Horn and bone piercing

Piercing, jewelry made of horn and bone

Piercings have actually existed since ancient times; the term just wasn't used back then. Throughout the world, many cultures pierced various parts of their bodies: ears, noses, lips, and more. This was rarely done purely for aesthetic purposes. It was often a test of courage, a sign of tribal affiliation, and, unfortunately, frequently also a form of disfigurement for women, intended to deter neighboring tribes from abducting them.

Historical information about ear piercing

Piercing has always existed. It was simply rediscovered or redesigned in the major cities of Europe and North America.

Nostril piercings are a well-known feature of India. There, women wear small stones made of gold or set with diamonds, signaling their marriage. In Mexico, Indonesia, and Australia, nose ornaments made of bone, feathers, or shells were common, often serving as protection against evil spirits.
In Brazil and sub-Saharan Africa, people wear discs or plugs in their lower lips. What was a beauty ideal for most peoples was intended to disfigure the women of the Ubangi tribe, thus protecting them from slave traders. A much smaller lip piercing is known from Brazil and Cameroon. It is similar to what we still frequently see on the streets today. Alaska's Inuit once used small cheek studs, usually made from seal bones.

In Western countries, piercing styles and the corresponding jewelry are now quite diverse. Piercings are, of course, available in silver, gold, and stainless steel. But also in wood, horn, bone, and even rubber.

Piercings are done wherever there's space. In places on the face that were already popular with the Ubangi and the Inuit, but also everywhere else. Of course, there are ear piercings, eyebrows, tongues, navels, and genital piercings—whatever the body allows. There are no limits. Some are content with a small lip piercing, others have more than a hundred, scattered all over their bodies. Also popular are dermal anchors, a metal plate under the skin onto which jewelry is screwed, and tunnels, which are either slowly stretched or punched to the desired size.
Since there is less fear of slave traders in Europe and North America, the Ubangi would probably just shake their heads.