Earrings have been worn by both males and females for thousands of years, elegantly showcasing the brilliance and brightness of coloured precious stones. But then how did we get to the point that individuals had to get their ears pierced?
Let's discover the past history of earrings in this article, including the numerous designs, Bronze Age origins, and ongoing development. You've come to the perfect page if you're curious to know about antique earrings and how the fashions changed.
Introduction To Men's Earrings
The history of men’s earrings came into light around 5,000 years ago. A Europen person named Otzi, froze in the Alps around 3300 BC. As per an archelogy survey, his body was frozen and his ears had holes as he used to wear hefty earrings.
This discovery predates the earliest recorded cases of people wearing earrings by a thousand years earlier than previously assumed.
Vintage Earrings
Though Otzi was known as the first man to wear earrings, he was not the only male in the olden history who love to adorn earlobes with stunning earrings. According to an archaeological survey, it has been found that hoop earrings were quite popular among men in several regions of Asia and the Middle East around 4,000 years before.
Even, though some evidence shows that the Ancient Persians left engravings portraying troops donning earrings.
Ancient Egyptians And Earrings
Pharaos were the first to wear earrings. The Egyptians used to wear decorative gold earrings embedded with colourful and bright precious stones such as turquoise and Lazuli during the year 1650 BC.
Egypt is quite famous for mummies. As per the archaeological department, the mummies of Pharaoh were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb in the year 1923. Ear piercing was very much in trend at that time and Pearl earrings were the all-time favourite among royals of that period.
Revolutionary Change In Earrings From The Period Of Buddha To Romans
Earrings have always been associated with rank and money. Portraits of the Buddha, for instance, usually show buddha with long earlobes but no piercings, implying that he formerly wore big earrings but eventually gave them up to enhance his spiritual path.
Earrings were worn by both men and women in early Roman History. During Julius Caesar's era, they were popular, with the respected ruler occasionally sporting a single earring. Consequently, as the Roman Empire spread, ideas of earrings shifted from unisex ornament to a primarily feminine accessory.
During Roman Era, earrings were the symbol of richness and style among royals and rich people. They used to wear earrings to show off their grandeur lifestyle. Only the high-class community could buy an exclusive gemstone, gold and semi-precious stone earrings.
Middle Age
During the Middle Ages- necklaces, pendants, and brooches were quite popular. Though earrings were not much into fashion because fashionistas used to wear huge hats, long coats, stoles, high collared tops and ears were hidden by fancy hairstyles.
When the Church outlawed ear piercing in the 13th century, dissident crooks and members of the lower class began to wear earrings more often.
The Renaissance era saw a revival of earring fashion, aided by voguish short haircuts. Upper-class girls once again flocked to rare jewels, with pearls considered the fashionable zenith of the time. Men, too, returned to the battlefield, with renowned personalities like William Shakespeare, Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake portrayed donning an earring.
Georgian Era
Girandole earrings were quite popular in the Georgian period with their particular design constituting a unique gemstone embeded with the other jewels imitating hanging earrings.
The rich aspect of the girandole was enhanced with filigree metalwork and tiny accent stones, resulting in an exquisite yet bold design. Their popularity grew as haircuts of the day favoured asymmetrical designs that totally exposed the ears.
Coloured gemstones such as ruby, sapphire, emerald, and garnet were also popular, but it wasn't until the finding of diamonds and developments in mining technology that the gem's desirability soared.
Victorian Era
Earrings were less fashionable as the Victorian age-progressed since stylish coiffures covered the ears. Yet, there was also another upsurge about 1860, when tassel cut earrings became popular.
Queen Victoria wore lengthy earrings encrusted with jewels, creating fashion trends for people who admired her across Britain and Europe. Diamonds' popularity continued to increase, as it had in the previous period, thanks to improved cutting techniques.
Art Nouveau and Art Deco Era
The contrasted geometrical and natural designs of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco trends had an impact on the period's jewellery, which attracted large numbers of lifestyle conscious socialites. Before smaller designs worn close to the earlobe made a comeback in the 1930s, heavier tear drop earrings reached new heights of fame in the 1920s.
Customers clamoured for jewels like lapis lazuli, onyx, and jet as bold styles and solid colours were in fashion.
By the middle of the 20th century, conventional ear piercing had made a comeback, because of Queen Elizabeth II. The powerful queen revived the practice by getting her ears pierced so she could flaunt her diamond bridal earrings.
Contemporary Earrings
Earrings became a must-have accessory during the 1960s vogue surge when showy designs worn with straight haircuts and clothing patterns were fashionable.
Contemporary ear-piercing techniques, however, weren't generally accessible on the high street until the 1970s; before that, it was the domain of physicians, hospitals, or dangerous at-home treatments. The 1970s brought forth a more delicate appearance as well as alternate earlobe styles and several piercings in the same ear.
Earrings In The New Millennium
Surprisingly, the new century did not usher in any latest trends, with jewellers opting to modernise traditional styles and keep things simple. Designers, on the other hand, have recently reverted to uncut diamond earrings rather than imitation gemstones or plain metalwork.
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