So. How did it all start? And with what gender? Hmmm? Well. earrings
and ear piercings are one of the earliest forms of body modification.
And. it would appear. it started with men. Evidence for this dates
back to ancient Persia. So ladies. we had 'em before you.
And then we pop along to Biblical times. Exodus 32:1-4 and I
paraphrase. While Moses was up on the mountain the Israelites
demanded that Aaron make them a god. Bring me your sons’ and
daughters’ earrings (among other things) he says. Nothing but the
best for his people. And by this time the sexes of the earring
wearers were mixed.
Forward we go. to the 1590’s and the English Renaissance. It was
known that lusty courtiers and gentlemen of courage wore earrings of
gold and pearls and gems in their lobes. Sailors also wore them. but
for them it signified they had sailed around the world. or at least
the equator. But there was a pragmatic value too. Should they drown
at sea and then have their bodies wash up on shore. the earrings
would serve as payment for a proper burial.
Also. trekking back to ancient Greece. earrings often served as
payment to Charon-the-ferryman to provide passage across the river
Styx to Hades. If I understand this correctly. if you don’t pay
Charon. you don’t go to hell. Ah well now… Life as well as death
is–apparently–fraught with incalculable decisions.
By the 50’s and 60’s the practice of wearing earrings in a hole poked
in one’s ear re-emerged. And home remedies surfaced. Teenage girls
held ear piercing parties at home. I interject here with my own
personal opinion as concerns this type of barbarism. No way in hell
would I ever let someone stick a pin in my ear to make a hole it in.
They used safety pins sterilized with alcohol. They used sewing
needles with the thread attached. It went like this. You threaded the
needle. You grabbed the ear. You placed a potato behind the ear. You
stuck the needle through the ear and into the potato (I assume this
guaranteed the prevention of said needle going inadvertently and
merrily on its headlong journey and perhaps finally settling
somewhere in the side of your neck and into your throat. Then. you
would remove needle from thread and let thread dangle through hole…
thereby preventing closure. At this point quite frankly. I’d rather
be circumcised while awake.
And so. now that you know most of what you ever wanted to know. I
bring you a pair of antique gold Italian earrings.
These earrings are described as being especially exuberant. The
ornamentation consists of a thin layer of elongated shapes with
convex borders and adorned with climbing vines of ivy. the artwork of
which is represented in the main body of the jewelry.
Descending from the central pendants of the earrings are the
figurative and symbolic heads of women. they themselves being
decorated with earrings and with flowers in the hair.
Four chains ending in blended globules form the central parts of the
pendant. all forming equal blended shapes.
So. you wanna see? You know where. Home page: tyler-adam.com. Left
hand menu. Click on Tidbits.
And there ya have it. That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark