Tattoo & Piercing

Quick Take: Getting the Right Replacement Ball So the worst has happened. You were cleaning your piercings, and the ball to your favorite piece of body jewelry was just loose enough that it accidentally came off. Under the refrigerator, down the drain; it doesn’t matter where it went, because it’s gone. After changing out for one of your back-up barbells, it’s time now to get a replacement for that little ball that you lost, and here’s how: First, you need to know if your ball screws on, screws in (for internally threaded jewelry), or is what we call a captive […]

Quick Take: Hypoallergenic Jewelry for Sensitive Skin Most of us know of at least one person with an allergy to nickel. In fact, it’s estimated that up to 28 percent of the American populace is allergic or sensitive to nickel, which is one of the leading causes of contact dermatitis in the United States. So how do you buy jewelry for someone with this type of sensitivity? There are several options to choose from in terms of nickel free materials, so making a decision based on preference and allergy severity is a good way to go. Here are the facts: […]

Quick Take: Keeping up with the Threads For many who are new to the world of body mod, and even some seasoned veterans, you may have heard some interesting things about body jewelry threading. But what’s the difference between “external threading” and “internal threading?” Here’s what to know: Obviously the threading of an item has to be either on the inside or the outside but sometimes hearing different phrases thrown around can be a little confusing. For starters, the vast majority of body jewelry is externally threaded. This means that when you’ve got the separate pieces of the item lying […]

Quick Take: Knowing Your Shapes It may be about shapes, but this anything but preschool; what we’re talking about is the shape of your plugs. So pull up a chair, because if you haven’t already heard, there are some awesome new plug styles out there that will leave your ears feeling extra appreciated. You’ve probably seen plenty of standard plugs and tunnels like these: There are also some slightly altered shapings like the teardrops, “pears,” and ovals shown here, most of which are easily utilized by anyone with stretched lobes with minimal fuss. Now here’s where it starts to get […]

Quick Take: Industrial Project Bar Sizing and Styles For anyone who doesn’t know, an industrial piercing is a set of two holes pierced across from eachother along the helix (the outer cartilage rim) of the ear and connected with a single, long barbell. The barbell is called an industrial barbell, construction bar, or industrial project bar. Although any set of two piercings or more through the cartilage planes of the ear has come to be called an industrial, for our purposes, we’ll stick to the aforementioned traditional style. Because the angle of an industrial piercing and the size of an […]

Quick Take: Living in a Material World For those who have stretched ears, it can sometimes be “interesting” when you’re trying to figure out what’s going to work with your particular ears and what’s not. A huge part of that boils down to the shape, and the materials that your prospective jewelry is made of. So here’s something that might help: Plug Materials The world of modification has come so far and grown so fast, plugs and tunnels can be made out of just about anything nowadays. Here we’ll stick to the materials that are most readily available for stretch […]

Quick Take: Nipple Ring Styles and Sizing If you currently have (or have ever had) a nipple piercing, you’ve probably noticed that there’s a wide variety of jewelry with all sorts of sizing measurements. It can definitely be a little bit confusing. So to make sure that you always get a jewelry item that fits, here are a few little pointers to take out some of the guess work: First off, it’s always a good idea to have your piercer write down for you the exact sizes of the jewelry you already wear. It’s advisable to do this only after […]

Quick Take: Ring Sizing Cocktail rings are some of the hottest jewelry around, especially when it’s time for a slew of warm weather parties. The only issue though: how do you know what size to get? Once you know the basics, it’s actually pretty easy. Check it out: MM Measurement (diameter) US Size UK Size Although half sizes won’t be available for most costume jewelry in the United States, they do exist, and are generally made use of for wedding jewelry and custom resizing services. Since most persons will not fall perfectly into an exact whole size, it’s important to […]

Quick Take: Plug Styles Sometimes purchasing plugs can be difficult, especially when you’re looking to pick out a gift for someone, but knowing their personal style is a great way to help you narrow down your choices, starting with the type of plug they prefer. Here’s a quick look: When we’re talking about your standard, solid, run of the mill plug, there’s three basic styles you’ll be looking at. Those are straight, single flare, and double flare or “saddle” plugs. Straight plugs and single flare plugs come with small bands called “o-rings” which are used to hold the jewelry in […]

Quick Take: Plug Sizing – US and UK With stretching coming back into prominence as both a cultural practice and a fashion statement, most western countries follow very similar guidelines concerning the sizing of plugs, tunnels, and tapers. There are however, a few subtle differences, and if you’re one of the many who generally order their jewelry or stretching kits over the internet, it’s always a good idea to be aware of those little eccentricities. In the chart below, those sizings that are UK only or US only are marked with their respective origins, and sizes that are less popular […]