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The cheapest pair of earrings in this edit costs £30. The most expensive costs £1,575. Both are gold-plated metal on a hinged clip, both were made in the 1980s, and both were made for a woman who, in all likelihood, had never pierced her ears.
That last part is the whole reason this edit exists. Clip-backs were patented in the United States in 1934, and for most of the next half-century they were how fashionable women wore earrings. Pierced ears only crept back into fashion in the late 1960s, and it took until the 1980s and 1990s for piercing to become the default. So when you go looking for vintage clip-on earrings, you are looking at the main body of twentieth-century costume jewellery, made by Dior, Givenchy, Valentino and Chanel at the height of their costume output.
All nine pairs below come from Susan Caplan, the London dealer British Vogue has called "the costume jewellery aficionado". She has sold under her own name since 2008, after decades in the antiques trade, and checks every piece herself before it goes on sale. I have ordered them by price, because that is how most of us shop, and given each one a verdict. One of them doesn't pass.
In Brief
- Most vintage designer earrings are clip-ons because, for most of the twentieth century, most women didn't have pierced ears.
- Signed 1980s pieces from Dior, Givenchy and Valentino sit between £225 and £475 at Susan Caplan; unsigned pieces from her Rediscovered range start at £30.
- Comfort depends on size and weight more than price. Anything over about 3cm long needs a firm clip and a silicone pad.
- Almost all vintage clip-ons predate the 2002 UK nickel restriction. If you react to nickel, take that seriously.
- Until 11:32 on 31 October 2026, the code SC15OFF takes 15% off every order at Susan Caplan.
Under £100: the Rediscovered pieces
Susan Caplan sells unsigned vintage under her own Rediscovered label, and this is where I would send anyone who has never worn clip-ons and wants to find out whether they can bear them before spending properly. The listings don't say who made these pieces. At these prices, I don't need them to.
1980s Cloisonné Demi Hoop Clip-On Earrings, £30 (reduced from £38). Gold-plated demi hoops enamelled with flowers and butterflies, 2.5cm by 1.5cm, in a red or a blue ground. Cloisonné is an old and fiddly enamelling technique, and it is absurd to find it on a £30 earring. I would buy the blue and wear it with a navy jumper all winter.
1980s Brown Clip-On Earrings, £55. A brown lucite cabochon in a rope-textured gold-plated border, 2cm across. This is my favourite pair in the edit, which tells you something about me. Brown is the most underrated colour in costume jewellery; it does with a camel coat what pearls do with a black dress, and nobody else at the party will be wearing it.
1980s Demi Hoop Clip-On Earrings, £65. Ribbed gold-plated half hoops, 3cm long. If you want to know what a 1980s Dior demi hoop feels like on the ear without paying for the signature, start here. They would also do most of the work in an office jewellery wardrobe.
£100 to £300: where the signatures start
1980s D'Orlan Crystal Clip-On Earrings, £175. D'Orlan is the Canadian firm set up by a protégé of Marcel Boucher, working from Boucher's original moulds, and its pieces carry a 22ct triple gold plate. This pair is 1.9cm across: faux coral, pearl and turquoise cabochons ringed with Swarovski crystal. It is the most fun pair here, and the plating is heavier than anything else at the price. I have a weakness for D'Orlan that I have stopped apologising for.
1990s Valentino Logo Clip-On Earrings, £225. A gold-plated V, 1.5cm, signed Valentino. The smallest pair in the edit and the easiest to wear for a whole evening. I am usually suspicious of logo jewellery, because the logo tends to be doing the work the design should. A 1990s Valentino V is the exception I'll allow: it is a small, well-made shape, and thirty years have turned a status symbol into a period piece.
£300 to £500: the houses
1980s Givenchy Knot Clip-On Earrings, £395. A sculpted gold-plated knot, 2.5cm, signed Givenchy. Givenchy costume jewellery from the 1980s is chunkier and more architectural than you expect from the house that dressed Audrey Hepburn, and the knot is its best motif. This is the pair I'd choose for a Christmas party with a black polo neck and nothing else.
1980s Christian Dior Interlinking Oval Clip-On Earrings, £475. Two gold-plated ovals locked together, 3cm by 2cm, signed Christian Dior. At 3cm long this is at the top of the comfortable range for a clip, so test it for an hour at home before you wear it to anything that lasts four.
1980s Christian Dior Demi-Hoop Clip-On Earrings, £475. Rhodium-plated demi hoops set with baguette and round Swarovski crystals, 2cm by 1cm, signed Christian Dior. If you buy one designer pair from this edit, buy these. They are small enough to wear all night, the silver tone goes with grey wool and with sequins, and baguette crystal on a demi hoop is as close as costume jewellery gets to the diamond version without pretending to be it.
The one I'd talk you out of
1980s Chanel Medallion Drop Clip-On Earrings, £1,575. A quilted CC medallion hanging from a diamond-shaped top, gold-plated, stamped with Chanel's mark, authenticated by Susan Caplan and sold with an original (slightly battered) Chanel box. They are a real piece of 1980s Chanel, and I would not buy them.
