While mens hoop earrings have dramatically increased in popularity over the last decade, they were actually first really popularized during the 1980s. Back then, it was all about having a single small gold hoop earring, but times have changed. Nowadays, it’s quite common to see men wearing a hoop earring in each ear, as well as in places not normally seen by the public! Mens hoop earrings have evolved from the small thin hoop earrings though, and these days it’s more common to see smaller, chunkier huggie style hoop earrings.
New and more popular materials have arrived as well. Anything from stainless steel to titanium. These are particularly good materials for mens hoop earrings, as not only do they exude strength and a general machismo, but are also much healthier materials to use than gold or silver. This is because they don’t release nickel like gold and silver do. This is why they are known as hypoallergenic metals. Nickel allergy can develop over time when wearing gold or silver jewelry, and once you have it, you have it for life. It causes itchiness and a rash, and if severe enough, can even cause scarring. Roughly 15% of women suffer from some form of nickel allergy, and 2-3% of men. The reason why fewer men suffer is because fewer men have piercings. Unfortunately, this percentage is rapidly increasing, due to the growing popularity of piercings among men. This is why you should at least be aware of the issue.
As previously mentioned, there are silver and gold alternatives readily available, and you can certainly find hundreds of websites selling thousands of different designs at a range of prices. The difficulty is that sometimes there is simply too much choice! If you’re in this position, you’re probably better of narrowing down your choice of retailers than you are narrowing your choice of design.
This is a buyers guide, so this is where we can give you some great tips. Firstly, look for websites that have product reviews. This is pretty much a must, as it is how you can find out what other people think of both the product, and the service they received. Be warned though, many sites can fake their own product reviews, so if this is a possibility, head to ebay or to Amazon, as those reviews can’t be faked. Both Ebay and Amazon will see you getting the best prices, but be warned that ebay sellers can hit you with varying shipping costs, whereas Amazon is a bit more controlled.
Finally, when buying mens hoop earrings (or any earrings for that matter), make sure you check out the returns/exchange policy. For hygienic reasons, earrings can often not be returned unless faulty. One way to get around this is to buy from a site that has a satisfaction guarantee, as you can use this instead. Good hunting!
