Men and Earrings: Its not an Oxymoron

Well, putting on earrings, as several people believed and still believe, is not merely restricted to women. If scintillating studs beautified with various colors can turn a plain Jane into a glamor princess then simple yet voguish studs or hoops can, very unmistakably, enhance a man's look. In historical times, men's earrings were looked at as an art form. This is writ large on the nineteenth century sculpted images of men with earrings, in particular of Persian origin, showed on walls of palace. In other areas as well, including India and Egypt, spiritual leaders, kings and pharaohs respectively were found flaunting men's earrings. Earrings for men were also common in Babylonia and Assyria for showing their status in society.

At one time, metallic men's earrings were looked at to protect a person from unholy spirits. Such historic traditions exhibit why gold and silver hoops were among the most preferred men's earring style. Ear Lobes were perhaps man's first choice in body piercing. In 1991, the oldest mummified body on earth was excavated in a Glacier in Austria. According to the tests carried out, the body was more than five thousand years in age; it had pierced ears with holes enlarged to 7 mm to 11 mm in diameter.

In the west, the fascination of earrings among womenfolk can perhaps be traced back to the 1920s in Western part of Europe. As for men's earrings in the west, ear piercing started to gain popularity towards the mid-20th century. Earlier, ear piercing was performed with the help of safety pins for making holes in the ears. However, in past few decades better procedures are being employed for instance ear guns to set in earrings in peoples' ears. Furthermore, during the flamboyant 1980s, men's earrings became popular even among the renowned musicians, performers, entertainers and athletes frequently flaunting them. Usually, two types of men's earrings can be purchased in the marketplace - studs and hoops.

As ear piercing for gentlemen started to get trendsetting, almost all of them were found wearing a single stud in only 1 ear. In that era, it was viewed as a taboo for males to sport studs or hoops in both of their ears, or in just right ear. However, today you would find a number of gentlemen with more such holes in their ears than even some women! There are some people who think that men's earrings denote homosexualism. In fact many straight males simply like to sport earrings. Ear piercing is, in fact, a more or less cosmopolitan practice for both women and men; it is only in the western world that some people viewed it as feminine.

In the past, men jeweled themselves with elaborate earrings even in the western world. E.g., during the Elizabethan era numerous well-known menfolk including Sir Walter Raliegh, Francis Drake and Shakespeare wore gold earrings. It is argued, eversince the Roman Republic turned more effeminate with luxury and wealthiness, earrings became more popular among men than women!

Nowadays, it's not just well-dressed urbanizes who are seen wearing men's jewelery, indeed, in the streets, men's earrings are thought to symbolize strength. Several people think men's earrings play up a man's sexuality, while retaining masculinity, ofttimes making a man appear voguish and a lot snazzier. Be it diamond, gold, platinum, semi-precious stones, or even silver, men's earrings have become important pieces of mens jewelery.

This article was written by Alex Knight on behalf of Homme Rock who are a men's jewelery store, with a wide range of modern designer cufflinks.