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Behold, 18K gold with a bold fold! These immaculate huggie hoop earrings are crafted from your choice of 18K rose, yellow or white gold. And don't worry. These chunky hoops won't weigh down your look. It's all thanks to a special electroform technique that uses a resin core prevent denting. Featuring saddle back backings these handsome hoops hold handily. Take hold of the gold and break the mold!

Earring Details

  • Metal:
  • Yellow: 18K yellow gold
  • Rose: 18K rose gold plated 18K yellow gold
  • White: Rhodium plated 18K yellow gold
  • Measurements: 13/16”L x 5/8”W x 5/16”H
  • Backing: Saddle Back
  • Collection: Viale18K®
  • Country of Origin: Italy

Electroform is a technique used to create hollow pieces of gold or silver jewelry. It is a time-consuming process that makes the pieces lightweight and seamless for a beautiful effect. This piece was designed using a modern spin on the electroform technique. Instead of the traditional hollow center, it retains a resin core which makes it more resistant to denting than standard electroform jewelry.

18KGold    YellowGold    OtherColors    Hoops    

Gold Karat
Gold's softness and malleability make it a wonderful metal to work with when creating virtually any design in jewelry. But this softness can be a drawback as well. To make it stronger and more durable, gold is usually alloyed, or mixed, with other metals such as copper or silver. The higher a metal's percentage of gold content, the softer and more yellow the jewelry piece. The karat weight system used to measure gold in a piece is the same for all hues, including white and yellow gold.

The word “carat” is Arabic, meaning “bean seed.” This is because historically seeds were used to measure weights of gold and precious stones. In the United States, “karat” with a “k” is used to measure gold's purity, while “carat” with a “c” is used in measuring a gemstone's size. The karat mark of gold represents the percentage of pure gold to alloy.

  • 24K is pure gold or 100% gold
  • 21K is 21/24ths gold content or 87.5% gold: In the United States, jewelry with this karatage or higher is rare. It is far more common in Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
  • 18K is 18/24ths gold content or 75% gold: This karatage is a popular high-end choice in the United States, Europe and other regions. Its popularity is spreading throughout North America.
  • 14K is 14/24ths gold content or 58.5% gold: This is the most common gold karatage in the United States because of its fine balance between gold content, durability and affordability.
  • 10K is 10/24ths gold content or 41.7% gold: This karatage is gaining popularity for its affordability and durability. Commonly used in everyday-wear jewelry such as rings, 10K gold beautifully withstands wear and tear. It is the lowest gold content that can be legally marked or sold as gold jewelry in the United States.

    In order to determine the karat weight of a specific item, simply look for the quality mark. Jewelry items will bear the stamp of their karatage based upon the United States or European system of marking. The United States system designates pieces by their karats—24K, 18K, 14K, 10K, etc. The European system designates pieces by their percentage of gold content. For instance, 10K gold is marked “417,” denoting 41.7% gold; 14K is marked “585,” denoting 58.5% gold; and 18K is marked “750,” denoting 75% gold; etc.

    Yellow Gold
    By far the most common color of gold used in jewelry, yellow gold is gold in its natural shade. Yellow gold is usually alloyed with copper and silver to increase the strength of the metal. How yellow the metal is depends upon the content of gold. A 14-karat piece of jewelry will have a brighter yellow hue than a 10-karat piece. Likewise, an 18-karat piece of jewelry will have a deeper yellow than 14-karat gold, and so on.

    Colors of Gold
    Although gold is most often thought of as having a soft, yellow glow, the metal is available in an entire spectrum of different hues. The different colors of gold depend upon with which metals the gold is alloyed, or mixed.

    Green Gold: Green gold is acquired by combining different alloys in varying amounts. It can be created by mixing gold with silver, while excluding copper from the mix. 18K green gold can be made from 75% gold and 25% silver. Cadmium can be incorporated to vary the tint of green. So combining 75% gold and 23% copper with 2% cadmium creates a light green, while 75% gold, 15% silver, 6% copper and 4% cadmium creates a dark green.

    Black Gold: Perhaps the most common way to create black gold is the process of electroplating, where the gold is plated with black rhodium or ruthenium. Another method creates a controlled oxidation of the gold using chromium and cobalt. Darker hues of brown to black can also be produced from alloys that are high in copper by treating them with potassium sulfate.

    Chocolate Gold: Chocolate gold is derived from a relatively new method created in Italy. Referred to as physical vaporization and deposition, it entails placing gold (usually rose-colored) in a suction compartment and blasting it with electrodes. This approach causes the gold's surface to oxidize in a controlled environment, resulting in the metal's color changing at a molecular level and producing a rich chocolate color. This permanently alters the metal and can only be removed by scraping off the outer layers.

    Earring Back Types


    The backing is an important part of an earring, providing a secure closure and comfortable fit. Keep in mind, some earring styles work better with certain back types. Experiment with the different types to find the best fit for you!

    Butterfly Back: A double looped piece resembling a butterfly that fits over a post. Variations on this design are called push back clasps. The basic post and butterfly back are usually used for stud earrings and lighter weight drop earrings.

    Hinged Snap Backs: This clasp features a hinged post that snaps into a groove on the back of the earring. It is commonly found on hoops. Sometimes the hinged post is curved to provide more room to fit around the ear, sometimes called a saddleback.

    Hook Backs: This earring backing is simply a long, bent post that fits through the piercing. Hooks have several variations, most notably the shepherd's hook and the French hook. While thin wire hooks reduce the weight of long earrings, making them more comfortable, they aren't as secure as other clasp styles.

    Lever Back: A hinged lever snaps shut against the curved post to form a closed loop around the ear lobe. This clasp is very secure and good for large or medium sized styles that drop just below the ear.

    Omega: Also called French clips, this clasp has a straight post and a looped lever. The hinged lever closes around the post and is held against the ear with pressure. The omega clasp is the most secure clasp, especially for the larger, heavier earrings.

    Screw back: This backing is a slight variation of the standard post and butterfly nut back. Instead of pushing on the back, the nut twists onto the threaded post. A screw back post design is often preferred for expensive diamond stud earrings that require increased security.