The latch-back earring, sometimes catalogued as a snap-back or huggie closure, uses a short hinged wire that swings up through the lobe and clicks into a fixed catch on the back of the earring body. The mechanism appeared in late nineteenth-century European manufacturing as makers sought a closure that would not unscrew under hair, scarves, or telephone receivers, and it has since become the dominant fitting for hoop earrings, small drops, and J-hook designs intended for daily wear.

Mechanically, the assembly is straightforward. A short post is hinged at one end of the earring's outer arc; the free end carries a small bend or hook that engages a notch milled into the rear face of the earring head. Spring tension holds the latch closed, and the wearer opens the earring by pulling the latch out of its catch. Because the closure travels through the piercing on a curved path rather than threading straight through, the latch-back distributes weight along the lower lobe and reduces the forward tilt that screw-backs and friction backs can produce on heavier pieces.

For trade purposes the latch-back is specified by the gauge of its hinge wire (commonly 0.7 to 0.9 millimetre in 14k gold), the length of the swing arm, and the precision of the catch's notch. A loose catch will release under movement; an overtight one stresses the hinge pin and eventually fatigues the metal. Quality houses test the closure by counting cycles to failure, with reputable manufacturers specifying several thousand open-and-close operations before the spring action degrades.

The latch-back is the standard fitting on diamond hoop earrings, on emerald-cut or pear-shape drops too small to warrant a French-wire shepherd hook, and on huggie hoops sized to hug the lobe. It is generally not used for very heavy drops, where a post-and-Omega clip or a screw-back distributes weight more reliably.