Through the pages of history.
During excavations archaeologists find these pieces of jewelry everywhere, regardless of geography and era.
The tradition of wearing earrings originated from primitive people, they pierced ears with sharp thin curved bones, which were in the form of jewelry.
The tradition of piercing ears is one of the few examples of a rite of passage — the passage from one status to another. An earring had a symbolic purpose. And as you know, this piece of jewelry was used not only by women, but also by men.

The Egyptians and the Persians wore an earring in an ear to emphasize their high position in society. For the peoples of the Ancient East an earring was common, they were worn by nobles, rajahs and shahs. They preferred luxury gold and silver jewelry with inlays of precious stones: sapphires, rubies, emeralds or topazes.

Earrings were very popular in India. They were worn not only in ears.

The tradition of wearing rings in a nose is still popular, they symbolize the status of married women.

In the ancient times of Greece a special earring was worn by "women of easy virtue" . But the Greek women of high social status wore earrings of precious stones to emphasize their status. In the Roman Empire a special earring was the mark of a slave. Only members of the Senate and riders had the right to wear gold earrings. Free citizens could afford silver jewelry.

Times changed, and the attitude to earrings also changed. In addition to status value and magical talisman earrings became a currency. They became a way to preserve savings for emergencies. Therefore, people that risked their lives — soldiers, sailors and merchants — wore earrings of precious stones. In the event of their death away from home, the one who found their bodies had to take the earring and to bury the body according to custom. This tradition was strict for sailors, because they constantly risked their lives. Sailors also wore a new earring after a trip around the world. A new earring was also worn by those who passed the Cape of Good Hope, or, according to other sources, crossed the equator. Sailors wore an earring after crossing the equator. This sailor, by the way, had the right to put his feet on tables in the port taverns with impunity.
The Middle Ages were the most unstable period in the history of earrings. In the 18th century the Catholic Church banned piercing of ears. Earrings were worn only by thieves, robbers, pirates and gypsies. Thieves thus showed their contempt for the society. Gypsy women always wore earrings, but a boy wore an earring as a sign that he was the only son in the family. Among pirates the number of earrings matched the number of captured ships. Only with the Renaissance earrings were back in the everyday life of all classes of society and became an integral element of a lady's toilet.
Just like for other peoples, in Russia earrings were not only a piece of jewelry, but also reflected social position. The poorer segments of the population could afford only copper or wooden earrings.

Traditional earrings in Russia

Wealthy merchants could afford more expensive earrings of silver.

Silver earring with enamel

And members of princely families wore gold earrings with precious stones.

During the reign of Peter I men's earrings were not popular because they were not visible because of long wigs. They were back in fashion at the time of the empress Elizabeth, when wigs became shorter. During the reign of Paul I there was a tradition to pierce the ears of the military, and they wore women's earrings, which women gave to them for protection from stray bullets. "For my cute boyfriend — an earring from my ear," the saying goes.

Earrings with emeralds of Catherine the Great

The Cossacks also emphasized the importance of earrings. The only son of a single mother wore an earring in his left ear. The only son in a family wore an earring in the right ear. And the last member of a family wore earrings in both ears. Such a person had to be protected and rescued from danger by an ataman even during military operations.

Modern earrings is a real art. This is a medley of various materials, technologies, use of stones and other materials.

The most expensive earrings in the world!

"At an auction of the Sotheby's house in Geneva a pair of the most expensive earrings in the world were sold," reported the Telegraph. They were sold for 57 million dollars. The earrings were decorated with two pear-shaped diamonds of blue and pink color. That's why their cost was different. Both earrings were made of diamonds mined in South Africa. The blue diamond "Apollo" was sold for $42.5 million, and "Artemis" for $15.5 million. The difference in price is due to the rarity of the stones, pink diamonds occur in nature more often than blue diamonds. The buyer of the treasures chose to remain anonymous. "The Apollo Blue" weighs 14.5. The stone is of the highest category of purity and transparency, "without internal and external defects". It is so rare that it belongs only to 0.5% of the world's gem diamonds. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that there is only 0.1% of natural blue diamonds in the world. The second diamond "The Artemis Pink" is a gem weighing 16 ct, but it has the same purity rating as "Apollo". It is also rare, there is only 2% of mined diamonds of this kind.

Anyway, the world of modern earrings is an extravaganza of styles, colors and trends. Choosing the appropriate jewelry, every woman is be able to enhance her attractiveness and refined taste.