Editing Jewellery (section)

== Body modification ==
[[File:Karen Padaung Girl Portrait.jpg|upright|left|thumb|A [[Kayan (Burma)|Padaung]] girl in Northern Thailand]]
Jewellery used in [[body modification]] can be simple and plain or dramatic and extreme. The use of simple silver studs, rings, and earrings predominates.  Common jewellery pieces such as earrings are a form of body modification, as they are accommodated by creating a small hole in the ear.

[[Kayan (Burma)|Padaung]] women in [[Myanmar]] place large golden rings around their necks. From as early as five years old, girls are introduced to their first neck ring. Over the years, more rings are added. In addition to the twenty-plus pounds of rings on her neck, a woman will also wear just as many rings on her calves.  At their extent, some necks modified like this can reach {{convert|10|–|15|in|cm|abbr=on}} long.  The practice has health impacts and has in recent years declined from cultural norm to tourist curiosity.<ref name="Packard 2002">Packard, M. (2002). ''[[Ripley's Believe It or Not Special Edition]]''. Scholastic Inc. p. 22.</ref> Tribes related to the Padaung, as well as other cultures throughout the world, use jewellery to stretch their earlobes or enlarge ear piercings. In the Americas, [[labret]]s have been worn since before [[First contact (anthropology)|first contact]] by [[Innu]] and [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] peoples of the northwest coast.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1163/1570057042596388 |jstor=483428 |title=George Catlin among the Nayas: Understanding the Practice of Labret Wearing on the Northwest Coast |journal=Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=199–257 |year=2004 |last1=Treister |first1=Mikhail}}</ref> [[Lip plate]]s have been worn by the African [[Mursi people|Mursi]] and [[Sara people]], as well as some South American peoples.

In the late twentieth century, the influence of [[modern primitive|modern primitivism]] led to many of these practices being incorporated into western subcultures. Many of these practices rely on a combination of body modification and decorative objects, thus keeping the distinction between these two types of decoration blurred.

In many cultures, jewellery is used as a temporary body modifier; in some cases, with hooks or other objects being placed into the recipient's skin.  Although this procedure is often carried out by tribal or semi-tribal groups, often acting under a trance during religious ceremonies, this practice has seeped into western culture.  Many extreme-jewellery shops now cater to people wanting large hooks or spikes set into their skin.  Most often, these hooks are used in conjunction with pulleys to hoist the recipient into the air.  This practice is said to give an erotic feeling to the person and some couples have even performed their marriage ceremony whilst being suspended by hooks.<ref name="Packard 2002" />