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There are various claims as to which culture produced the earliest earrings. Some say they were produced by the Persians others say the Greeks then again others say by the Egyptians but a recent archaeological site in China at Xinglongwa in Chifeng city in Inner Mongolia produced earrings which are estimated have been made between 5500 and 6000 BC i.e. during the Neolithic period. In Egypt the mummified remains of a man show him wearing earrings and dates from about 3000 BC. In Persia the walls of Persepolis show soldiers wearing earrings (ear plugs) but these walls cannot be older than about 500 BC. There are countless examples in the applied arts and paintings showing earrings being worn from very early times to the present day. There have been periods when they temporarily went out of fashion, but for most of known humankind history they have been very popular and used in nearly every major civilization. In India for example earrings were used by the Kanphata Yogis a sect of Saiva ascetics who split their ears and wore large earrings made of agate or horn. It would be possible to give endless examples of historical depictions of earrings from just about every country.
Through the ages earrings were sometimes worn by both sexes; to enhance beauty often to display wealth and sometimes as talismans. It is thought that some of our most famous Englishmen such as Shakespeare, Drake and Raleigh used their earrings to demonstrate they were out of the ordinary. More recently in the West earrings are worn to denote sexual preference.
On our website we hope to build up a collection of earrings in many different styles, made of different materials and from many countries. There will be a wide price range. Initially, we have sourced a large collection of handmade earrings from Sri Lanka, however, that is only a starting point. We have already on display very attractive and fashionable earrings designed and made by Andrew Prince who is a very popular and well known designer. We will be introducing antique earrings over a period of time.
When possible the enlarged image will show the earrings being modelled.