the.com/ear cuff

means A piece of jewelry that clips or wraps around the outer ear's cartilage, needing no piercing to stay put.

from The word itself is a plain compound — 'ear' plus 'cuff,' the latter borrowed from the sense of a cuff as a band that clasps around something (as on a sleeve or wrist). That clasping sense of 'cuff' traces back through Middle English, its earlier roots murky and disputed. The jewelry style has old threads in various cultures' ear ornaments, but 'ear cuff' as a named accessory is a modern retail-era label, popularized as fashion jewelry rediscovered the ear's upper cartilage as prime real estate.