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 ball or bead, which means that there aren’t any threads because the ball is held in by a set of dimples instead.

Once you know that, next you need to figure out what gauge your body jewelry is. If you don’t know offhand, you can ask your piercer to measure for you, or look up the item on the internet if you remember where it came from. Specifications of gauge, length, diameter, or whatever other measurements are relevant should be listed. If you get a ball that’s threaded for a 14 gauge barbell and the one you have is actually a 16 gauge, it’s just not going to fit.

The last thing you’ll want to think about is the size of the ball itself. Some replacement pieces will come in a variety of sizes (3mm, 4mm, 5mm, etc.) so to be sure that things will look the way you want them to, it’s a good idea to find out what ball size you’ve been wearing or prefer.

Now all you have to do is pick the color or design that you want, and presto! A brand new ball that makes that special piece of body jewelry look just the way you like. Now you can get back to living life. Sweet.