Plug (jewellery)

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An African woman wearing large earplugs in her stretched earlobe piercings.
An African woman wearing large earplugs in her stretched earlobe piercings.

A plug (sometimes earplug), in the context of body modification, is a short, cylindrical piece of jewelry commonly worn in larger-gauge piercings.[1] Due to their size—which is often substantially thicker than a standard wire earring—plugs can be made out of almost any material. Acrylic glass, metal, wood, bone, stone, horn, glass, or silicone are all potential plug materials.

Plugs are commonly, and have historically, been worn in the ears. They can, however, be inserted into any piercing.

In order for a plug to stay put within a piercing, the ends of its cylindrical shape are often "flared out," or the plug is fastened in place by o-rings. Combinations of these two methods may also be used.

  • A double-flared (or double-flare) plug flares outward at both ends, and is thinner towards the middle. No o-rings are needed to keep the plug in the piercing, but the fistula needs to be wide enough to accommodate the flare when the plug is initially put in.
  • A straight plug (or no-flare plug) is a typical-looking cylinder, without flares, and is kept in place by sliding o-rings against both ends of the plug. A grooved plug is a variation on the straight plug, with grooves carved in the material to hold the o-rings snug.

[edit] History

During the ancient Egyptian New Kingdom, both sexes wore a variety of jewelry, including earplugs and large-gauge hoop-style earrings.[2]

Inca men wore gold or silver plugs in the ears, which indicated their nobility. Their stretched piercings, which could reach the size of two inches, later inspired a Spanish nickname for the Inca people: orejones ("big ears").[3]

Ivory earplugs have been used by the Hmong people.[4]

Silver plugs, called rombin, are worn by Aka women.[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Miller, Jean-Chris (2004). The Body Art Book: A Complete, Illustrated Guide to Tattoos, Piercings, and Other Body Modification. Berkley Trade. ISBN 0425197263. 
  2. ^ Bard, Kathryn (1999). "Jewelry". Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt. Routledge. ISBN 0415185890. 
  3. ^ Malpass, Michael A. (1996). Daily Life in the Inca Empire, Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313293902. 
  4. ^ Borel, France (2001). Splendor of Ethnic Jewelry: From the Colette and Jean Pierre Ghysels Collection. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 0810929937. 
  5. ^ Untracht, Oppi (1982). Jewelry Concepts & Technology. Doubleday. ISBN 0385041853. 


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