Dorsey Earrings: A Grandmother's Clasp, Lab-Grown Stones and the Pairs Worth Wearing

In November 2019, Meg Strachan started a jewelry company on her own. She was a Connecticut native living in Los Angeles, with sixteen-plus years in e-commerce behind her, and she named the brand Dorsey after her grandmother. Dorsey was a vintage collector who wore mostly costume jewelry from the '20s and '30s that looked like fine jewelry, and who taught her granddaughter that the first thing to check on any piece is the clasp. I find that a lovely place to begin a story about earrings.

 

That grandmother is also why Strachan went to lab-grown stones. Her argument is plain: lab-grown diamonds are molecularly identical to mined ones, so of course they are real, and the better question is whether a stone is mined or lab-grown. The brand launched with sapphires as a diamond alternative, and it later added moissanite and 14K lab diamond. Dorsey earrings are where that point of view gets small and wearable, and it shows in the ear.

 

The first group is the longest and the most dressed up. In my fashion dreams, a woman steps off a late October train in a camel coat and the long Sylvie rivière in moissanite swings three inches from her ear, with the short Sylvie in sterling silver for the days she wants less movement. The Josephine rivière sits on a leverback huggie, which I would wear with a turtleneck and a gray wool skirt. The Porter pear-cut in white sapphire and the Henrietta 4-stone drop suit a black dress at a holiday dinner. I went deeper on a related idea in Denim Dress Guide: Midis, Minis and Shirt Styles Worth Wearing Now.

 

Tip: turn your head side to side in the mirror and listen for how a long line moves. If it catches your collar, take the short Sylvie.

Studs are where Dorsey's old-jewelry upbringing shows most. The Bronwyn borrows from Art Deco's architectural instincts, and it comes in pear, round and asscher cuts, each with a pavé border that echoes the stone. I would pick the cut that repeats the shape of your face the least, so a round face takes the asscher and a long one takes the round.

 

The Classic Martini in moissanite is the plain, bright one, offered in sizes from small to very large, and it is the pair I would wear every day with a white tee and denim. The Marie, in round or oval cut, floats just below the lobe on a fine wire with a seamless leverback. The Hendry bar stud, in round or pear cut, is the one to wear solo or stacked with a second hole, with the bar giving it a modern line.

 

Dorsey's founder was taught to look at settings and clasps first, so do the same. Check that the backs are secure, that the prongs sit low enough to stay clear of a knit, and that the gold vermeil or sterling silver matches whatever else you wear on your hands.

 

What I would skip: the largest Martini size with a thick cowl neck, where the stone and the knit compete.

Huggies are the earrings I would reach for with October's layers, because they sit tight under a scarf and a hat. The Pavé Huggie in moissanite comes in 8, 10 and 12 millimeters, in 18K gold vermeil or sterling silver, and the smallest size is the one that disappears under hair.

 

Step up to 14K and it changes. The Plain Huggie in 14K white gold is a clean ring that works every day, and the Double Pear-Cut and the Illusion Huggie, both in lab diamond, add a little drama without leaving the ear. The Floating Round and Pear and the Graduated Floating huggies have lab diamonds linked with platinum loops, and I would wear them as a single, on a second piercing, with a short crop or a low bun. The Pear-Cut in deep lab emerald belongs here too, as the one green note.

 

Dorsey pairs this with a point of view: lab-grown diamonds are real, just not mined. That makes the gold-and-diamond huggies easy to wear daily. I would still try the hinge by opening and closing it a few times, and look at how it sits against your lobe when you lie on one side.

 

What I would skip: stacking three different huggie finishes in one ear, since the gold vermeil and the white gold will fight.

The statement pairs show where Dorsey's reputation began. Bella Hadid wore a pair of Dorsey earrings to the 2022 Met Gala, and the company only found out afterward. The Crawford, in lab white sapphire with 18K gold-coated brass, is the oversized one with Art Deco in it, and the Petite Crawford is its smaller sibling, for anyone who wants the shape with less swing.

 

The Inès is stone-led. The emerald-cut lab diamond in 14K white gold is the dressy one, and the Asscher-cut moissanite in sterling silver has a half-bezel frame that keeps the square silhouette sharp. The Porter cushion-cut in moissanite and 18K gold vermeil is a softer, rounder choice, and the Cecilia, in sizes from small to very large, goes best with a plain neckline. The Lucien latchback in moissanite and sterling silver is the one I would pack for a weekend away, since the latchback stays put. In my fashion dreams, a woman at a wedding in a black velvet slip wears the Alienor cushion-cut in champagne lab diamond and nothing else at her neck.

 

Test the weight: swing your head fast and see whether a lobe tugs. A latchback or leverback holds a heavy stone better than a plain post.

 

What I would skip: a statement pair with a hairstyle that covers the ear completely.

Color is where Dorsey's stone range gets playful. The Pavé Pear-Drop Huggie comes in lab emerald in sterling silver, lab blue sapphire in 18K gold vermeil, and lab yellow sapphire in the same gold vermeil. I would wear the emerald with an olive sweater, the blue with a navy coat, and the yellow sapphire with brown suede and a cream knit.

 

The Alienor pieces are one-of-a-kind lab diamonds in amber and cognac, both in 14K yellow gold, and they float just under the lobe on a fine wire. Those are the warm browns that suit rust and chocolate in October. The 14K Lucien latchback in deep lab emerald is the richest of the green ones, and the Hendry bar stud and the Porter pear-cut in honey moissanite give a softer, golden hint.

 

Dorsey began with sapphires, and its white sapphire pieces became the best-selling SKU. That makes the color range a natural next step rather than a gimmick.

 

Check a colored stone in daylight and under an indoor light, because emerald and honey can shift. Hold it against your sleeve and see if you like the match.

 

What I would skip: colored earrings with a heavily printed top, where the stone gets lost.

I would pick a pair in this order. Decide what you already wear on your hands, then decide if you want a stud, a huggie or a long line. After that, choose the stone: moissanite for a bright, daily pair, lab diamond in 14K if the pair is going to live in your ears for years.

 

My first pair would be the short Sylvie in silver for dressing up, and a Pavé Huggie for everything else. Then I would add one color, the emerald, for a coat with a quiet collar.

 

Dorsey was started by a woman who learned from her grandmother to check the clasp first. It is still the best advice I know for earrings.