Why did pirates wear earrings ?

Apparently there were a couple of reasons:


Pirates thought that wearing earrings helped with their eyesight.

Pirates wore gold earrings so that they had assets when shipwrecked ("Free gold earrings, please take one").
(I've heard this before.)

http://www.project.com/ahoyhoydanny/pages/980531.html


It was believed that piercing the ears with such precious metals as silver and gold improved one's eyesight. This was the main reason pirates performed such a ritual. It must also be noted that most other seafaring men men also indulged in this practice.

http://www.imponderables.com/new2.html

I always thought that they wore earrings so that if they were killed on land the gold/silver of the earrings would pay for a proper burial.
I just found this:
"Earrings and Eyepatches - There is no proof that pirates wore either of these decorations. They seem to be the imagination of authors to liven up their characters. At the height of the age of piracy, around 1700, earrings were no longer fashionable, and pirates like everyone else were in keeping with the fashions of their day."
Courtesy of http://www.geocities.com/captcutlass/page3.html
Viv.

My impression was that sailors wearing an earring signified that he had been shipwrecked at one time. Two earrings, shipwrecked twice.

The idea that the earing would pay for a proper burial is certainly more bevievable.

NC