Ear Piercing
Ear piercing is one of the most commonly accepted types of body piercing, particularly if the piercing is through the ear lobe. Humans have been piercing their ears for millennia – in fact, the oldest known mummified man has his ears pierced with expanded piercings. Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Indians, Africans, Australian aboriginals, Native Americans – all pierced their ears for decorative and ritual purposes. Over the course of the last few centuries, though, ear piercing had slipped into the background in Western society. It reawakened in the early 1960s, along with the hip generation.
These days, though, we’re piercing far more than ear lobes. There are at least six unique places on the ear that can be pierced, including the helix (cartilage around the ear), the tragus (the flap of cartilage near your face), and the conch (the inner shell of the ear). While most people think of piercings through the upper ear as being a relatively easy thing, the truth is that those cartilage piercings can take up to a year to heal properly, and are more prone to complications than any other type of piercing other than the tongue.
Still, the luscious variety of jewelry available for the ears makes the slight risk more than worth it for many people – and we do mean many people. While upper ear piercings may have started as a counter culture statement of rebellion, they have become among the most socially acceptable types of body piercing, sported by everyone from elementary school teachers to rock stars.
The style of jewelry chosen for a particular piercing will often depend upon the position of the piercing. The choices include studs, rings, bars, dangles and chains. Some of the more unique ear piercing jewelry available are ear plugs and eyelets, designed to be worn through an expanded piercing in the earlobe and making the piercing itself rather than the jewelry the focus of attention. Other unusual and unique ear piercing wear include:
- Industrial piercings, a set of two or more holes designed to hold one bar or piece of jewelry
- Spiral piercings, similar to industrial piercing, but the jewelry is a spiral of metal that can be threaded through multiple holes that are precisely placed to fit it
- Slave earrings, from India, where the ear jewelry is connected by a chain to hair jewelry
- Ear cuffs designed to fit over the cartilage without piercing the ear
- Earring studs and cuffs connected by a fine chain
Ear piercings are one of the most visible of piercing sites, and they’ve inspired jewelry that runs the gamut from silly fun to stunning pieces of art. Keep in mind that even lobe piercings, which are the quickest to heal and least complex piercing, need to be treated right. Use quality jewelry that won’t irritate your body, and always clean your jewelry and your piercing well.
