Diamond Hoop Earrings

An inside-out hoop is set with diamonds on the outer face and on the inner wall, so stones show from the front and from the side as you turn your head. It roughly doubles the stone count for the same diameter. That is why an inside-out pair carries more carat weight, and costs more, than a front-only hoop of the same size.

Total carat weight is every diamond in both earrings added together, not the size of one stone. A pair listed at 1.00 ct might hold sixty small diamonds spread across two hoops. Product pages give the diamond count next to the weight, so you can see how the carats are distributed. Compare pairs on count and setting, not on the weight alone.

From about 15mm up. Below that the stones sit so close together that the line reads as one bright edge rather than as individual diamonds, which is why a pave huggie uses smaller stones sized to the curve. Above 1.5 inches the carat weight climbs quickly, because the setting has more distance to fill.