History
 
 

Glass is nothing new to body decoration. Over millennia ancient cultures and tribal societies around the world have treasured glass as a symbol of wealth and status. In the form of glass beads, earrings, amulets and other items, a precious, even spiritual attribution was bestowed upon the material. Over 3,000 years ago advanced glass-working techniques were in use in Syria and Egypt. Glass flourished during the reign of Amenhotep II. Blue-green glass earplugs and cords of multicolored glass beads could be seen adorning the elite of the court, and swirling glass earspools, brilliant glass nose rings and richly colored glass-and-gold amulets decorated the tattooed bodies of the most luxurious courtesans and dancers. Among the Aztecs of ancient Mexico glass in the form of finely worked obsidian was in high demand. Women and men of high rank began each day gazing into mirrors of volcanic glass while adorning themselves with obsidian ear spools and plugs, septum plugs and hooks, and blossoming labret ornaments. Members of the noble warrior societies would proudly display scintillating black ear spools bristling with exotic feathers, or obsidian labrets with strings of tubular jade beads, in order to pronounce their rank and privilege. In pre-historic and early-contact North America, glass was coveted as a most precious material for body ornamentation and trade. Among the Tlingit, the Inuit, and the Eskimo of Alaska, ear, nose, and especially labret piercing defined social status and rights of puberty. In that region blue glass labret plugs were the most precious form of currency and biggest display of personal wealth.


 
 
   
   
   
   
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