and Helix)
Stacked lobes are among the most popular ear piercing combinations because of their versatility and convenience. The options are nearly endless for styling your lobe piercings. Style only your standard lobe and upper lobe piercings for a minimalist look. Elevate your curated ear with triple holes, vertically-stacked lobes, or a lobe constellation.
Extend your stack further up the outer rim of your ear with a double or triple helix piercing. A stacked helix can stand on its own, too, or with a flat or inner conch piercing to draw the eye upward. Combine your stacked lobe and helix placements to adorn the border of your ear. You can also use an ear cuff if you only have your lobe piercings. However, a helix piercing is a great option for your first cartilage piercing. It is generally considered the least painful ear piercing after any lobe placements.
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Full Circle
While studs will always be in style, hoop earrings are having a particularly hot moment for 2022. Elevate your curated ear with hoop earrings of all sizes that you can mix and match in different placements. Stacked lobes (and up through the helix) layered with several small hoops is a trending look for the season that is perfect for those who love a minimal curated ear. Incorporate statement hoops – either on the lobe or in your conch piercing to make a bolder statement. Try mixing metals (another Spring 2022 jewelry trend), Or, add charm studs in your flat, forward helix, or tragus piercing to update your ear party.
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Daith Domination
Daith piercings, located in the center innermost fold of the ear, are becoming increasingly popular every season. This cartilage piercing is known for its ability to potentially alleviate migraines while creating a focal point for your curated ear. Celebrities like Zoe Kravitz and Kylie Jenner have shown off their daith piercings to show off the placement’s versatility. Kravitz often styles her daith piercing to create a minimalist curated ear. Use a small, simple gold or silver hoop in this placement with other classic studs on the lobe, helix, or forward helix for a similar look. For a bolder curated ear, like Kylie Jenner, style your daith piercing with an embellished hoop and small charm studs, hoops, barbell, or drop earrings throughout your lobe, helix, and upper cartilage placements.
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Long Layers
Drop earrings offer a glamorous look that we’ve been missing while staying inside for the past 2 years. So, it’s no surprise that – like the ‘revenge dressing’ and vertical ear piercing trends – long and chandelier-style earrings will be everywhere in 2022. Embrace the chainmail look with several chain-linked earrings stacked throughout the lobes. Incorporate diamond studs or ear cuffs in your flat, helix, or forward helix placements to give your curated ear some evening-ready appeal. Style a minimalist curated ear with a single drop earring and various studs placed on the rest of the lobe and cartilage placements. This toned-down look makes this sophisticated piercing option more suitable for a casual or corporate environment.
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Inner Conc(h)entration
Statement inner conch piercings channel a bold and sophisticated look that’s similar to an ear cuff but is edgier and offers a subtle alternative to embellished daith piercing. A crystal or diamond inner conch earring creates a glamorous focal point for a day or nighttime curated ear. Style this cartilage piercing with a flat or lobe constellation for a unique and elevated look. Further embellish your curated ear with diamond studs, charms, or hoops throughout the helix, forward helix, and tragus piercings for a maximalist curated ear.
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Personalized Pairings
A curated ear is best when it reflects your uniqueness and creativity. In 2022, piercings are getting a hyper-personalized touch with custom arrangements, constellations, and asymmetrical ear piercing combinations. Experiment with mismatched placements and treat each ear as its own canvas. Style a flat or lobe constellation for a more concentrated look. You can use large diamond pieces to make a statement or small studs and hoops to style a unique, yet minimalist, curated ear. Scatter your earrings in different piercings on each ear to try out the asymmetrical ear piercings trend and showcase your personality with this bolder look.
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Flat Focus
Located on the flat cartilage of your upper ear, flat piercings offer ample space for creative ear piercing combinations. Adding a small diamond stud or charm to your flat placement balances out the rest of your ear piercings when styling a fully-stacked curated ear. Coordinate your flat piercing with earrings that match your lobe constellation or stacked lobes to balance your ear styling proportions and a streamlined look. You can also use your flat piercing to draw attention upwards away from your lobes. Embellish your flat with other cartilage piercings on the upper ear while leaving your lobes bare for an unexpected piercing combination.
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Snake Bite Piercing
Like its lower lip counterpart, snakebite ear piercings refer to any two piercings stacked closely together. Kaia Gerber popularized this unique ear piercing in late 2019 and continues to stay on-trend due to its cool factor and versatility. Snakebite piercings look great on the lobe or helix (for a less painful double piercing option) or your flat placement for an edgier look. Style a snakebite piercing with a vertically-stacked lobe or constellation to recreate the model’s ear piercing combination. Pair a snakebite piercing with simple hoops or studs in various placements for a more heavily-layered yet minimalist curated ear. Upgrade a standard lobe piercing with a snakebite in your helix, or combine your snakebite with a daith piercing for an edgier look.
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Ear Piercing Guides:
Your Guide To Cartilage Ear Piercings: 10 Types To Know The Least To Most Painful Types of Ear Piercings, Ranked The Best Piercing Ideas For Your Face Shape Top Piercing Ideas To Try In 2022 For Your Unique Ear Shape Check out more curated ear ideas, cute combinations, and piercing trends HERE, HERE and HERE.
