The History of the Gauntlet

The Piercing Urge...

In the mid 1970's a tribe of primitives was discovered in an isolated region of the Philippines, eking out a stone-age existence which disappeared from the rest of the world thousands of years ago. They lived in caves and foraged for their food. They had no crafts. Their few tools were of stone. Yet a number of their ears were pierced, the holes containing rings of rattan occasionally hung with berries.

As this discovery so graphically demonstrated, the urge to pierce the body runs deep. It is an inherent part of human nature, nearly as old as the race itself, and a fact confirmed by modern anthropological research. The urge, in one form or another, has touched virtually every age and culture—fading at times in one culture only to blossom again in another. The forms have varied widely as have the reasons and purposes for the practice. For many the piercing urge has been primarily an expression of the innate human compulsion to adorn the body In other times and places, piercing has been the essential element of some rite of passage whereby child became adult. Genital piercings have served two opposing purposes. Some were used to enhance and heighten sexual pleasure for one or both participants, others to restrict or prohibit sexual activity altogether.

But whatever their purpose, piercings have played a vital role in cultural dynamics. Unfortunately the piercing art has fared poorly in Western Civilization for the past several hundred years. To the pious, they were shameful and sinful. To so-called "civilized" men, they were merely unsophisticated and barbaric. Luckily times are changing. Recent generations have seen through the hypocracy of antiquated, repressive morality and have become disenchanted with our sterile, technological society which makes a virtue of conformity. There has been a strong movement toward the expression of individuality and the exploration of the pleasures of our humanness. With this shift the old primitive urge for piercing has reawakened. People are once again rediscovering the delights of piercing previously known only to our ancient ancestors and primitive counterparts.

Gauntlet has played an important part in this renaissance. The foundations for this organization were laid in the summer of 1975 when, through a series of fateful events, I met Doug Malloy At the time he was in his late 50's. For well over thirty years he had studied, practiced, and championed the art of body and genital piercing. There was immediate rapport, for though I lacked his knowledge, I shared his enthusiasm, my own left ear and nipples having been pierced for seven years. Piercing was still very much an underground phenomenon, and jeweliy for it was nearly nonexistant What was available was shoddy and makeshift. Doug realized a need existed for quality jewelry and that my skill as a gold and silver smith could be utilized to fill it.

He also perceived in me the means for perpetuating his own knowledge Not long after our first meeting he invited me to lunch and made the proposition that I start a business, not only designing and making jewelry for piercings, but installing it as well, I agreed and became his prolege. In November of 1975 Gauntlet was born.

The first jewelry folio appeared early the following year. As the business grew it became increasingly apparent that there existed a pressing need for a means of disseminating information on piercing and a way for enthusiasts to meet and correspond, tn October of 1977, Gauntlet introduced PFl (Piercing Fans International) Quarterly, the first and only publication devoted exclusively to body and genital piercing. Readers worldwide heralded it with enthusiasm, and circulation continues to grow.

By the end of its third year Gauntlet had outgrown its birthplace, my living room. Larger quarters were necessary We moved to our present location. In August of 1979, Doug suddenly and unexpectedly departed this world His passing was a great loss, not only for me, but tor countless piercing fans as well. He was my mentor and a dear and cherished friend who is still profoundly missed But the business he inspired continues and grows and has become the center to which piercing enthusiasts the world over can turn with confidence for products, service, and information obtainable nowhere else. And whether your piercing urge is new or long-standing, let me personally welcome you to Gauntlet. That was written by Jim Ward, whom I first met in January 1977, when I bought some piercing needles and three sets of round bead rings to do piercings. I saved those rings for three years before I did my first piercing in 1980. It was Sir Michael of the Hell Fire West Club of Detroit , who showed me how to pierce. That was January 1st, 1980 when we pierced slave heather at the club`s New Years Eve Party. Sir Michael did one nipple, I followed by doing the second nipple. It was those first rings that I bought at the Gauntlet, three years prior.

Mistress Michelle Peters