The problem is the measurement: 7.5cm by 4.5cm. That is a great deal of gold-plated metal hanging from a spring hinge on your earlobe, and I don't believe anyone wears a pair this size for more than an hour without wanting to take it off. At £1,575 you are paying mostly for the CC. For less money you could own both Dior pairs above and still have enough left over for dinner. If you want vintage Chanel, wait for a smaller pair. They come up.
How to wear clip-ons without regretting it
The received wisdom is that clip-ons hurt. Some do. The reason is almost always one of three things, and all three are fixable.
Size. Pairs up to about 2.5cm are comfortable for most people for an evening. Between 2.5cm and 3.5cm, it depends on your lobe and the clip. Beyond that, weight wins eventually.
Tension. Vintage clips loosen and tighten over decades. A clip that is too tight can be eased, and a loose one can be tightened, by any jeweller who does repairs. It takes minutes and is worth doing before you decide a pair is unwearable.
Padding. Small silicone pads that stick to the back of the clip spread the pressure and stop the earring sliding. They cost a few pounds, nobody can see them, and they make more difference than anything else on this list.
One further warning, because the listings themselves give it: nearly every vintage piece predates the 2002 UK restriction on nickel in jewellery. If you react to nickel, a clip-on pressed against your skin for six hours will find out.
Quick Reference
| Pair | Maker | Decade | Size | Price | Worth the mortgage payment? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloisonné demi hoops | Unsigned (Rediscovered) | 1980s | 2.5 x 1.5cm | £30 | Yes, without thinking |
| Brown lucite cabochons | Unsigned (Rediscovered) | 1980s | 2cm | £55 | Yes, my favourite |
| Ribbed demi hoops | Unsigned (Rediscovered) | 1980s | 3cm | £65 | Yes |
| Crystal cabochons | D'Orlan | 1980s | 1.9cm | £175 | Yes, for fun |
| V logo | Valentino | 1990s | 1.5cm | £225 | Yes, if you like logos |
| Knot | Givenchy | 1980s | 2.5cm | £395 | Yes |
| Interlinking ovals | Christian Dior | 1980s | 3 x 2cm | £475 | Yes, test the clip first |
| Crystal demi hoops | Christian Dior | 1980s | 2 x 1cm | £475 | Yes, the best buy here |
| Medallion drops | Chanel | 1980s | 7.5 x 4.5cm | £1,575 | No |
Prices as listed on 13 October 2026. Every piece is a one-off or close to it, so some will sell.
The October code. Susan Caplan's code SC15OFF takes 15% off all orders until 11:32 on 31 October 2026 (London time). On the two Dior pairs that brings each from £475 to £403.75. UK standard delivery is free on orders over £200.
Frequently asked questions
Why are most vintage earrings clip-ons? Because most of the women they were made for didn't have pierced ears. Clip-backs were patented in the US in 1934 and dominated costume jewellery for decades. Piercing came back into fashion in the late 1960s and only became the norm in the 1980s and 1990s.
Are clip-on earrings comfortable? Small ones are, for most people, for an evening. Comfort depends on size, weight and clip tension much more than on price. Keep to 2.5cm or under for long wear, add silicone pads, and have a jeweller adjust a clip that pinches.
Can I convert vintage clip-ons to pierced earrings? A jeweller can, but I wouldn't do it to a signed piece. The original finding is part of what makes a 1980s Dior earring a 1980s Dior earring, and changing it can reduce what the pair is worth if you sell. Convert an unsigned £30 pair if you like. Leave the Givenchy alone.
How do I know a vintage Dior or Chanel clip-on is real? Look for the signature stamp on the back, then look at the quality of the plating, the setting of any stones and the construction of the clip. Buying from a dealer who authenticates every piece is the safer route. Susan Caplan checks each piece against its own archive and offers an authentication and valuation service for £60.
Are vintage clip-ons safe if I have a nickel allergy? Be careful. Almost all vintage costume jewellery predates the 2002 UK nickel restriction, and Susan Caplan's own listings warn that their pieces may irritate nickel-sensitive skin.
What should I wear vintage clip-ons with? Something plain. A 1980s earring was designed to be the loudest thing on you, and it still behaves that way. A black polo neck, a camel coat or the autumn wardrobe I wrote about last month gives it room. If you are drawn to the bigger, more theatrical pieces, Princess Diana's jewellery is the best education in wearing scale with confidence, and faux pearls are the natural next purchase.
The Gem earns a commission if you buy through the Susan Caplan links in this piece. It doesn't change what I recommend, and the most expensive pair here is the one I've told you not to buy.
Sources
- Susan Caplan, product listings for each pair above, accessed 13 October 2026: clip-on earrings collection
- Susan Caplan, Jewellery Care, Authentication and Sustainability
- Susan Caplan, D'Orlan Crystal Clip-On Earrings listing (D'Orlan and Marcel Boucher background)
- Hello! Fashion Monthly, The Crown's revenge dress choker and Susan Caplan (company history)
- Vintage Fashion Guild, Jewelry: Pierced Earrings (1934 clip-back patent; return of pierced earrings in the late 1960s)
- 1stDibs, Why are most vintage earrings clip-ons?
