Earrings
An earring is a piece of jewelry that is worn on the ear. They are worn by both genders, although until recently in western cultures, they were more typically worn by women, but are making a comeback in males.
Earrings are attached to the ear through a piercing in the earlobe or some other external part of the ear, except in the case of a clip earring, which clips onto the lobe. Common locations other than the earlobe for piercings include the rook, tragus, or across the helix. The simple term "ear piercing" usually refers to an earlobe piercing, whereas piercings in the upper part of the external ear are often referred to as "cartilage piercings." Cartilage piercings are more complex to perform than earlobe piercings, and take longer to heal.
Earring components can be made out of any number of materials, including metal, plastic, glass, precious stones and beads. Designs can range from small loops or studs to large plates or dangling items. The size is generally limited by the physical capacity of the earlobe to hold the earring without tearing. People who habitually wear heavy earrings may find that over time, the earlobe and piercing stretch.
Earrings are worn around the world in most cultures, both currently and historically. In many cultures, it is common to pierce the ears of young girls soon after birth. This has become somewhat controversial because of its involuntary nature. Although not as common as with females, ear piercing among males has also become popular in North America and Europe.
Ear piercing is one of the oldest known forms of body modification, with artistic and written references from cultures around the world dating back to early history. One of the early signs of earrings worn by males are from the walls of Persepolis in ancient Persia, the carved images of the soldiers from various parts of the Persian Empire which are displayed on some of the surviving walls of the palace shows the soldiers wearing an ear ring. The Greeks sometimes put ear rings on statues.
One of the earliest illustrations showing a pearl earring is the one in the ear of Julia, the daughter of Titus, incised on a splendid aqua�marine in the Biblioth�que Nationale. So large and heavy were the earrings worn in Rome that there were women known as auriculce ornatrices, special doctresses whose sole occupation was the healing of ear tumors and of injured or infected ears.
Historically speaking, the wearing of earrings is, along with the animistic origins of the Saiva and other Indo-Aryan religions, of great antiquity. There seems little doubt that the wearing of earrings by men, as well as women, was originally, amongst the Indo-Europeans, of an adherence to animistic or idolatrous practice involving elements of Chaldean theology, which spread both east and west. It was forbidden by a simple analysis of Genesis 35:4. Despite its eradication by Jacob, the wearing of earrings appears to have crept back into use during the Egyptian captivity. The cessation of the practice with Moses appears to have lasted for an indeterminate period with amulets in general going underground or, more correctly, under garment. Most of the Anglo-Saxon people no longer understand the origin of the practice.
The wearing of jewellery generally appears to have stemmed from the same practice as that of earrings - namely, as amulets against the spirits, and the serpent amulet was the most prominent form. This was associated with the crescent moon or the whole rounded form as a circle.
The clearest example of the original intention as an animistic fetish is found in the practice of the Kanphata Yogis of India, a sub-sect of Saiva ascetics named from the practice of splitting their ears and placing a large earring made of agate, horn or glass, about two and a quarter ounces in weight, in the ear as a symbol of their initiation.
In southern India, most children, both boys and girls, will get their ears pierced in religious ceremony before they are about 5 years old. Infants may get their ears pierced as early as seven months.
The oldest earrings ever unearthed by archaeologists were discovered in Iraq in the royal graves and date to about 2,500 BC. Back to 3000 BC there were two types of earrings: the hoop, and the more elaborate pendant. From 1559 B.C. to 1085 B.C. in Egypt earplugs became very fashionable. These types of piercings and earrings are seen even on King Tutankhamen.
In the Dark Ages poverty prevailed and metal jewelry sharply declined although designs were preserved for later use. During the Roman Empire wealthy women used earrings to show off their rich status. By the 2nd century AD gemstones such as sapphires, emeralds, and aquamarines were used regularly.
During the Byzantine period, which ran from 330-1200 AD, earrings took a back burner to more elaborate body ornamentation. In the Middle Ages earrings become almost non-existent because of the elaborate hairstyles, and headdresses that were ever so popular.
