Violet wand
Encyclopedia
Violet wands are modern electrical sexual or kink stimulation toys. They are used for the application of low current, high voltage (min 25 kV to max 65 kV typically), high-frequency, electricity to the body. They are most commonly used in BDSM though erotic sensation play is also possible with them.
A violet wand typically consists of a hand held "wand" made of plastic which encases a high voltage electrical transformer. The base of the handle has a permanently attached electrical cord which plugs directly into a wall outlet. The wand has an intensity level control and sometimes an on/off switch, usually located near where the electrical cord is attached. Some models operate on an electromagnetic disruptive discharge circuit while others are powered by electronic circuitry or combinations of the two.
Various electrodes are inserted into and used with the violet wand to provide the sensations. A violet wand electrode is usually made of clear tempered glass which is sealed and evacuated and backfilled with a noble gas, typically argon and sometimes neon, in a process similar to the manufacturing of neon sign
s. The high voltage current causes the plasma inside the electrode to excite, emitting a glowing color when the wand operates and through which the spark emits. The appearance and process is identical to plasma globes, though the net discharge is higher in order to create spark streamers external to the glass which cause the desired sensation to the skin.
One popular misconception is that violet wands produce ultraviolet
light, and sometimes violet wands are erroneously called "ultraviolet wands". Violet wands do not produce measurable amounts of ultraviolet light, except at the point of the full-spectrum spark external to the glass electrode. With sufficient time in one spot, redness or mild burns can result from the arc's heat. The arcs do generate ozone
and nitrogen oxide
s, giving the skin the well known "ozone smell" similar to the smell of a lightning storm. Violet wands can possibly ignite flammable materials and melt artificial fabrics such as pantyhose with certain accessories and settings.
Violet wands have been made for the adult industry since the early to mid 1990s. The first manufacturer of violet wands was Donnie Rice of the Erotec company of California, specifically for those into BDSM
as a sexual stimulation device.
, electrically charged impact with paddles or other conductive implements, electrified touch or massage, or erotic stimulation of the genitalia. Violet Wands can be used anywhere on the body but should not be used around the eyes.
The following 'terms for techniques' were standardized by the International Violet Wand Guild c. 2005.
Direct
Users employ a violet wand by using various accessories which emit sparks for different physical sensations and purposes. These accessories include electrodes made of glass or metal and other conductive accessories and attachments.
In-Direct
Utilizing a body contact accessory the person holding the contact becomes electrified to the touch. Any part of the body can be used to pass the arc to the recipient. Additionally the person holding the contact can utilize and conductive material as an accessory.
Reverse
Users employ a body contact accessory by attaching it to the bottom subject, which electrifies the 'bottom' partner, and then conductive accessories are used by the top partner to electrify the bottom.
Extension
Using an extension handle and cable, allows the most net discharge current to pass to the subject. Extension handles are used with many electrodes and accessories.
"BRANDING"
Through the use of certain condensing electrodes, violet wands can be used to effectively "brand" or cauterize a design on an individuals skin which makes them popular in body modification. Violet wand brands can be semi permanent or totally permanent and are an easy and inexpensive method of "scarification" (the act of intentionally scarring ones own body) often used by professionals and avid enthusiasts alike.
devices invented in the early 1900s known as Violet ray
s. Another modern related device that has its beginnings in the same antiques is known as a highfrequency, and is used in the beauty industry to oxygenate and stimulate the skin and scalp
with a very mild current that is barely noticed on the skin. There is also another related industrial device that is used for electrostatic leak detection.
Episode 30, Sex Machines.cum, a look at high tech sex devices. They have also been seen on Queer as Folk 2nd season, episode 11, in Cirque du Soleil
performances and in Stuff (magazine)
which named the Eclectic Electric company as the (then) largest manufacturer and distributor of the device. Another early publicity session was a 2003 phone interview by Playboy Radio
with a manufacturer and the leading expert , Violetwanda, in which she described how to use the device.
The novel is in its third printing as of 2011.
A violet wand typically consists of a hand held "wand" made of plastic which encases a high voltage electrical transformer. The base of the handle has a permanently attached electrical cord which plugs directly into a wall outlet. The wand has an intensity level control and sometimes an on/off switch, usually located near where the electrical cord is attached. Some models operate on an electromagnetic disruptive discharge circuit while others are powered by electronic circuitry or combinations of the two.
Various electrodes are inserted into and used with the violet wand to provide the sensations. A violet wand electrode is usually made of clear tempered glass which is sealed and evacuated and backfilled with a noble gas, typically argon and sometimes neon, in a process similar to the manufacturing of neon sign
Neon sign
Neon signs are made using electrified, luminous tube lights that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in December, 1910 by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show. While they are used worldwide, neon signs...
s. The high voltage current causes the plasma inside the electrode to excite, emitting a glowing color when the wand operates and through which the spark emits. The appearance and process is identical to plasma globes, though the net discharge is higher in order to create spark streamers external to the glass which cause the desired sensation to the skin.
One popular misconception is that violet wands produce ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
light, and sometimes violet wands are erroneously called "ultraviolet wands". Violet wands do not produce measurable amounts of ultraviolet light, except at the point of the full-spectrum spark external to the glass electrode. With sufficient time in one spot, redness or mild burns can result from the arc's heat. The arcs do generate ozone
Ozone
Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope...
and nitrogen oxide
Nitrogen oxide
Nitrogen oxide can refer to a binary compound of oxygen and nitrogen, or a mixture of such compounds:* Nitric oxide, also known as nitrogen monoxide, , nitrogen oxide* Nitrogen dioxide , nitrogen oxide...
s, giving the skin the well known "ozone smell" similar to the smell of a lightning storm. Violet wands can possibly ignite flammable materials and melt artificial fabrics such as pantyhose with certain accessories and settings.
