Perhaps the prevalence of the earrings indicates that something is wrong with the ear. It is an essential organ, well placed and well shaped for its function, but aesthetically a bit obtrusive. For note that the ears, while they frame the face, are amenable to none of the usual resources of cosmetics. The hair, in addition to being neatly styled, can be variously tinted. Proper application of powder and color can seem to alter the shape or the length of the nose. The cheeks can not only be colored but by deft use of powder and rouge can be given a different outline. The eyes can be accented with color; they can be made more naive or more beguiling. The lips can be made to seem smaller, more sweetly innocent, more bold. But when all the make-up skills have been applied, the ears remain unaltered.
And yet the look of the ears may make or mar the whole appearance. The choice of earclips, it should be clear, must depend not upon the attractiveness of the jewel but upon the effect it has in ameliorating the facial features. Earclips can play up a small, dainty nose, or minimize a large one. Earclips can, according as she chooses them, make a woman look younger or older, smarter, more sophisticated, or more simple and sweet—and always prettier.
The Earclip and the Facial Contour
Other jewels may with some degree of safety be purchased from the box. A ring, even a brooch, will not alter much from the way it looks on the velvet of a counter or the satin of a case. But an earclip becomes part of the contour of a face. It must be seen, as others will see it, from various angles, profile and full face. Since no two ears, no two sides of the same face, are exactly alike, both clips should be tried on, and their effect carefully examined. They should be looked at without a hat, so that the whole sweep of the head may be considered. Conversely, when hats are being tried on, one’s favorite earclips should be worn to judge their effect with the contemplated hat. However large or tiny—a band of velvet or a fluff of feathers—the hat and the clips should complement one another.
On some faces, at certain angles, there is a space between the earlobe and the cheek. As this breaks the harmony of line, it should be covered by the clip. In such cases, the earclip should be worn as close as possible to the face. If the cheekbones are large or high, suggesting hollows below, a large earclip, properly placed, will seem to fill out the face. Heavy earclips could be set in palladium, the lightest of the major jewel metals. Sometimes a piquant contour can be created, as when a soft hat is tilted down over one ear, with the earclip worn only in the uncovered ear. The second clip may then be worn on the jacket lapel or on the dress.
The Shape of Your Face
The general pattern of the face is what must be first considered in the selection of an earclip. An oval face usually goes with a longer neck; therefore the eye of the viewer should be tempted to minimize the distance between the ear lobe and the shoulder. Dangling earclips, or clips with pendants, will produce this effect—provided they are not too wide, for width in an earclip makes the face look narrower. And clips that are too long make one look older. But the oval face will appear chic with a pendant clip, with stones of different colors and sizes which, against a round face, would seem vulgar or overdone. If the face tends to be long and thin, it will be rounded by earclips broad at the base, tapering toward and perhaps curving around the upper rim of the ear.
A round face, contrariwise, calls for earclips that can be worn close. This ensures a youthful appearance. Large, semicircular earclips will look well, or those with clusters of tiny flowers, grouped as a bouquet. Tiny stones set on prongs, as in pincushions, or sunbursts, will provide a rich frame to the round face.
If the chin tends to be heavy, the earclips should be accented with color and have an upswept look. Long earclips are permissible, if not thin but rich-looking and full. In this case, however, they should be worn only with full décolleté or strapless gown.