To keep pierced earrings from flopping forward and to balance heavy ones, make an earring guard. Fold a small piece of transparent tape together so that the sticky side is covered. (You may want to cut it into a circle.) Or cut a circle from the plastic tab that seals a loaf of bread. Poke a pinhole through the centre of this tab; then insert the post of your earring through your earlobe and the tab. Secure it with the earring back.
If you lose one earring, put the remaining one on a chain to wear as a pendant. Or turn it into a pin or a stickpin with parts sold in craft shops-you could even make a ring out of it.
Avoid very heavy earrings for daily use as these can eventually distort your ear lobes. Many chunky, dramatic styles are actually made from lightweight materials which are much more comfortable to wear.
Allergies to metal clip and earring backs are very common. Some people are allergic to every metal except gold. And hypo-allergenic coatings can also wear off after a time. One answer to prevent skin from contact with metal is to slip special transparent plastic sleeves over the earring clip; a tiny self-adhesive sponge pad sticks onto the metal of the opposing part of the earring. Kits are available from jewellery counters of major department stores. Temporary earring shields can be made using clear sticky or masking tape.
The following was sent in by Rhea Williams. UK
To keep drop earrings easily just wedge a kebab skewer underneath something like
a television or books on a shelf, and hang your earrings off that. I have
several wedged under the TV above my dressing table and earrings are easy to
choose because they are there, hanging in their pairs just waiting their turn to
be worn.
