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Audio quality and ergonomic fit are undoubtedly the main qualities audiophiles would expect from good earphones. Reassurance of not being misplaced is equally important for good design of in-the-ear headphones. But having a pair of earbuds that come with boast style statement is a real jackpot for true music lovers.

Designed by Yibai Science & Technology from Shenzen, award-winning Jade Culture Earphone Jue 20 doubles as both jewelry and earphones. As earphones, they are designed keeping in mind the ergonomic comfort while listening to music for an extended duration of time. The earbuds use the “half-ring in-ear” wearing method and sit comfortably and stably in the ear.

The earphones are equipped with magnets. So when not in use, they easily lock together to take the form of a necklace pendant that is suspended by the tethering wire. As an additional bonus, this solution minimizes chances of the earbuds accidentally falling down.

The design team gave the earbuds a modern sculptural shape. The high-polished finish in emerald green and gold color options gives the device a sophisticated appearance that looks stylish as both jewelry and when worn in the ear as earphones. Laser-etched letters make it easy to distinguish between the left and right ears.

Designed to turn tech into fashion accessories, NOVA H1 earphones continue this new trend of electronic jewelry. Developed by NOVA Products GmbH, a startup based in Munich, this wearable device looks like pearl-studded earrings and is designed to be worn in the same way.

Named Audio Earrings, the product uses NOVA’s patented Direction Sound technology to channel audio right into your ear without blocking your hearing. This means the user can hear audio from the NOVA H1 as well as from the world around. Although the H1 doesn’t compare to earphones sitting sealed within the ear, the makers claim to have reduced the audio leakage to an absolute minimum.

In other ways, the H1 works just like conventional TWS earbuds. A touch panel on the back of the earrings registers touch inputs, letting the user control listening experience or interact with the smartphone’s voice AI.

Available in gold and silver variants and studded with real freshwater pearls, the H1 can be worn either on earlobes or placed within any other piercing on the ear. For those who do not have their ears pierced, the earbuds come in clip-on variants too.

To provide the user comfort of wearing earrings without feeling their weight on your ears, the H1 weigh as little as 7g each. The battery lasts 3.5 to 4.5 hours, which can be extended to 18 hours when used with the rather classy charging case that comes with the product.

Earbugs by New Jersey-based multidisciplinary design studio All Design Lab do not boast a resemblance to a piece of jewelry but nevertheless have an outstanding ear-hugging shape that extends the traditional compact shape of wireless in-ear earbuds. Named Earbugs, the product combines the advantages of an earphone, bone-conducting audio accessories, and over-the-ear headphones. They stay in place and come with bone conducting technology for superior transparency mode thus creating a new hearing experience in an ultra-portable package.

The team explains that they drew inspiration from the clean outer texture and detailed bumpy appearance on the underbelly of parasites. Upon discovering how these tiny creatures utilize the body of their hosts, they found it to be an interesting tie-in to how this concept would use bone conductive technology to create a larger sound stage.

Like the inspiration, the ergonomically shaped Earbugs have a smooth outer appearance fitting the ear’s natural shape and features a detailed inner wall with a fading abrasive texture used to indicate to the user where the bone conduction technology takes place.

Although Earbugs is only a concept developed by the team to exercise their design skills and imagine different ideas without strict constraints, the design could be well-suited for fitness ad outdoor enthusiasts if brought into production.