Questions for anyone who has worn screw back earrings?

Hello all!
I'm interested in all the beautiful earlier Mexican earrings out there, but seems they are mostly only screw backs. The nice thing is that a lot of the earrings seem to go for a much less than I would think based on how much comparable bracelets/necklaces etc go for probably because they are hard to sell since almost everyone has pierced ears. I love the style of many of these studs and want to give a pair a go but also don't want to regret something I can't wear. Does anyone have experience wearing screw backs? Just an example:


My specific questions are:
-My ears are pierced- would it be ok to wear these over my piercings?
-Do they honestly start to hurt after a while/ will I regret wearing them because of the pain?
-Are they actually secure/ do they often fall off?

 

I have similar Mexican earrings from the 1950s. They're lightweight and comfortable to wear on pierced ears. Just make sure you position them on your lobes carefully and tighten the screw back well so you don't risk them falling off.

Debora

 

that's encouraging to hear, thanks for the response! If they worked for me, it would open up a whole new world of earrings I used to pass over!

 

I don't have pierced ears, so all my earrings are either screw back, clip, magnetic etc. Don't screw them down too hard as can be painful after awhile.

 

Seconded. I don't have holes either and wear mostly screwbacks. If you don't have holes and don't screw them down too tightly they don't hurt. I don't know about pierced ears personally, since if I got holes I wouldn't be able to wear anything but 14k most likely.

 

I don't know why I had it in my mind that they would hurt so much- maybe I was likening them to clip ons where you cant adjust the pressure! Thanks for your answers! I will probably buy a less expensive pair I have my eye on to try them out!

 

First off I worn screw backs over my pierced ears, not a problem. And can't say that they necessarily hurt to wear.
Now the sad part...
I worn a pair of screw backs that matched a beautiful gold necklace that I had inherited from my great aunt.
I found I was constantly checking to make to sure they were still tight and on my ears, just to end up losing an earring anyway. Regret to this day that I worn them.


I say "better safe, than sorry", and don't wear!!!!!

 

Or ONLY wear if they are cheap and it does not matter if you lose them!

 

Personally I find if they are tight enough to stay on then they are tight enough to hurt!

 

Same here.

 

that's so sad!! I'm so sorry you lost something so valuable and with sentimental value I've lost regular earrings too and I'm sure the chance of losing screw backs is even greater! the ones I'm considering are these: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/630...-pair-of-mexican-taxco?ref=user_profile&pro=1 so if I did lose one, no I wouldn't be out a fortune, but I'd still be very sad!! I hate to lose anything!!

 

this is what I'm most worried about- I wouldn't want to either accept I might lose one or have them hurt!
individual factors must play in a bit to how much they hurt on someone, but I guess my suspicions of the potential to be painful were not unfounded! if I do try them out I certainly won't start by getting anything too expensive. I only like owning jewelry I can wear after all!!

 

You can get foam pads for the ones that use pressure. The pads slide over the back part. I have some sterling silver screw ons that are fine and I have never lost them despite they are dangles and I have used them a lot. It's just a matter of getting the right balance between tight and not too tight in my opinion and perhaps getting good screw ons. My good ones come with a larger back pad, so it spreads the pressure. I take ones made for pierced ears to a jeweler to have them converted. I have some ear cuffs in sterling silver too. I found the magnetic ones don't work for me though. Just some thoughts for you from my experience.

 

i have noticed that the old screw pin earrings also tend to get lose and need to be checked every now and then

 

thanks for the tips- back pads to spread the pressure is a very good idea!

eek that's good to know! I check my regular earrings often already out of habit, but I'm sure I would have to check them even more with screw-backs if they tend to loosen!

 

It exist some small silicon heads you can use when your skin is "greasy"(not sure of this translation)or when your ears are vwery thin and need to be protected from the pressure.
You can gave them by a good jeweler, my wife use them for old earrings which are not in good condition on the screws.

 

I wear clips, but I'm not keen on screw backs, they're fiddly. I also have small earlobes, which doesn't help.

 

A friend of mine has small earlobes and found that having them pierced was the easiest way to wear earrings.

 

I have antique screwback earrings which I simply had to have. They are Viennese Art Nouveau, with coiling snakes around green aventurine cabochons.
I put earhooks on the curve of the screwbacks, and wear them like that. Because the design is the same the other way around, it doesn't matter that they are upside down.

 

Ah, but when you've several hundred pairs of clips........!

I find clips really comfortable, it's the screw backs that annoy me.