You may have noticed I'm very into extra ear piercings lately. I first got a whole bunch when I was in high school, then let them close up…and then re-pierced them all over the last year or so. Right now, I have three holes in my left ear, two holes in my right, and a cartilage piercing on my upper left (plus a belly-button piercing from 1996 that's persistently uninterested in closing up despite the fact that I haven't had anything in it in a good decade).

Love them. Want more. Next up (after the baby arrives, and next time I get a chance to visit Los Angeles): a tiny stud in my tragus (which is much less pornographic than it sounds; it's the little area that projects out in front of your ear canal) and a couple more hoops in each ear. I'll probably also throw another tattoo or two on there, just for fun (and because when your family expands seems like a good time to add some commemoration in ink form).

Why do I love these extra ear piercings so much? Because I think that if you choose the right earrings for your extra piercings, they're elegant while still being (just a little bit) unexpected. What I wear are super-small, super-slim continuous (i.e. no ball closure) gold hoops that I had custom-made at Body Electric in Los Angeles - if you give them a call and describe what you want, you can have them shipped to you, but if you'd like to swap yours out every so often (or just wear tiny, adorable earrings in your regular holes), oh my goodness are there ever some cute options out there.