Body Jewelry
Unique body piercings can help you express your individuality. Whether its a gold septum ring, steel bar, ivory plug, titanium belly ring, or jeweled horseshoe, body jewelry can differ in purpose, size, type of metal, and design. Some types may be more appropriate for your needs than others, especially if you are sensitive to certain types of metal.
Is body jewelry different from regular jewelry?Yes, body jewelry is designed to be worn on nontraditional parts of the body including the nose or nasal septum, ear cartilage or folds of the ear, the eyebrows, lip, cheek, nipples, navel, or genitals. Body jewelry like a steel bar, plug, or ring will be designed to fit and flatter the different shapes or configurations of the body part they decorate.
What is gauge size and why is it important?Many piercings, including the septum, earlobe, and others, will require different gauges of jewelry. Gauge size is the diameter of any ring or bar you put into your piercing. For example, standard earrings usually have very small gauges whereas a septum ring is usually wider, and a steel plug for stretched earlobes can be larger than the diameter of a quarter or more. Its important to ask your piercer what gauge you have and get jewelry in that size.
What metals are available for a new body piercing?You can choose jewelry or plugs made out of metal, usually 18K gold, steel, or another hypoallergenic material, to help you heal without irritation or infection. Plan to wear your new body jewelry for several weeks.
- Surgical Stainless Steel: High-quality stainless steel is a frequent jewelry choice for new piercings. Avoid surgical stainless steel if you are sensitive to nickel.
- Titanium: Titanium is light and long-lasting, and it comes in a wide variety of hues.
- Niobium: Niobium is a great jewelry metal for people with metal sensitivities. It is hypoallergenic.
Its best to wait before buying body jewelry in certain metals that can irritate unhealed tissue.
- Sterling Silver: Sterling silver often contains copper, which can irritate unhealed skin.
- 10K Gold: Because this gold contains alloys like nickel or copper, 18K gold is better.
This body jewelry features a straight or sometimes curved thin rod of steel, gold, or other metal with balls or decorations on both ends that make it resemble a barbell. Barbells can be used for lips, eyebrows, nipples, the nose, or almost any other part of your body.
- Curved Barbell: Sometimes called a horseshoe because of its shape, this ring type is usually decorated at both ends with plain steel balls, beads, gemstones, or custom shapes.
- Captive Bead: A circular ring meets in the middle at a "captive bead" pinned between the two ends.
- Industrial: A long, straight steel bar is sometimes decorated with custom shapes in the middle or at the ends. It fits the upper cartilage of the ear.