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 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.
Written by John Lewis
of Love2Have and
Earrings
UK. Love2have specialises in quality
handcrafted designer
earrings
made here in the UK by small independent
designers.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J_Lewis
