Newlyweds, 1/4th-plate Daguerreotype, ca. 1847
Nevertheless, a small male following continued to exist, particularly among sailors, for whom a pierced earlobe often meant that the wearer had sailed around the world or had crossed the equator. In addition, if a non-service member sailor was involved in and survived a sinking ship, they were often seen wearing an earring in the left ear. There was also a long-held belief that puncturing the earlobe was beneficial to increasing the acuity of eyesight or of hearing. Also, it was a common belief amongst sailors that if their ship wrecked and their bodies washed up on a shoreline, the person to find them would take the earring as payment for a proper burial. This practice predates Christianity, albeit later adapted to “a proper christian burial”, and dates to ancient Greece where the gold paid the ferryman (Charon) to provide passage across the river Acheron into the realm of Hades, since a sailor might lose his coins when washed overboard at sea. It is because of this belief that many sailors invested quite a bit of money on gold earrings, as they were very superstitious. (Wikipedia)