Dr. SIMON COREN, a family physician, recognized the need for a safer and more efficient method of piercing earlobes. He brought his ideas to Hastings Corporation which introduced the original COREN ear piercing instrument to the American medical profession in 1962. This was a gun type apparatus, which came with non-sterile ear studs, and clasps. Sterilizing and loading the studs in the gun was left to the user. Thousands of these instruments were sold to doctors throughout the USA and elsewhere. Many are still in use today.