Welcome to my Birthday Week during which I post random, interesting or embarrassing facts about myself. If you missed the introductory post, you can find it here. If you didn’t, sit back and read all about my earrings love.
It was shortly after I turned 18 when I had decided I wanted my ears pierced. It was a serious decision for me, as I knew this change would be irreversible and I weighed all the pros and cons of such move. Back then, late in the crazy 90s in Poland, all my friends had their ears pierced, not even once, but twice or three times, and the act was usually performed by a skilled friend, with the help of such complex tools as a sharp pin and a half of a potato (the technique was as follows: you press the potato to the back of the ear, and the pin to the front, then push), and a huge amount of alcohol (in Poland it is legal to purchase and drink alcohol once you turn 18) serving as the anesthetics.
With the stories of the pin going in at the angle and problems I had with my skin (a lot of allergic reactions to anything non-silver), I decided to go to a beautician instead of asking one of my friends. The nice lady froze my ears with nitrogen to numb them, and then within the seconds pierced both of my ears. “You’ll be soon back for more,” she said, but I shook my head. I had what I wanted. It turned out I was right: I never felt I needed more piercings in my ears, or anywhere else. At the same time, piercing my ears started my unwavering love of earrings.
It started with stubs, of course. As soon as the six week period of wearing “healing-enhancing” earrings the beautician gave me (included in the price of piercing which added to the pros of my choice to have it done professionally), I started looking for something more “me”. One of the first pair of earrings I got were delicate silver stubs that from a distance looked like “flowers”, but when one looked closer, they were seven little skulls. I remember buying them with my grandmother, and saying later “these are not flowers”. She took out a magnifying glass, inspected the earrings, and exclaimed surprised “these are gas masks!” And that was it, no head shaking or lectures, because my grandmother was all kinds of awesome.
Of course, it wasn’t long before I wanted something more visible (stubs were bound to disappear in my long hair), and I started buying bigger earrings. Thanks to my friends in Warsaw, I got a nice pair of silver fairies. I always claim that one of them is the good fairy, and the other – the mischievous one, and they both whisper to my ears when I need to make a decision.
One of my favorite pairs, which I’ve been eying for months before making a purchase were earrings (along with a pendant) with “mountain crystals” (a variety of quartz), one of my favorite stones. They were way too heavy to wear them all day long, but I still have them (it’s been good 15 years now) and wear them at times.
Another note-worthy set is a pair of amethyst earrings my mom got me during her trip to Turkey. The beautiful stones in an intricate net of silver ornament are my love till today, and I wear them when the occasion suits.
Over the years I’ve made quite a collection of earrings. It might not be the biggest one out there, but I’m picky about what I like. At the same time, it means that I can spend some time browsing through the jewelry rack to find something that gets my attention. For the same reason, earrings might be the safest bet when it comes to gifts, as long as they match my general taste: so, silver only (not a fan of gold), though stainless steel and other non-allergic materials are fine, and interesting ornaments rather than massive “bling”.
What about you? Do you wear earrings or other jewelry? (I also have a love for intricate pendants, but that’s another story…) Do you have your favorite ones?
This post is a part of Melfka’s Birthday Week in which I share some interesting or embarrassing facts about myself. Posted so far (links will be updated daily):
– Melfka’s Birthday Week Introduction
– Melfka’s Birthday Week: The Witch’s Black Cat
– Melfka’s Birthday Week: The Love of Earrings (this post)
– Melfka’s Birthday Week: The Writer’s Special Pen
– Melfka’s Birthday Week: The Dancing Klutz
Loving the fairy earrings, and the story behind them, there’s a good origin story there 🙂
I only really had one pair of earrings that I love, they were copper in colour and celtic knot work danglies, but they got lost.
Since then I don’t really wear earrings. I buy jewellery very rarely, I have two rings that I wear frequently and a couple of necklaces. People have bought me jewellery but it’s never been ‘right’.
The fairies definitely could make their way into some story.
I know what you mean by jewelry not being “right”. I think only people who really know your taste and preferences should buy it.
And even then it’s hit and miss. I had a couple of friends who bought me some really nice celtic knot work earrings, but I pretty much never wear them. I guess because they look too shiny. I miss my bronze coloured ones 🙁
*takes notes for the future*
If you spot any good ones fire me over a link pwetty pwease 🙂
Will do!
EARRINGS. 😀
I almost remember you and I talking about earrings at my blog before, or maybe another post here at your blog… But I love them, too. I don’t have a preference for silver or gold, but almost all of my earrings are dangling ones. Not too long, though, and delicate – much like the ones you show in your photos. I don’t know if I have a favorite pair of earrings, but my favorite brand is Silver Forest, which hand-crafts all of their jewelry using semi-precious stones and lead-free metals.
Forgot to mention – the skull earring story made me chuckle. 🙂
I can imagine :). Every now and then Inq comes up with some ridiculous amusing gift (another example would be a pink Hello Kitty onesie… >.< ), so it'd be a shame not to share. 🙂
XD
I remember us talking about it too, and you recommending Silver Forest. I’d definitely pick something from them. I don’t have a favorite brand: back in Poland I used to visit small craft stores with jewelry made by individual artisans and crafters, but I’ll also buy earrings in a big department if some catch my eye (they rarely do, but browsing can reveal some “gems”).
Love your earring collection:). I, too, wear earrings whenever I go out – my former mother-in-law had her ears pierced back in the 1970s and then frogmarched all three of her daughters-in-law into the jewellers for us to also have the pleasure of the new stud gun which was virtually painless. I, however, have tiny earlobes and the jeweller nearly refused to ‘do’ me, then aged 21, unless I promised not to wear anything too heavy. So I have to always go for the delicate and dainty *sigh*.
Oh. I never thought small earlobes could be a problem. I’m glad you still get to wear something and enjoy the earrings :).
Soutache earrings might be for you (especially the ones made with fake stones, not the heavy reals ones; or the ones without stones): they’re super-light even when they’re bigger!
Thank you for the suggestion, Joanne – it is difficult to get really funky, exciting earrings – so I compensate by acquiring chunky rings instead!
As much as I love your earrings collection, especially those fairies and the soutache ones made by your mum, the storing box really won me over – such an elegant, practical and relatively cheap solution! I might copy it one day!
Do! If you have a lot of jewelry, it’s perfect and it’s stackable (mine is kind of big, but there are smaller ones).