THE
NEW
HOOP

We are in the midst of a diamond hoop earring renaissance. All things hoops are happening from big statement diamond hoops right on down to delicate huggies. Glamorous, innovative and edgy styles can all be found in hoop-land. Some designers are even taking liberties with the shape of the silhouette. You could say they are reinventing the wheel—pun intended—, adding in arabesque motifs or turning the circle to the front of the lobe.

The roots of today’s hoop earring trend literally stretch back to the dawn of civilization. Most historians agree, a pair of gold hoops dated 2,600-2,500 B.C. on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art are among the oldest known examples of hoops. Diamonds were added to hoops by at least the Victorian era. Etruscan hoop styles found during archeological digs inspired the sparkling 19^th century silhouettes.

The symbolism of diamond hoops turned from ancient treasure to empowerment in the 1960s and 70s when women wore them with pantsuits and wrap dresses. They have remained an emblem of independent women ever since.

So, who are the celebrities wearing diamond hoops now? It would be easier to answer the question of who doesn’t wear them.

A super high-profile moment happened for hoops at the beginning of this year during the Presidential Inauguration. “When America’s National Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman wore Nikos Koulis diamond hoops—a gift from Oprah— as she read ‘The Hill We Climb,’ the jewels made headlines and put hoops back in the spotlight,” says jewelry expert and editor Jill Newman.

At the Grammys, Beyoncé’s jewelry added significant fuel to the already on-fire trend. Queen Bey’s after-party look for the event included Lorraine Schwartz diamond and gold triple hoops. The three large pear shape diamonds suspended from the jewels totaled an eye-popping 54 carats.

Lorraine Schwartz’s sister, Ofira (who only goes by one name), also designs lots of different hoops celebrities love. Her diamond styles have been worn by a long list of stars including Blake Lively, Lizzo and Taylor Swift among many others.

“Diamond hoops make every woman look younger and sexier, because they have such great movement,” says Ofira. “We make them with the diamonds all around so when the light hits them, they beam from every angle.”

Ofira’s collection features diamond hoops for day and evening. She also has various sizes of the same design for women to sport in a matchy-matchy mode in multiple piercing. Yellow, champagne, black and white diamonds light up her jewels. All of the styles achieve something special for diamonds, says Ofira. “Hoops take diamonds to a different place that is not so serious—you can have fun with hoops.”