Safety earnut

An earnut for use with earrings of the type having a post adapted to pass through the user's earlobe with a portion of the post extending a distance beyond the posterior surface of the earlobe when the earring is worn, said earnut comprising:

• a housing including means defining a passage having entry thereto at one side of said housing for receiving said extending portion of said post and holding same with flexibly yieldable embrace, said housing further including a shield defining a housing side opposite said one side and remotely distant from the entry to said passage, said shield being disposed transversely to the axis of said passage, said passage defining means comprising a pair of confronting elongate fingers each having a longitudinally extending groove alignedly facing a like groove in the other, and connector means for connecting said fingers from positions adjacent the entry to said passage to said shield whereby said fingers can move away from and toward each other upon entry and removal, respectively, of said post portion from therebetween, said connector means comprising a tab piece having a first portion connected with its associated finger adjacent the entry to said passage and extending radially therefrom a distance, and a second integral portion extending codirectional with said passage and connected to said shield.