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An ear thread is a type of ear wire finding made with fine chain, a small segment of straight 21 or 22 gauge wire soldered to the chain, and an open jump ring or other method to attach a bead,such as simply sliding the bead on the ear thread down to a straight piece of wire.
 
Ear wires are held in place by the friction of the segment of chain with the wearer's ear lobe. This can be a disadvantage as it limits the beads that can be attached to the ear thread to relatively light beads. The advantage to this type of ear wire is that you get a long earring with a lot of motion when worn.