EarringsAn earring is a piece of
jewelery that is worn on the ear. Earrings are often made out of metal but
can also be made out of bone or similar hard material. Earrings are worn by
both genders, although they are generally more commonly worn by women.
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, glass, precious stones and beads. Earring designs can range from
small loops or studs to large plates or dangling items. Earring 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, similar to, but much less severe than circumcision.
Although not as common as with females, ear piercing among males has also
become popular in North America and Europe.
Modern standard pierced earrings
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 360o. 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.
Slave earrings - A rarely seen type of earring is the slave 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.
Permanent earrings
Whereas most earrings worn in the Western world are designed to
be removed fairly easily to be changed at will, earrings can also be
permanent (non-removable). They were once used as a mark of slavery or
ownership (e.g., see Ex.21:2-6). They appear today in the form of larger
gauge rings which are difficult or impossible for the wearer to remove
without assistance. Occasionally, hoop earrings are permanently installed by
the use of solder, though this poses some risks due to toxicity of metals
used in soldering and the risk of burns from the heat involved. Besides
permanent installations, locking earrings are occasionally worn by people of
both genders, due to their personal symbolism or erotic value.
Body piercing jewelry used as earrings
Body piercing jewelry is often used for ear piercings, and is
selected for a variety of reasons including the availability of larger
gauges, better piercing techniques, and a disdain for mainstream jewelry.
Ball closure rings - Ball closure rings, also known as captive bead rings,
or CBRs, are a style of body piercing jewelry that is an almost 360o ring
with a small gap for insertion through the ear. The gap is closed with a
small bead that is held in place by the ring's tension. Larger gauge ball
closure rings exhibit considerable tension, and may require ring expanding
pliers for insertion and removal of the bead.
Barbells - Barbells are comprised of a straight piece of metal, with a bead
permanently fixed to one end. The other end is threaded, either externally
or tapped with an internal thread, and the other bead is screwed into place
after the barbell is inserted through the ear. Since the threads on
externally threaded barbells tend to irriate the piercing, internal threads
have become the most common variety.
Circular rings - Circular rings are similar to ball closure rings, except
that they have a larger gap, and have a permanently attached bead at one
end, and a threaded bead at the other, like barbells. This allows for much
easier insertion and removal than with ball closure rings, but at the loss
of a continuous look.
Flesh plugs - Flesh plugs are short cylinders. Some plugs have flared ends
to hold them in place, others require small elastic rubber rings ("O-rings")
to keep them from falling out. They are usually used in large gauge
piercings.
Flesh tunnels - Flesh Tunnels, also known as eyelets, are similar to flesh
plugs, only they are hollow in the middle. Flesh tunnels are most commonly
used in larger gauge piercings either because weight is a concern to the
wearer or for aesthetic reasons.
Earrings
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