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What were the earliest functions of earrings?
Necklaces were used to symbolize wealth and status; earrings, however, were worn to symbolize service to a higher authority. Excavated walls of ancient Persia drafted soldiers wearing earrings, and early Africans were marked as slaves by having their ears pierced to a severe extent that they can not be removed without causing irreversible damage.
Among sailors, earrings denote that the wearer has travelled around the world or crossed the equator. However, its primary function was more of religious in nature than a status of achievement. Sailors typically wore gold earrings so when they meet perils at sea and are washed ashore, whoever finds their body would be "rewarded" with giving them a proper Christian burial. In ancient Greece, gold earrings were buried with the Deceased so they may pay Charon to ferry them across the river to Hades.
In India, children get their ears pierced before they turn five years old in a religious ceremony. Evil spirits were thought to enter body openings and earrings made of metal and gemstones with healing properties were considered a way to prevent this from happening.
How did the use of earrings evolve from their stark beginnings?
Today, handcrafted earrings are worn as simply adornments or fashion statements. Apart from the Indo-Aryan belief that earrings were a way to ward off evil, Kanphata yogis of India started wearing earrings as a symbol of initiation into the sect. This ever became a tradition, and later, a fashion.
In Rome, jewelry was worn to ward off the "Evil Eye," envious stares of people who were less in social status and wealth. This was also true with the ancient Greeks. When both empires declined, the tradition was transported on in neighboring territories, but with different functions.
In Asian cultures, handcrafted earrings were usually made of synthetic stones to alleviate headaches. This practice persists to this day. Eastern medicine believes that minerals are containers of energy, and gemstones can redirect the flow of energy in the body.
In Europe, the availability of gem stones and minerals have increased to the popularity of jewelry, and earrings along with other ornaments were worn as symbols of wealth and social status. This declined during the Dark Ages because wearing jewelry was scorned upon, but reemerged during the Renaissance when prominent figures of the time, like Shakespeare, wore them. This was so because the costume of the time dictated rising collars and, among women, hair worn up. The dresses, from collar to hem, were elaborate, so the need for necklaces fell out of vogue. This time, earrings were the most sensible pieces of jewelry to tie up the outfit together.
What are the types of earrings today?
Handcrafted earrings today are largely customized or mass-manufactured for adornment and self-expression purposes. Where the ear is pierced is usually a statement of personality, because earrings can be worn eight different ways (not just in ear lobes). Here, earrings come in various forms appropriate to where they are attached:
Clip-on: These earrings are meant for people who do not want to go through the hassles of piercing. Instead, clip-on earrings use mechanical pressure to hold them in place around the earlobe;
Magnetic: These earrings mimic the look of pierced stud earrings by attaching to the earlobes with a magnetic back;
Stick-on: These earrings are similar to the magnetic type, but use adhesives instead;
Spring hoop: Earrings that are put in place by means of spring force. They look similar to standard hoop earrings;
Ear Hook: Earrings that are similar in appearance to fish hooks and are worn dangled;
Hoop: Earrings that thread over the earlobes where the ears are pierced. Hoop earrings can be further designed to contain dangles that can be hung from the hoop;
Ear screws: Earrings that can be screwed anywhere in the lobe and are intended for people who find clips painful.
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