Belly Button Piercing Rings Are A Popular Fashion Accessory

A tattoo or piercing is a sign in modern society of style and individuality. As with anything, when it becomes fashionable a lot of people jump on the bandwagon and then it becomes less unique. So what are you doing to make your tattoo or piercing decision more original? Do you care? Are you happy to be one of many? The good news is that even if a piercing in terms of where it is located is common, the actual accessory can be very stylish and relatively unique. This brings me on to the subject I want to walk about which is belly button rings.

Have you got one yet? A belly button ring I mean. These are now very popular. At one time it was a piercing that was few and far between but has now reached 'critical mass'. There aren't many that haven't got one or considered having one, at least at some point. Also, really, lets be honest, it's a female thing. Men and belly button rings don't really go hand in hand. As with any piercing, you can be super stylish or you can make it look terrible. Please don't be the latter.

So, having firmly established that the belly button ring is firmly in the female domain of our species, lets also accept they are as common as back tattoos and tongue piercings. That much is a given. There is, however, something alluringly attractive about the naval if it is decorated tastefully, which is where the belly button ring comes into its own. If you choose the right belly button ring it will look exquisitely attractive.

There are lots of belly button rings available to purchase, and there is a wide variety to be found at great prices out there in cyberspace so have a good look around for the right one. Belly button rings may not be 'as' unique as they were before they became so populare, but you can certainly add your own touch of style and flare to this type of naval adornment and I can't see them going out of fashion anytime soon.

Jewelry Pierccing 2007 Oscar Earrings The All Important Item of Jewelry

Why are earrings the most important item of jewelry? By important I mean the piece of jewelry that will do the most for your appearance. As with all jewelry it should blend with your overall attraction. You don?t want the first comment to be about your great jewelry and then you come in second. Your overall look is what needs to be fabulous, then after the comments of how stunning you look, they can notice your cool jewelry. Later we will look at what style of earrings the stars wore to the Oscars.

Earrings are what frames your face, along with hair, if the colour and style of your earrings are right they will be like two spotlights adding a glow to your face, making it brighter and more alive. Earrings with a decoration on the front of the post, covering the pierced hole, has the reflected light starting from the right point. Earrings with a shepherd hook usually start from a lower aspect and part of the effect can be lost. Also with the shepherd hook if the earring is heavy it shows up the drag on the lobe, these earrings are probably better suited for lighter more casual wear.

Looking at the Oscars 2007. On the Red Carpet almost all of the earrings that the stars wore were decorated from the front of the post, very few were shepherd hook earrings. Most earrings at the Oscars were quite elaborate but not overly so. Some like Nicole Kidman only wore tiny studs. I only saw one star, where the first thing that stood out was her jewelry, the rest were very tasteful.

More Earrings from the Oscars 2007

Cate Blanchett ? black stone on the lobe with a larger stone dropped from the first

Emily Blunt ? Stud earrings

Gwyneth Paltrow ? Stone on the lobe with a large elaborate diamond shaped drop

Helen Mirren ? Medium button style

Jennifer Hudson ? Long drop earring with the piercing covered

Jennifer Lopez ? Long drop earring with the piercing covered

Nicole Kidman ? Tiny stud

Penelope Cruz ? Large flower shaped button style

Portia de Rossi ? A short drop from a smaller stone on the lobe

Jada Pinkett Smith ? Large diamond shaped drop from a covered piercing

Maggie Gyllenhaal ? A medium retro hoop with a filigree decorated boat at the bottom of the hoop ? piercing was exposed.

Rachel Weisz ? Stud earring

Kate Winslett ? an elaborate button style

My vote goes to Penelope Cruz for making her earrings work for her, there are some photos on my Blog, the link is below, go and leave your comment.

Earrings have a long history and date back to the earliest of times. From ancient countries the earrings recovered have nearly all been a variation of the hoop earring, a style that has remained popular to this day. In Cyprus, from the middle of the 2nd Millennium BC, the popular earrings were painted terracotta in the form of stylised nude females. Earlobes were pierced 2 or 3 times and large terracotta hoops suspended from them.

In Ancient Egypt jewels were an important part of the culture, worn by men, women and children. They also used jewelry to adorn statues. There were various hoop styles among the earrings. Earlobe piercing was evident, and the wearing of very heavy earrings from an early age caused the earlobes to be extremely elongated and deformed.

From the late 4th Century BC, earrings were becoming more elaborate in design. The earrings often had suspended pendants and chains. Filigree, granulation, leaf, rosettes and doves were all used to decorate the boat or lower half of the hoop.

During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance earrings were in decline due to the fashion of high collars and a headdress that often covered the ears. It was not until centuries later, about the 1530s that earrings began to emerge again, this was again due to the change in hair and headdress styles. The newly emerging earrings were in the form of plain gold hoops with a pearl drop.

Then in the 17th century earrings started to make a real comeback. By the middle of the 17th century earrings were an essential item. The designs became more complex and interesting. They used ruby, pearls, emeralds and enamel in floral motifs.

18th and 19th centuries saw beautiful and elaborate designs, often using semi-precious stones. They also used diamonds and pearls and very intricate goldsmith techniques.

Early in the 20th century around 1910 to 1930 Art Deco style was popular. At this time ear piercing began to be thought of as barbaric, and clamping earrings to the earlobe with a screw fitting became popular.

1947 saw the feminine new look by Dior. This set the scene for earring design to come to the fore in a new and creative way.

In the 1970s earring design become larger and more varied. The ever popular hoops were back in demand, with many of the hoops decorated with precious gemstones.

In the late 1970s ear piercing started to make a comeback and was popular again. This trend has continued up until today when almost every woman, a large number of men and children have their earlobes pierced once or many times.

Now, as seen at the Oscars, styles are very diverse from studs to shoulder dusters. Fortunately for us we do not have to pay as much for beautiful earrings as the stars do. With today?s technology the quality of man-made gemstones is very good. Resulting in beautiful and much more economical earrings, and other jewelry. Good quality inexpensive jewelry can look as good as the expensive items. For example the cubic zirconia which is made from minerals, resembles the much more expensive diamond. Cubic zirconia is not quite as hard as a diamond but it can be cut and faceted in the same beautiful designs that a diamond can be cut in. Cubic zirconia can be colored to resemble ruby, emerald, sapphire or any other stone. Another cost cutting technique is to quality plate Sterling Silver with 18k Gold. This gives the benefits of gold at a Sterling Silver price. The choice is yours, try all styles and see which does the best for you. Enjoy your earrings and look fabulous.

New California law gets the lead out of piercing jewelry

Hipsters beware: That naval piercing or nose ring may be hazardous to your health.

In rare cases, seizures, organ failure and even death can occur.

That’s the message from the California Department of Toxic Substance Control, which is enforcing a new state law that regulates lead in jewelry, especially piercing jewelry.

That law went into effect March 1.

“Body piercings may be particularly vulnerable to poisoning since lead can enter the bloodstream through the pierced areas,” Maureen Gorsen, director of California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control, said in a written statement.

To get the point across, officials from the department were in Berkeley on Thursday at Zebra Tattoo & Body Piercing shop to spread the word that jewelry must have less than 10 percent lead as of March 1 and less than 6 percent by Aug. 30, 2009.

If they violate the new law, they can face fines of up to $2,500 a day for each piece in their possession.

Kerrie Naslund, 34, a senior piercer at Zebra for 16 years, said she is confident her shop is lead-free because it gets most of its jewelry from American manufacturers who provide certificates showing the metals in piercing jewelry they buy.