All You Ever Wanted To Know About Earrings But Were Afraid to
Ask
It is thought that earrings date back to 3000 BC where they
originated in Asia and appeared in 2 formats, one being the
simple hoop earring and the other the more elaborate pendant
earring. The oldest earrings ever found by archaeologists were
discovered in royal graves in Iraq and date back to around 2500
BC. Gold, silver and bronze hoop earrings have also been found
dating back to 2000 BC in Crete. In those days it was customary
to bury jewellery with the dead. In 16th century in the New
Kingdom of ancient Egypt a type of earring called an earplug
became fashionable and these fitted snugly into a wide stretched
hole in the earlobe. This type of piercing is seen on the
sculpture of Tutankhamen. Poverty in the Dark ages meant that
work with precious metals dwindled although some goldsmiths
preserved designs that were to later emerge in 7th century
Greece. The most popular earrings then there were the pendant
type and they often featured a bird or likenesses of the gods
Eros and Nike. In the 2nd century during the Roman Empire,
earrings became a popular way for rich women to show off their
wealth and the use of precious gemstones in the jewellery also
became more popular. During the Middle Ages, earrings became
less popular and practical due to the popularity of elaborate
hairstyles and headdresses. In fact for a time it was considered
immoral for respectable married woman not to have their heads
covered in public. In 16th century Italy, hairstyles changed
with hair being swept away from the face leaving ears exposed
although for another 100 years things stayed the same in
England, Spain and France with the wearing of high collars
keeping earrings out of fashion. By the 17th century, earrings
became very fashionable accessory for the well dressed lady
across the whole of Europe. One of the most popular designs of
those times were the very large heavy pendant type earrings
called girandoles which were great favourites of Queen Victoria.
These earrings required a substantial amount of precious metals
and gemstones and so were very heavy, which meant that most
people that wore them suffered from elongated earlobes. Although
earrings were popular with wealthy people throughout the ages,
they were also popular with poorer people who adopted their own
styles which were less elaborate and made from less expensive
materials. It wasn't until the 20th century that earrings were
completely revolutionised. Different fittings appeared such as
screw and clip on as well as those for pierced ears and it also
became the norm for women to wear earrings in the day and not
just for special occasions. The 1960's marked a massive change
for the wearing of earrings when designs became completely
unrestrained and it became common to see men also wearing
earrings although most only usually wear one earring. Women
began to collect earrings and with so many designs available the
choices were endless. Today the choice is even greater and the
popularity of earrings increases with many people now having
more than one set of piercings in which to display their
jewellery. Modern materials such as titanium and different types
of plastics have also become popular in the making of earrings
because of their lightness, design possibilities and in the case
of titanium because of its hypoallergenic qualities. There is
now a never ending choice of different types of earrings from
modern trendy cheap and cheerful everyday earrings to the more
expensive gold, silver or platinum earrings inlaid with diamonds
and other precious gemstones.