- Plug (jewellery)
A plug (sometimes earplug), in the context of
body modification , is a short, cylindrical piece ofjewellery commonly worn in larger-gaugebody piercing s. [ cite book | last = Miller | first = Jean-Chris | title = The Body Art Book: A Complete, Illustrated Guide to Tattoos, Piercings, and Other Body Modification | publisher = Berkley Trade | year = 2004 | isbn = 0425197263 ] Due to their size—which is often substantially thicker than a standard wireearring —plugs can be made out of almost any material.Acrylic glass ,metal ,wood ,bone , stone, horn,glass , orsilicone 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-ring s. 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.
History
During the ancient Egyptian
New Kingdom , both sexes wore a variety of jewelry, including earplugs and large-gauge hoop-style earrings. [cite encyclopedia | title = Jewelry | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt | publisher = Routledge | date = 1999 | last = Bard | first = Kathryn | isbn = 0415185890]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"). [ cite book | last = Malpass | first = Michael A. | title = Daily Life in the Inca Empire | series = Greenwood Press "Daily Life Through History" Series | publisher = Greenwood Press | year = 1996 | isbn = 0313293902 ]
Ivory earplugs have been used by the
Hmong people . [ cite book | last = Borel | first = France | title = Splendor of Ethnic Jewelry: From the Colette and Jean Pierre Ghysels Collection | publisher = Harry N. Abrams | year = 2001 | isbn = 0810929937 ]Silver plugs, called "rombin", are worn by Aka women. [ cite book | last = Untracht | first = Oppi | title = Jewelry Concepts & Technology | publisher = Doubleday | year = 1982| isbn = 0385041853 ]
References
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