Violet wands have been made for the adult industry since the early to mid 1990s. The first manufacturer of violet wands was Donnie Rice of the Erotec company of California, specifically for those into BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
as a sexual stimulation device.
Methods of use
A violet wand creates shock sensation when there is a gap between the electrode or the attachment and the body. As the wand is held near to the body, the spark will jump, providing the sensation. Full contact with an accessory creates a slightly warm sensation, but a violet wand provides a wide range of physical sensation properties with different settings and attachments. Some typical uses for a violet wand include temporary or permanent branding of the skin for Body modificationBody modification
Body modification is the deliberate altering of the human body for any non-medical reason, such as aesthetics, sexual enhancement, a rite of passage, religious reasons, to display group membership or affiliation, to create body art, shock value, or self expression...
, electrically charged impact with paddles or other conductive implements, electrified touch or massage, or erotic stimulation of the genitalia. Violet Wands can be used anywhere on the body but should not be used around the eyes.
The following 'terms for techniques' were standardized by the International Violet Wand Guild c. 2005.
Direct
Users employ a violet wand by using various accessories which emit sparks for different physical sensations and purposes. These accessories include electrodes made of glass or metal and other conductive accessories and attachments.
In-Direct
Utilizing a body contact accessory the person holding the contact becomes electrified to the touch. Any part of the body can be used to pass the arc to the recipient. Additionally the person holding the contact can utilize and conductive material as an accessory.
Reverse
Users employ a body contact accessory by attaching it to the bottom subject, which electrifies the 'bottom' partner, and then conductive accessories are used by the top partner to electrify the bottom.
Extension
Using an extension handle and cable, allows the most net discharge current to pass to the subject. Extension handles are used with many electrodes and accessories.
"BRANDING"
Through the use of certain condensing electrodes, violet wands can be used to effectively "brand" or cauterize a design on an individuals skin which makes them popular in body modification. Violet wand brands can be semi permanent or totally permanent and are an easy and inexpensive method of "scarification" (the act of intentionally scarring ones own body) often used by professionals and avid enthusiasts alike.
Similar devices
The concept for the Violet wand has its technological beginnings in antique ElectrotherapyElectrotherapy
Electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy as a medical treatment In medicine, the term electrotherapy can apply to a variety of treatments, including the use of electrical devices such as deep brain stimulators for neurological disease. The term has also been applied specifically to the use of...
devices invented in the early 1900s known as Violet ray
Violet ray
A Violet ray are antique or medical devices that many find to be useful in electrotherapy. They use a combination disruptive discharge coil construction with an interrupter to apply a high voltage, high frequency, and low current to the human body for therapeutic purposesA Violet ray are antique...
s. Another modern related device that has its beginnings in the same antiques is known as a highfrequency, and is used in the beauty industry to oxygenate and stimulate the skin and scalp
Scalp
The scalp is the anatomical area bordered by the face anteriorly and the neck to the sides and posteriorly.-Layers:It is usually described as having five layers, which can conveniently be remembered as a mnemonic:...
with a very mild current that is barely noticed on the skin. There is also another related industrial device that is used for electrostatic leak detection.
Publicity
Violet wands were first featured publicly on HBO's Real SexReal Sex
Real Sex is a television series broadcast on and a production of HBO. As its name implies, Real Sex is a sexually explicit "magazine" which "explores sex '90s style."...
Episode 30, Sex Machines.cum, a look at high tech sex devices. They have also been seen on Queer as Folk 2nd season, episode 11, in Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
performances and in Stuff (magazine)
Stuff (magazine)
Stuff is a men's magazine featuring reviews of consumer electronics, and other articles of interest to a predominantly male audience.- UK edition :...
which named the Eclectic Electric company as the (then) largest manufacturer and distributor of the device. Another early publicity session was a 2003 phone interview by Playboy Radio
Playboy Radio
Playboy Radio is a radio station on Sirius Satellite Radio. Playboy Radio was originally launched on XM Satellite Radio in September 2002. Included were programs such as Night Calls Radio, originally hosted by adult film star Juli Ashton and Playboy TV star Tiffany Granath...
with a manufacturer and the leading expert , Violetwanda, in which she described how to use the device.
Fiction
An erotic novel entitled Throwback, by author Annie Windsor and published by Ellora's Cave is the first known fictional print work which features the use of the violet wand in an erotic setting. Violetwanda served as a consultant to the work.The novel is in its third printing as of 2011.
See also
- Erotic electrostimulationErotic electrostimulationErotic electrostimulation is a human sexual practice involving the application of electrical stimulation to the nerves of the body, with particular emphasis on the genitals, using a power source for purposes of sexual stimulation...
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulationTranscutaneous electrical nerve stimulationTranscutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is the use of electric current produced by a device to stimulate the nerves for therapeutic purposes...
(TENS units which are also used by some BDSMBDSMBDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
enthusiasts). - Violet rayViolet rayA Violet ray are antique or medical devices that many find to be useful in electrotherapy. They use a combination disruptive discharge coil construction with an interrupter to apply a high voltage, high frequency, and low current to the human body for therapeutic purposesA Violet ray are antique...
- BdsmBDSMBDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
- SybianSybianA Sybian , or Sybian saddle, is a masturbation device designed for use by females, developed by dance instructor Dave Lampert in the 1980s. It consists of a saddle-like seat containing an electric motor connected to a rod that protrudes from a hole in the center. Various attachments can be added...
- Glass dildo