"Tops" is the common trade term for stud earrings - the format that sits flush against the earlobe rather than dropping or dangling. It looks like the simplest possible earring, and in one sense it is, but the post, the backing mechanism and the front size all affect comfort and wearability more than a quick glance suggests.
The post and backing
A stud earring is built from two parts: the front piece (the visible design) with a thin post soldered to its back, and a separate backing that holds it in place on the wearer's ear. The two most common backing types are a plain friction ("butterfly" or push-back) backing, which simply grips the post, and a screw-back, which threads onto the post for a more secure hold - generally preferred for heavier designs where a friction back alone might not hold securely through a full day of wear. Post thickness matters too: a post that's too thin for the front's weight can bend or wear the ear's piercing unevenly over time, so the two should be matched deliberately, not treated as interchangeable.
Front size and how it's usually described
The front of a stud is typically described by its diameter in millimetres for a round design, since that's the dimension that determines how the piece actually reads against the earlobe - a design that looks substantial in a product photo can look tiny once scaled down to earring size. When sourcing, asking for the front's exact diameter (not just "small," "medium" or "large") is worth doing every time, since those labels aren't standardised between suppliers.
What we currently stock, and what we can make
Our Tops category is small by design right now - one core stud design in genuine 925 sterling silver, reflecting real current stock rather than a padded-out listing. If you need a different front design, size, or backing type, that's exactly what our Custom Orders service is for: send us your firm details, the dimensions you need, a reference photo if you have one, and your address, and we'll manufacture it to spec with no fixed minimum order quantity. It's the same route worth taking for any of our smaller categories where you need more variety than the current standard catalogue shows.
Sourcing tops wholesale
Whether from our standard catalogue or a custom order, every piece is genuine 925 sterling silver, priced against the day's silver rate, with no fixed minimum order quantity - browse the Tops collection or send a custom request directly.