subject: A Short History Of The Earring As A Fashion Accessory [print this page] It is hard to imagine that earrings have been around for almost 5000 years. they can trace their history back to Asia, where the 2 original styles of earring were worn - pendant and hoop
Archaeologists working in Irag uncovered the oldest known examples of the earring which were dated to around 2500 BC.
There have also been early examples of silver, gold and bronze hoop earrings found in Crete which were estimated to be from around 2000 BC.
These earrings were found buried with human remains as this was a custom of the time.
From Egypt in the New Kingdom emerged a new style of earring which can be seen in depictions of the boy king, Tutankhamen.
The style was more of an earplug which fitted snugly into a larger, stretched hole in the earlobe
During the 2nd century, women in the Roman Empire took to displaying their wealth and prosperity through the use of rare gemstones as part of their jewellery, which increased the popularity of jewellery as a fashion item.
The elaborate hairstyles of the middle ages made earrings less important to women of this time.
This contrasted with the the syle of 16th century Italian women, who kept their hair swept back from their face, allowing them to use earrings to complement their features.
It was to be a while before other countries such as England, Spain and France followed suit, but they eventually came around
By the 17th century, women across Eurpoe had embraced the earring as an essential fashion accessory, with one of the most popular designs of that period being the very heavy pendant syle known as girandoles.
A major cause of this was the popularity of earrings with the monarch of the time, Queen Victoria. The massive dimensions of the earrings would often lead to slightly stretched eaqrlobes when they were worn for long periods of time.
As tends to happen with most things, the fact that earrings were popular with the upper class, led to them also becoming popular with the common class.
The common folk adopted their own styles which were usually less intricate and made from materials costing far less.
The 20th century saw earrings revolutionised once more, with different fittings being created and a move towards the earring being worn at all times as opposed to only on special occassions.
It also started to become more common to find males wearing earrings (generally in one ear) as a fashion statement.
Earrings have never been more popular than they are today. There are more earring options available now then there ever have been before.
They make a wonderful choice as a gift, with a wide range of colours, styles, sizes and designs to choose from.
