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While you may not necessarily know what lanyards are, as the term is not commonly used, you most likely either wear or use one yourself or see people wearing them on a daily basis. A lanyard is a cord that is worn either around the neck or the wrist that is used to carry an object such as an ID card, a whistle, or a set of keys for example. A neck lanyard is perhaps one of the more common lanyards that you will see, as many workplaces now require that their employees wear id lanyards. Lanyards are also in common use nowadays to keep track of electronic devices such as MP3 players, flash drives and mobile telephones.
Originating centuries ago in the military, lanyards were once used to attach weapons especially in situations where there was a good likelihood that the weapon could get lost. Cavalry soldiers often wore their swords or pistols attached to a lanyard and officers and soldiers commonly wore them at sea. While they were at first a more functional item, eventually lanyards became a more decorative part of an officer or soldiers’ formal attire. Today badge lanyards are still worn by employees in many different institutions such as hospitals and schools.
Typically, lanyards are made from either braided or flat material in a variety of colors with a clip attached to the end where a small plastic pouch or other object can be attached. The nylon lanyard is a very popular choice. They can be bought in bulk at many office supply or sports stores. Office depot, GBC and Sport Supply Group are common brands that offer bulk supplies of lanyards for cheap prices. There are also many brand specific lanyards available which are aimed particularly at the younger crowd such as the Disney “High School Musical” themed lanyards.
As more employees are being required to wear ID lanyards these days, women especially are searching for a more decorative style neck lanyard. A very popular replacement to what is often termed ‘shoelace lanyards’ is beaded lanyards. Many women employees are beginning to trade their company issued lanyard with a lanyard that is made from fashion beads. Naturally, beaded lanyards are quite a bit more expensive than the regular type but it seems that they are definitely preferred over the drab ones that are normally given to employees. A plus with beaded and individualized lanyards are that they can also be color coordinated to wear with any outfit, thus women no longer need to worry if their bright yellow fabric lanyard is going to clash with their red outfit. Instead, they can choose to wear a neutral colored, or even red beaded lanyard instead.
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Originally, lanyards were used by the military. They were styled from corded rope and worn across the shoulder where they usually held either a gun or a sword. The original intention was to enable a soldier or officer to keep hold of his weapon in situations where it was likely it could be easily lost, such as at sea, or by cavalry soldiers although they have since become a more decorative part of military uniforms, often denoting rank or regiment. Today lanyards are often used for the same purpose. Electronic items are getting smaller than ever, and are used increasingly more especially in the workplace. Thus, it is not uncommon to see people keeping track of their USB drives and other small devices by attaching them to a lanyard and hanging them from their neck. Another item that seems to frequently be misplaced are keys, thus key lanyards are also commonly used these days especially in situations where doors are constantly being locked and unlocked such as at pools and gyms. Security access cards, which oftentimes double as ID cards, are also often worn on security lanyards.