Ear cuff

The ear cuff as a timeless piece of fashion

The ear cuff has proven itself as a timeless piece in the fashion industry. It has outgrown the passing seasons. The elite, celebrities, designer catwalk shows all have unique ways of adding the ear cuff to their designs. It has therefore been made it bigger and better. It has been a fascinating journey for many designers as they have watched the famous fashion piece evolve over the years. It has a continuous life cycle and has lived through the ages. Designers and fashion houses now share their collections every year. It has become a key accessory that is trending. There is however a beginning to everything as to how the ear cuff started and where is it now.

How the ear cuff came to be

The first ear cuff that was ever seen was in 2000BC and was called “kaffa”. This was found at burial sites that were excavated in the British Isles. The Greek aristocrats are also recorded to have worn brass kaffa’s around 350 BC. It was worn to reflect the wealth status of those in society. They were however elaborate in design than that of the ones that existed before
In Asia, the use of ear cuffs in the form of kaffas dated back to the era of the 12th Century. The Indians took to it from that time. They were made from precious metals and stones. The ear cuff had varying decorations from the chains and pearls they used in making them. They had ones that were from the nose to the earlobe and through the hair. Women were always seen wearing them for different occasions such as weddings or celebrations and have still stayed with the Indian culture up till today.
In Thailand, the ear cuff was present in the 12th Century. They had a lot of antique paintings and sculptures that illustrated the wearing of the ear cuff (kaffa). The Thai kind of ear cuffs were however mostly bird inspired and had some details of sharp wings in them. Ear cuffs still form a very integral part of Thai costumes presently.
In Europe, the ear cuff also caught on, they, however, became a modernized version than those of the ancient period. The precious metals used included diamonds, sapphires and rubies. The craft of ear cuffs was more of using metals and floral ornaments and patterns to create the kaffas.
In America, by the 20th Century, Kaffas didn’t exist, women wanted something new and exciting. A French Jeweler who moved to New York in the early 1920s provided the fashion world with Earrite. The Earrite was a jewel or earring that was worn in the ear like the kaffa. The difference was that it was pinned and clipped at the earlobe. It became extremely popular in the 1950s. The fashion icons of the time including Marylin Monroe were photographed wearing Earrites. Some famous tv soaps also featured the key actions wearing ear cuff jewellery
Fast forward to modern times. Earrites and kaffas are now past. The ear cuff is now what reigns. Famous designers like Karl Lagerfeld brought to the fore the design of their own ear cuffs on the runway.
1n the 1990’s the ear cuff was now being associated with the punk trend. There were spikes, studs silver accessories that they used to promote that culture.
Now many designers are adapting to the ear cuff to suit their seasonal collections. They are taking it and making it something of their own. There are unique designs that are produced for lovers of ear cuffs.