During the 16th century in Italy high collars disappeared and hair was being worn up and away from the face, so earrings began to make a comeback. In other parts of the world such as England and France it would be another 100 years or so before the high collars disappeared. As time progressed the design of earrings became much more complex. Around 1660 the girandole earring made its appearance remaining very popular for the next couple of centuries. The girandole earrings were extremely large and heavy because of the metal content [gold or silver] and the amount of gems. Made of 3 pear shaped drops on a hook. The weight was known to cause elongated ear lobes.
In the latter part of the 18th century the pendeloque earrings became popular. They were longer than the girandole earrings but much lighter. They were the balance for the high hairdos and big wigs that were being worn.
During the early 1800, jewelers began to mount gemstones, on an open back claw setting. This allowed the light to pass through the gems enhancing their color and brilliance. By the 1850s, earrings had once again disappeared from the fashion scene. This was once again a result of changing hairstyles. The new styles that involved wearing the hair gathered in a knot at the back resulted in the ears being totally hidden. As well bonnets had arrived on the scene which also made wearing earrings rather difficult.
During the early 20th century screw backs were invented which meant women no longer had to pierce their ears. These became very popular. Some circles even began to believe piercing ones ears was rather barbaric.
After WWI shorter hairdos became very popular. Earrings were perfect for filling the space from short hair to shoulder and once again became a popular fashion statement.
During the 1920s art deco styles took hold, recognized by their straight or angled designs. Very long chandelier earrings were also quite popular during this time, then fell into disfavor among women due to the rising popularity of clip-on earrings. There continued to be a small male following, however, particularly among sailors, where a pierced earlobe often meant that the wearer had sailed around the world or had crossed the equator. In rare instances, a pierced left earlobe could indicate a sailor's survival of a ship wreck. There was also a long-held belief that puncturing the earlobe was beneficial to increasing the acuity of eyesight (see acupuncture) or of hearing (perhaps through resonance).
During the 1930s the clip on was invented. Because clip-ons held the earring more snuggly than screw backs they became the number one choice for many years to come. Pierced ears faded into the background.
Ear piercing continued to be practiced by Western women of various cultures, e.g., Hispanic, but was less common in Anglo-based cultures until the 1960s. At that time, the practice re-emerged, but since there did not exist a commercial market, most ear piercings were done at home. Teenage girls were known to hold ear piercing parties, where they performed the procedure on one another. Such an event is depicted in the 1978 motion picture Grease, where Sandy (Olivia Newton-John), the leading lady, is pierced by her friends.
During the 1950s earrings were light and aerodynamic. By the 1960s earrings had become fun and innovative. Texture and color was very important. Prior to the 1960s earrings were dedicated to either eveningwear or day wear with the eveningwear earrings being more elegant. During the 1960s this all changed when the distinction between what was acceptable for evening or day faded away.
Ear piercing became commonly available in physician offices. Some of the earliest commercial, non-medical locations for getting an ear piercing appeared in the 1960s at Manhattan jewelry stores, although the overall commercial market was still in its infancy. By the 1970s, ear piercing was common among many females, thus creating a broader market for the procedure. Department stores throughout the country would hold ear piercing events, sponsored by earring manufacturers. At these events, a nurse or other trained person would perform the procedure, either pushing a sharpened and sterilized starter earring through the earlobe by hand, or using an ear-piercing instrument modified from the design used by physicians.
In the late 1960s, ear piercing began to make inroads into the male population through less mainstream communities. In the late 1970s, amateur piercings - often with safety pins and multiple piercings - became popular in the punk rock community. In the 1970s we had entered an "everything goes" style to earrings and pierced ears had made a comeback. Women were buying earrings in large quantities for every occasion. By the 1980s, the trend for male popular music performers to have pierced ears helped establish a fashion trend for men, which was later adopted by many professional athletes. British males started piercing both ears in the 1980s; George Michael of Wham! was a prominent example. The heavily jeweled Mr. T was an early example of an American celebrity wearing earrings in both ears, although this trend did not become popular with mainstream American males until the 1990s.
