Metal universal ear piercer stored in clear plastic two piece case; piercer comnprised of three parts, (a) the cyclinder body, (b) the winged ring for a person's fingers to grasp, and (c) the hooked end which goes around the ear lobe and through which the needle pierces the ear; no needle; clear pl…
Metal universal ear piercer stored in clear plastic two piece case; piercer comnprised of three parts, (a) the cyclinder body, (b) the winged ring for a person's fingers to grasp, and (c) the hooked end which goes around the ear lobe and through which the needle pierces the ear; no needle; clear plastic case (e, f) snaps together and contains a sheet of yellowed paper (d) with instructions on one side and an illustration of the assembled item on the other.
Number Of Parts
6
Part Names
a) body of ear piercer: Length 9.5 cm X Diameter 1.4 cm
b) ring with wings: Length 4.8 cm X Width 1.9 cm X Height 0.7 cm
c) hook: Length 5.2 cm X Width 1.5 cm X Height 0.8 cm
d) paper: Length 13.5 cm X Width 5.6 cm
e) case top: Length 14 cm X Width 6.3 cm X Height1.3 cm
f) case bottom: Length 14 cm X Width 6.3 cm X Height 1.3 cm
Provenance
Belonged to the donor, Dr. Jacalyn Duffin, MD, PhD, a hematologist and historian who held the Hannah Chair of the History of Medicine at Queen's University from 1988 to 2017.
Date difficult to pin down due to lack of information about the company, etc. Date based on the condition and design of the object.
Material
metal: grey
plastic: clear
paper: tan
ink: black
Inscriptions
Printed on cylinder (a): "GOODRICH-UNIVERSAL INC. // SAINT PAUL, MINN."; on instructions sheet: "UNIVERSAL // EAR // PIERCER // UNIVERSAL INSTRUMENT CO. // 500 ROBERT ST. // ST. PAUL, MINN. 55101";
on reverse: "UNIVERSAL EAR PIERCER // "DIRECTIONS" // 1. Sterilize instrument, needle, and pin head. // 2. Insert pin head in opening. Insert needle in end of plunger. // 3. Pierce full depth of plunger, needle penetrating pin head. // 4. Needle pierced through ear secures itself to pin head, ejects from instrument. Needle and head to remain in // ear during healing period. // Guarantee: If at any time the Universal Ear Piercer does not function properly, return it to us and it will be // replaced at no charge. // Additional needles and pin heads (@ $5.00 per doz.) available from your favourite supplier // or direct from: // UNIVERSAL INSTRUMENT CO. // MANUFACTURERS OF PRECISION INSTRUMENTS // 500 ROBERT STREET // SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA 55101"
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-C3-6
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Condition Remarks
Paper has yellowed with minor curling, some minor scratches in plastic and a small crack on the bottom of part f) on the left, about a third of the case away from the edge; plastic hinges with partial broken and hard to keep together by just the hinges; metal in excellent condition
Copy Type
original
Reference Types
Website
Reference Comments
Diamond Foundry, "A Brief History of Earrings" https://diamondfoundry.com/blogs/the-foundry-journal/a-brief-history-of-earrings, accessed June 25th, 2021.
Research Facts
Seems to be a precursor to the piercing gun. Earrings began to become popular again in the 1950s in the United States after having been deemed vulgar in the Victorian Era.