June 25, 2008: Picky Picky

[xoxoxoBruce]

You can pick your friends, and you can pick your ears, but you can't......

Neatorama points to these two combination earwax spoon/ toothpick, antiques.

Discovery News.

One Expensive Ear Pick
In this photo released by the Florida Keys News Bureau, a tiny solid gold combination toothpick and earwax scoop is displayed inside a clam shell. A diver recovered the artifact Sunday, May 18, about 40 miles west of Key West during a search for remains of the Spanish galleon Santa Margarita that shipwrecked in a 1622 hurricane. Estimated value of the pick could exceed $100,000

APVA

Sterling Silver Ear Picker Pin
A status symbol and hygienic tool, this ear picker/tooth cleaner was found at the James Fort site by APVA Preservation Virginia archaeologists. The 17th-century English knew about plaque, which they called scale or surf, and were encouraged by doctors to scrape their teeth frequently. They also knew that a buildup of earwax could cause deafness. As was the fashion for many of these tools, our ear picker is double-ended, combining the function of an ear scoop with that of a nail/tooth cleaner. Ear pickers were used by all levels of society in medieval and post-medieval England, but ours, being silver, probably belonged to a gentleman.

Bet you wish you had one for the gross out value.

[Eclipse]

Hygiene is important! These people just valued it so much that they even made tools out of precious metals for...a classier experience? I guess this shows that pretty much anything can be made from gold and silver.

[newtimer]

I wonder when these tools went out of fashion in the West. And why. People still have earwax, right? People should still groom themselves, right?
I have a little earwax spoon/keychain that I bought in China a few years ago for about 2 cents. (They're mass-produced in steel, not silver) It's a handy little tool.

[Clodfobble]

That's what Q-tips are for.

[HungLikeJesus]

I thought that was a coke spoon.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by newtimer

I wonder when these tools went out of fashion in the West. And why.

Replaced with car keys.

[sweetwater]

Gold and silver for earwax and tartar removal, but I guess they used the old farmer's blow to clean their noses. Now I'm going to stop thinking about these things for the rest of my life.

[barefoot serpent]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

That's what Q-tips are for.

'cepting Q-tips just shove most of the wax up into the far recesses of the ear canal. And, of course, the Q-tip folks say not to use their product in the ear canal.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by barefoot serpent

'cepting Q-tips just shove most of the wax up into the far recesses of the ear canal. And, of course, the Q-tip folks say not to use their product in the ear canal.

Poor technique. Q-tipping is an art and feels deliriously wonderful. I'm a junkie. My ears are very tidy. The qtip folks just don't want you to stick it in your ear for fear you will poke a hole in your ear drum or leave cotton in there. All examples of poor technique.

[xoxoxoBruce]

They don't care if you screw up your ear, they just don't want to be sued.

[jinx]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

Poor technique. Q-tipping is an art and feels deliriously wonderful. I'm a junkie. My ears are very tidy. The qtip folks just don't want you to stick it in your ear for fear you will poke a hole in your ear drum or leave cotton in there. All examples of poor technique.

I agree 100%. It's all about the eargasm.

[glatt]

depends on the diameter of the ear canal. My wife, poor thing, has small diameter ear canals and can't insert the q-tip into the canal. It just mushes the wax back into the canal opening.

I, on the other hand, get an eargasm every morning.

[Skylight]

Originally Posted by glatt

I, on the other hand, get an eargasm every morning.

[Clodfobble]

I am surprised to find so many q-tip junkies. I thought my every-day-without-fail habit was rare.

[Flint]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

I thought my every-day-without-fail habit was rare.

If I don't q-tip my ears after I shower, my ears feel gross all day. All moist and itchy; it drives me crazy.