Ever since I saw a Buzzfeed video on the Curated Ear trend, I wanted it. The Curated Ear trend is new to the world of jewelry and refers to the process of designing where the piercings will go and how many you’ll have relative to your own ear shape, size, lifestyle (if you wear headphones often), and if you already have some piercings.
Photo Credit: Blog
These piercings will typically be completed in one sitting by a professional piercer. In an article for Bustle, professional piercer and trail blazer of the Curated Ear trend, Maria Tash, enlightened us to the new style. The phrase ‘Curated Ear,’ came about in late 2015/early 2016.
Tash defines it as “styling of the ear with jewelry in a very deliberate and beautiful way. Something that resonates with the wearer’s personal aesthetic.”
Photo Credit: Maria Tash
Often the jewelry will come from the same shop creating more cohesion than the typical mix of various jewelries, metals, and styles.
Artists will consider many aspects of the client before beginning the process, such as assessment of the client’s personal style. The ear is supposed to reflect the wearer and his or her aesthetic and thus, variables such as a clothing choice are taken into consideration.
The piercer will also consider any piercings the client might already have. In some cases the piercer may decide that no other piercings are necessary and instead will spend their time decorating the pre-existing piercings, rather than adding more.
Photo Credit: Instagram
Even though much of the trust is put in the piercer, the client does have a lot of say in what happens to their ear. The piercer will let the client select their jewelry before it goes in the ear. You always want to go to a shop that has a wide selection of jewelry so that you have the most possibilities of personalization.
The ear curation can work to add to an already present ear decoration or as inspiration. Online there are hundreds of unique ways to decorate your ears that differ from common studs and hoops.
While I have yet to find a Curated Ear piercer in Boston whose style is one that I like, I look forward to maybe someday having my own ear decorated to its fullest potential.
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