15
Oct
Women have been known to wear earrings since the dawn of civilization. What giving earrings means hasn’t changed much and they’ve remained a symbol of womanhood. Interestingly, the earlobe was associated with financial stability and social status, making them not only a valuable heirloom but also an invaluable form of identification and expression. They represent connectedness, both to family and to what lies in the heart.
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No outfit is complete without a pair of beautiful earrings and they are adorned as a way to express oneself. Whether you’re eyeing 14k gold earrings for your graduate daughter or you’re looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift and a symbol of deep and romantic love, rarely someone’s goes wrong when gifting earrings. Even so, different earrings have different properties and meanings so make sure you choose wisely. Beauty is in the details and these small but shiny ones can accentuate any character and personality.
Both durable and extremely malleable, gold has been part of our lives for thousands of years and it’s not going anywhere. In spite of its many functional uses, our favourite one is definitely jewellery. Gold won’t tarnish or rust and it’s the most corrosion-proof and oxidation-resistant metal.
Being incredibly robust, a solid gold piece is a lifetime purchase, a future heirloom that will last forever. Just think of your grandmother’s gold earrings. Perhaps your loved one doesn’t have a pair of her own and you would be giving her the opportunity to create her own legacy. Solid gold items can be either 10K, 14K, 18K, or 24K and are both the most expensive and most durable among the other types of fine gold jewellery.
Importantly, if your friend has allergies and you’re looking for what is the best metal for sensitive ears, you’d be happy to know that the best earrings for sensitive ears are usually solid gold, platinum or silver. Make sure you buy 14k gold earrings or above or sterling silver 925 to avoid the possibility of nickel being mixed in. The bigger the purity, the less nickel is added making the jewellery safer for the allergy-prone individual. If gold were to disappear, losing an heirloom will be the least of our problems (although not less devastating). We would have to change how we manufacture electronic devices, run our economy and even treat certain diseases. But what is gold spiritually?
In Myanmar, gold is so sacred that it can be found in anything from traditional medicine and face creams to drinks and food. Moreover, gold adorns all of their Buddhist temples. Interestingly, there are thousands of them across the country and almost 90% of the population is Buddhist.
What does gold usually symbolise? It’s associated with the sun and thus, knowledge and enlightenment. This is why gold is sacred in many other cultures as well, not just Buddhist ones. The ancient Egyptians, and later the Romans, were both ancient civilizations of eager gold miners as it was a symbol of power and immortality. Not only is it used in making the most spectacular and precious jewellery but also had strong connotations of status, politics, religion and spirituality.
Ancient Egyptians referred to it as “the flesh of Gods” due to its noncorroding properties. Clearly, as the afterlife had such significance to the Egyptians, their tombs hoarded immense amounts of gold treasures. Were they right about its eternal life or can gold be destroyed?
As it stands, it’s not possible to destroy gold on a molecular level with any naturally occurring substance on Earth. Pure gold is virtually indestructible. It will not corrode, rust or tarnish, and fire cannot destroy it. This is why all of the gold extracted from the earth is still melted, re-melted and used over and over again.
For example, the Perth Mint in Australia, which produces well-known silver and gold bullion coins hosts a public gold influx several times a day. Since 1993, they have melted and recast the same gold bar over 65,000 times and none of the recast gold has been irrecoverably destroyed.
The only way gold could truly be destroyed is through nuclear reactions. However, the law of Conservation of Mass will point out that there really isn’t any actual destruction going on, just an atomic reconfiguration of gold into another element. Technically, gold as an element will be destroyed but all of its subatomic particles are still there, just rearranged. So, if you wanted a symbol of love, respect and gratitude that will withstand the tests of time, you can’t go wrong with gold plated earrings.
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On the other side of the royalty spectrum, if your loved one is more of a punk princess and prefers piercings over classic jewellery, stainless steel earrings, plugs and barbells are the right choices. Several requirements should be taken into consideration when developing stainless steel materials for piercing jewellery, like corrosion resistance, safety, anti-bacterial, castability, workability, weldability and surface treatment property. A new trend in stainless steel for piercing jewellery is high nitrogen and nickel free or low nickel stainless steel with anti-bacterial performance. Its unique characteristics include excellent corrosion resistance, no nickel allergy and less risk of piercing infection.
For the dreamers and wanderers, pick silver, one of the most precious metals on Earth and the 3 base metals and Alchemy. This metal is associated with emotions and sensitivity and quite conveniently, the moon. Contrary to gold’s pizzazz, silver brings balance and calm. Representing purity, clarity, and vision, silver also symbolizes subtle strength. Moreover, it’s also thought to be a mirror to the soul. Silver is versatile, strong yet malleable and can withstand abuse, weathering, and even heat. However, an allergy to silver is more common than gold so make sure you don’t choose silver for those with more sensitive skin.
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If your girl is a rare gem, sweep her off her feet with romance and symbolism and get her one of her own. The mineral corundum has many colours. Only red corundum forms rubies while all other colours of corundum are sapphires. In spite of the scarcity of other large gems like diamonds, emeralds and sapphires, rubies are still the rarest of them all. It was believed that rubies contained the spark of life and that royalty and gods lit up their homes with them. That also meant that rubies couldn’t be stolen.
February’s birthstone, Amethyst, is found in geodes that look like ordinary rocks on the outside. When cracked open, a geode will reveal sparkling raw amethyst crystals ranging from light mauve to deep purple. Amethysts supposedly had good powers and protected against evils spells. It was believed that they helped people stay awake and, at one time, you could only wear amethyst jewellery if you were royalty. Get your winter queen what she deserves.
If your loved one is into ethical fashion, make sure you try to find out how the precious stone was sourced and choose one which is the least environmentally damaging when sourced.
