NEWS
at George Brown College

A piercing tradition

Only rings surpass earrings in sales

'Flower-power things' are hot

Nov. 24, 2005. 01:00 AM
ELVIRA CORDILEONE
STAFF REPORTER

Why would 17th-century Dutch artist Jan Vermeer dangle a single gigantic pearl from his model's left ear in his acclaimed Girl with a Pearl Earring?

The light dancing on the surface of the pendulous gem pulls the viewer's eye and directs attention to the pretty line of the girl's jaw and the sensuality of her plump, slightly parted pink lips.

"The ear is a very powerful canvas," says Martha Glenny, jewellery school co-ordinator at George Brown College. "And earrings are a generous embellishment, creating sensation for both wearer and viewer."

Today, earrings are the second-best-selling item of jewellery after rings, says Laura Beard, a designer, goldsmith and restorer of antique jewellery.

Bohemian dangly earrings and "bright, flower-power things" from the '60s are popular, says Beard, owner of Beardsley Enterprises.

Beard, who works out of a studio and store on Victoria St. near Dundas St. E., says pink gemstones, such as pink sapphires and diamonds, are in high demand, as is platinum and white gold.

Men are buying earrings for themselves, says Beard. They choose hoops for one or both ears, and those who can afford them select big diamond studs.

Artists have experimented with ear art over the millennia and they continue to find new ways to make jewellery adorn the body. In Scandinavia, earrings are tucked into the little fold at the top of the ear, Beard says.

Beautification hasn't always been the sole purpose of earrings. Throughout history, men, women and children wore them to indicate status. Even slaves in ancient times did this, says Glenny.

Some of the earliest surviving earrings, gold hoops and simple pendants, are from royal graves at Ur in Iraq, dating to 2500 BC, according to Earrings: From Antiquity to the Present, by Daniela Mascetti and Amanda Triossi (Thames & Hudson).

Earrings sank into oblivion for more than 1,000 years. Italian women in the 1530s were responsible for reviving the fashion. By the mid-17th century, they were not only an essential component in every European woman's wardrobe, they had evolved into complex confections.

In the early 20th century, earrings grew immensely more popular, thanks to the invention of screw fittings that clamped onto the earlobe, and women's desire to display femininity as they grappled with a post-World War I fashion for short hair and more masculine clothing.

Ear-piercing began making a comeback in the 1960s.

Reproduced with permission - Torstar Syndication Services.

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Revised: December 23, 2005