Quick Take: Taper Styles for Stretched Piercings

For those who have stretched their ears or other piercings, you’re probably familiar with tapers and what they are, but for anyone who doesn’t know, here’s a quick review of the basics:

There are four basic styles of tapers. These are straight, curved, spiral, and hanger, which are sometimes called “hanger plugs.” Straight tapers are sometimes used during the stretching process to achieve a new, larger size, while the other types of taper are primarily used as a form of decoration.

All tapers will be measured for gauge size at the thickest part of the item. For example:

Tapers of any type, like regular plugs and tunnels, can be made with a variety of materials including naturals and synthetics. Wood, bone, animal horn, glass, metal, and acrylic are amongst the most popular.

Due to the vast range in sizing from a few millimeters to a few inches, when purchasing taper jewelry for yourself or others, knowing the correct gauge size is extremely important to insure a proper fit. For more fun plug and taper style, check out our awesome Pinterest page.