Earrings.
Small-batch earrings made to work alongside the clothing rather than compete with it. Beadwork, thread wrapping, and hammered metal — all drawing from the same Hmong pattern vocabulary as the apparel line.
About the earring line
The earrings came about because customers kept asking what jewellery to wear with the dresses and blouses. The honest answer was: less is more, and small gold hoops or simple drops work best. Then someone pointed out we could just make the right thing rather than point at someone else's shop.
The earrings Mai designs share the same constraint as the apparel: they pull from traditional Hmong material culture — the beadwork, the metalwork, the thread patterns on sashes and headbands — without copying ceremonial objects that carry specific cultural meanings and contexts. The result is earrings that feel continuous with the clothing line rather than accessories tacked on after the fact.
All earrings use surgical steel posts or sterling silver hooks. Nickel-free. Most styles are made in batches of 20 to 30 pairs at a time and are not restocked identically — each batch may have minor variations in bead or thread colour, which is normal for hand-assembled pieces.
Current styles
Beaded drop earrings
Seed bead drops in three colourways: indigo and cream, red and black, and the camo-line palette of olive and bark. Sterling silver ear wire. Length approximately 5 cm from the lobe.
Thread-wrapped hoops
Brass hoops wrapped in cotton embroidery thread using a tight diagonal stitch. Available in the core palette colours. Diameter 3 cm or 4.5 cm. Surgical steel posts.
Diamond-motif drops
The flagship earring style. A flattened diamond form in hammered brass with a beaded accent below. The diamond shape is a direct reference to the lozenge motif at the centre of Hmong textile pattern. Gold-filled ear wire.
Stud set (three pairs)
Three pairs of small geometric studs — a square, a diamond, and a small star form — in brass with surgical steel posts. Good for everyday wear or stacking in multiple piercings.
Tassel earrings
Cotton thread tassels in two lengths (5 cm and 8 cm) with a small hammered brass cap. Thread colours change with each batch. Current batch uses indigo, deep red, and natural off-white.
Beaded cuff (ear climber)
A seed-bead cuff designed for the ear cartilage, with a surgical steel post for the lobe. Works as a climber running up the ear edge. Single piece, worn on one ear — asymmetric styling is the intent.
How to wear the earrings with the collection
The rule from the styling guide applies here: when wearing a Mai&Co dress with an embroidered yoke or applique detail, the earrings should be small and quiet. The stud set or the small thread-wrapped hoops work well. Let the textile detail be the statement.
With the plainer tops and blouses — cotton jersey tees, solid linen skirts — the earrings can do more work. The diamond-motif drops or the longer tassel earrings read well in these contexts. The beaded drops in the indigo-and-cream colourway are a natural match for the indigo apparel pieces.
For kids: we don't make children's earrings. The stud sets are sized for adult ears. Some parents buy the thread-wrapped hoops for older girls with standard piercings, but please use your own judgement on age-appropriateness.
Care
Cotton thread and seed beads are not water-resistant. Remove earrings before swimming, showering, or applying hairspray. The hammered brass pieces will develop a patina over time — this is normal and not a defect. A light polish with a dry cloth keeps them cleaner. The sterling silver ear wires can be wiped with a silver polishing cloth as needed.
Store flat or hanging, not loose in a bag where threads can catch.
Full collection → | Styling guide | Hmong textile traditions | About Mai&Co