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Piercing Terms & what they mean

Piercing Terms

The word “gauge” refers to the overall thickness of a piece of body jewelry—how wide the shaft of a post is rather than how long. A gauge size indicates how big a piercing hole must be to accommodate the jewelry. 

Size refers to the length or the diameter on the jewelry itself. 

The process of making an object free of bacteria and other living microorganisms, typically through autoclaving.

The process of gradually enlarging the diameter of a healed piercing.

Piercings on flat areas of the body where the jewelry enters and exits through the same flat plane, such as the nape or hip.

A process used to change the color of metals, often used for titanium and niobium jewelry.

Procedure terms

The use of a single-use, hollow needle to create a piercing.

Tool used to hold and stabilize the tissue during the piercing process.

Piercing technique where no tools other than the needle are used.

A device used to sterilize piercing equipment using high pressure and steam.

A tool used to stretch piercings or to help insert jewelry.

A tool used to support the tissue and receive the needle during piercing.

Healing & Complications

The initial phase of healing where the body responds to the piercing with swelling and redness.

The stage where new tissue forms around the piercing.

The final phase where the new tissue strengthens and the piercing stabilizes.

Raised scar that remains within the boundaries of the original wound

The process where the jewelry moves from its original piercing site.

When the body pushes the jewelry out, typically seen in surface piercings.

a fistula refers to the tunnel of scar tissue that forms around the jewelry as a piercing heals. This tube-like structure helps stabilize the jewelry and reduces the risk of infection by creating a barrier between the jewelry and the surrounding tissue. 

A complication where jewelry becomes submerged in the skin, often due to swelling.

Jewelry Types

Jewelry that uses a tension-fit mechanism rather than threading to secure decorative ends onto the post.

Jewelry with a flat backplate and a threaded or push-fit decorative end.

Circular or semi-circular jewelry

Straight jewelry with removable beads on both ends.

Straight or curved jewelry with removable beads on both ends.

A hoop with a bead held in place by the tension of the ring

Accordion Content

A hoop with a hinged segment for easy opening and closing.

Jewelry used in dermal piercings, typically consisting of a flat plate and a removable top.

A continuous ring with no visible gap or seam, often used in nostril and ear piercings. 

Clear or skin-toned jewelry designed to keep a piercing open while minimizing visibility, often used in professional settings where visible piercings are not allowed.

A small rubber or silicone ring used to hold jewelry in place, often seen in plugs and tunnels.

A type of jewelry used to stretch piercings, often solid and cylindrical.

Similar to a plug but hollow in the center, creating a “tunnel” through the piercing.

Decorative jewelry that hangs from stretched earlobes, often featuring elaborate designs.

A barbell with a 90-degree bend at each end, designed for surface piercings to reduce pressure on the skin.

Health & Safety

The ability of a material to be compatible with living tissue without causing an adverse reaction.

A classification for metals that indicates they are biocompatible and safe for long-term use inside the body. These materials meet strict standards set by medical and regulatory organizations for use in surgical implants and body jewelry. Common implant-grade materials include titanium (ASTM F136 or ASTM F67) These metals are chosen for their low likelihood of causing allergic reactions, their resistance to corrosion, and their ability to integrate well with body tissues, making them ideal for use in body piercings and implants.

Jewelry Materials

is a lightweight metal that is ideal for people with concerns about nickel sensitivity. This material can be anodized to create jewelry of different colors without affecting the safety. Look for implant certified titanium (Ti6Al4V ELI) that is ASTM F-136 compliant, ASTM F1295, ISO 5832-3 compliant, or commercially pure titanium that is ASTM F-67 compliant.

has been widely used by piercers with good results for many years. It is very similar to titanium, but does not have an implant-grade designation. Like titanium, niobium can be anodized to produce different colors. (And, unlike titanium, it can be anodized black.) Anodized niobium and titanium may fade due to body chemistry or when worn in friction-prone areas, but this is not harmful.

 

(yellow , rose, or white) is appropriate for initial piercings if it is 14k or higher, nickel- and cadmium-free, and alloyed for biocompatibility. Gold higher than 18k is too soft for body jewelry because it can easily be scratched or nicked. Gold plated, gold-filled, or gold overlay/vermeil jewelry is not acceptable for fresh piercings. All of these involve coating a base metal with a layer of gold. The gold surface (which is very thin—measured in millionths of an inch) can wear or chip off.

 is a heavy precious metal that is extremely inert and excellent for wear in body piercings. However, body jewelry in this material is rare and very expensive due to the high cost of the material and greater difficulty in manufacturing jewelry from it.

Fused quartz glass, lead-free borosilicate, and lead-free soda-lime glass are inert and considered safe for initial piercings. They can also be sterilized in an autoclave.

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