Obviously, small earclips should be avoided on the round face; they will make it seem broader and the features heavier. Similarly, little bowknots will seem childish. Any design that merely follows the lines of the ear lobe will accentuate the roundness, which properly chosen earclips will not emphasize but use to full advantage.
Details of the Face
Other aspects of the features should be considered in the selection of earclips. Moles or other minor blemishes may be counteracted by proper distribution of color accents. Scars from cosmetic and other operations can be cleverly hidden by correctly designed earclips. They may make a hearing aid completely invisible.
A dull or colorless complexion can be brightened with multicolored earclips and necklaces. The colors of the precious stones will reflect and shed their glow upon the skin. Bold colors will lend their drama to the face.
On eyeglasses, all color should be shunned. Rhinestone-studded or multicolored frames call attention to themselves. The purpose of eyeglasses is purely functional; they should be left unobtrusive, not made competitors of the clip.
Whatever one’s complexion, it can be embellished by earclips of appropriate gems. Almost any complexion, however, will be flattered by the soft red glow of the ruby or the sparkle of the diamond. If a woman—because it is her birthstone or for other reasons of taste or sentiment—is partial to a stone that does not suit her complexion, it can be joined with rubies and diamonds so that it will do lovely things for the skin.
The larger the earclip, within the proportions of the head, the smaller seems the nose. But a woman with a large or pronounced nose should avoid upswept and backswept earclips which follow the line of the ear lobe; these will stress the vertical lines of the face and accentuate the very characteristics that should be minimized. Dome-shaped earclips so worn that, profile in the mirror, they point forward at the top, will underplay the prominence of the nose. This simple trick of bringing the earclips forward will bring the countenance into proper harmony.
Versatile Earclips
An effective earclip, adjustable to many contours, is one that rims both the top and the bottom of the ear. One of the jewels with which I won the “Diamond U.S.A. Award” was such a pair of earclips. It consists of two crescent moons of baguette diamonds flanked by pearls. These are held in place by a platinum wire that disappears behind the ear. The crescents are of slightly different sizes. The clip is reversible, so that the larger crescent may be worn at either top or bottom, whichever arrangement gives a more graceful contour, according to the hat, the hairdo and the proportions of the face. Many patterns of such reversible double clips can be devised.