TangoPony: The Golden Boy was an Earring Wearing Trendsetter

Earring wearing is documented back to 2500 B.C.E. In many ancient cultures, earrings were reserved for royalty ... like the original golden boy, King Tut.

I'm the Golden Boy.

Throughout the Dark, Middle and Enlightened ages, earring wearing for women was dependent on the visibility of the ear. High, ear-covering collars meant no earrings.

Earrings, schmearings! I can barely move.

Elaborate wigged updo's brought out lobe to shoulder jewels.

You can't see them, but my little dog is wearing earrings too.

In the early part of the 20th century, Victorians thought piercing the ears was barbaric and uncouth. As bad as saying "sex" or "pregnant" out loud.

You can't make me say it or do it and don't even try to look at my ears.

As the Victorians eventually got over themselves, hairstyles swept upward, ugly bonnets came off and earrings were popular once again.

Screw backs were invented, allowing women freedom to choose styles and shapes of earrings that were comfortable to wear. With the surge of the Roaring '20s Art Deco style, women wore long chandelier, angled and straight designs.

Screw backs do have a downside .... screwing the little screw tight enough to keep the earring on, but loose enough to be comfortable is tricky. I had a pair of small pearl screw backs in the 1950's and I rarely escaped without throbbing earlobes. The pearls never made it through Sunday dinner … I always took them off on the way home from church.

Clip on earrings arrived on the scene in the 1930's and were a big improvement over screw backs. As hairdos climbed shorter following World War II, earrings filled that space from hair to shoulder.