Popularized by the alternative crowd and now making its way into mainstream jewelry, Flat-back earrings are super comfy and super trending.  This guide is intended for jewelry stores aiming to capitalize on the latest trend by offering customers a selection of the trendy, comfortable flat-back studs to elevate their store offerings and attract savvy young consumers. 

The current demand is for nicer, high quality piercing jewelry while not compromising comfort. 

Traditional butterfly earrings are great if you only have one earring and are able to take it off at night.  If you or your customers have multiple ear piercings like me, you are going to want to have all of your studs on a flat back. 

There are two types of flat back earrings, threaded & threadless. 

Early on in discovering the trend, we made our jewelry with threaded posts. We learned quickly that threadless is a better option for universally fitting into any gauge labret making it easy for down-sizing and jewelry change. 

Another benefit to the threadless system is that you don’t have to worry about the thread wearing off and you losing your precious jewelry. Yay!

Threadless jewelry is recommended for both fresh and healed piercings.  The key difference between threaded & threadless styles is how they attach to the super comfy flat-back labret. Threaded jewelry, as the name clearly states, has a threaded post which screws into a threaded labret.  By contrast, Threadless jewelry slides into place and relies on friction to keep it there.

The Threadless method is far superior. The primary reason is that jewelry with threads can loosen over time, resulting in the potential loss of the jewelry. This is because the threads will strip, making it difficult to screw the jewelry tightly enough to remain in place.  The wearer has to remember to tighten their jewelry every few days or there is a substantial risk of losing it.  

Additionally, Threaded jewelry can be challenging to insert and remove. The sharp threading will get caught on the skin, causing pain and irritation. 

Performed correctly, the smooth surface of Threadless jewelry allows it to slide effortlessly into the smooth labret, creating a snug and secure fit. (See instructions below)  

While both Threaded and Threadless jewelry have their advantages and disadvantages, Friction jewelry is the clear winner.  It is easier and safer to insert, while also offering a more secure fit.