In the latter part of the 20th century, some men in Western cultures adopted the convention of piercing a single ear as a symbol of being gay; often the right ear, although this was by no means a universal convention. Men with bilateral ear piercings were relatively rare, and were sometimes interpreted as effeminate. Sometimes, men would pierce a particular side. Since the early 1990s, the concept has largely lost its significance.
Multiple piercings in one or both ears first emerged in mainstream America in the 1970s. Initially, the trend was for females to wear a second set of earrings in the earlobes, or for males to double-pierce a single earlobe. Asymmetric styles with more and more piercings became popular, eventually leading to the cartilage piercing trend.
Regardless of the type, modern standard pierced earrings have two primary means of attachment: posts and wires.
Stud earrings - The main characteristic of stud earrings is the appearance of floating on the ear or earlobe without a visible (from the front) point of connection. Studs are invariably constructed on the end of a post, which penetrates straight through the ear. The post is held in place by a removable friction back or clutch. Occasionally, the stud earring is constructed so that the post is threaded, allowing a screw back to securely hold the earring in place. This is useful in preventing the loss of expensive earrings containing precious stones or made of precious metals.
Hoop earrings - hoop earrings are circular or semi-circular in design, and look very similar to a ring. They are often constructed of metal tubing, with a thin wire attachment penetrating the ear. The hollow tubing is permanently attached to the wire at the front of the ear, and slips into the tube at the back. The entire device is held together by tension between the wire and the tube. Other hoop designs do not complete the circle, but penetrate through the ear in a post, using the same attachment techniques that apply to stud earrings. A variation is the continuous hoop earring. In this design, the earring is constructed of a continuous piece of solid metal, which penetrates through the ear and can be rotated almost 360�. One of the ends is permanently attached to a small piece of metallic tubing or a hollow metallic bead. The other end is inserted into the tubing or bead, and is held in place by tension. One special type of hoop earring is the sleeper earring. This is a very small continuous piece of (typically) gold wire which essentially hugs the base of the earlobe with the ends connecting in the back. Because their small size makes them comfortable, sleepers are sometimes worn at night to keep an ear piercing from closing.
Dangle earrings - Dangle earrings are designed to flow from the bottoms of the earlobes, and are available in various lengths from a centimeter or two, all the way to brushing the shoulders. They are generally attached to the ear by the use of thin wires, which go through the earlobe and connect to themselves in a small hook at the back. A variation is the French hook design, which merely hangs from the earlobe without closure, although small plastic retainers are sometimes used on ends of French hooks. Rarely, dangle earrings use the post attachment design.
Huggy earrings - Huggies are a popular style of earring where the setting actually 'hugs' your earlobe. These can come in different shapes and sizes, from hearts to rectangles. Many custom jewelers make huggy earrings because of the many varieties of setting that can be used to make a good template for their craft.[citation needed] Most times, stones are channel set in huggy earrings.
Slave earrings - The slave earring is also called a "Bajoran earring", which became highly popular after it appeared on Star Trek. It is a rarely seen type of earring in which a stud is connected by a delicate chain to an ear cuff (see below) or a cartilage pierce worn higher on the ear.
Ear Thread - Or Earththreader, Ear String, Threader, a chain that is thin enough to slip into the ear hole, and come back out, dangles. Sometimes, people add beads or other materials on to the chain, so the chain dangles with beads below the ear.
Ear needles - A type of plastic stick 1 mm in diameter and 1.5 cm long that goes into the ear piercing. It does not fall out because it is slightly bigger than the piercing.
Today it's difficult to find someone who doesn't have pierced ears. Today men are as interested in earrings as women. Men often prefer studs or small hoops, they may wear one earring, two or more depending on the individual's tastes. Children now get their ears pierced often at a very young age, even sometimes as babies. Women may have anywhere from one set of holes to piercings right up the ear. The fashion of earrings has come a long way over the years and its here to stay! Whatever your style, there is certain to be a pair of earrings out there for you. Be sure to make your fashion statement!
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