Picture plug plastic earring

BODY JEWELRY MATERIAL TYPES

STAINLESS SURGICAL STEEL Most of our piercings are made of Stainless Surgical Steel (316L). The low nickel content causes less allergic reaction than many other types of metal jewelry. It is non-porous, does not stain, which means that bacteria cannot infect the metal and be spread as long as it is kept clean.
Jewelry made of this material are used for initial piercing.

PLASTIC (ACRYL) Acryl / Plastic body jewelry glows in the black (UV) light. Plastic is usually a safe alternative for those who have a metal allergy. Plastic is not autoclavable. If soaked in alcohol, it could crack or become mat, so please clean it in warm water with soap. It is good to wear for lip & tongue piercing to avoid scratching the teeth (as it may happen with some piercings made with surgical steel). UV acrylic jewelry should only be used in healed piercings.

ANODIZED SURGICAL STEEL & ANODIZED TITANIUM Anodised Surgical Steel 316 L are plated with titanium & anodized after that. (anodised surgical steel & anodized titanium is not suitable for initial piercings and not recommended for tongue piercings).

TITANIUM Titanium is the hardest and highest grade of metal with virtually no presence of nickel (less than .05%). The strength of the metal makes it practically impervious to scratches and imperfections.
Titanium is Biocompatible, light, strong metal. It is the most expensive metal used for body jewelry, but is certainly worth the price for someone who is hyper-sensitive to nickel-containing metals and can’t wear anything else. Titanium can also be anodized and comes in a wide variety of colors. Our piercing jewelry grade 23 titanium (6AL-4V-ELI) is complied with the European Nickel directive for initial piercings. Titanium jewelry is said to be the most hypoallergenic. Some people have extreme allergies to metal, so this type would be ideal. Titanium is very good for initial piercings.

BLACK STEEL Black Steel is Surgical Steel 316 L coated with Titanium using a PVD process (Phisical vapor deposition). The coating is extremely resistant to scratches.

ORGANICS (NUT, WOOD, BONE, HORN, BAMBOO, SEASHELL, NATURAL STONE) Body jewelry made of natural organic materials has great versatility. It is lightweight, so even a largely stretched piercing can be accommodated without discomfort. Organic piercing cannot be autoclave sterilized, and is not recommended for new or unhealed piercing. Don’t allow wood jewelry to get saturated or over-heated (remove jewelry before swimming, bathing, or entering a sauna), but it can be safely cleaned with mild liquid anti-bacterial soap and a small amount of water, providing that it is dried immediately. Then it can be lightly treated once a week with jojoba, teatree or olive oil to prevent cracking. Tea tree oil can also be used for cleaning and to add sheen.
Organic pieces tend to keep warm in cold conditions, they are lightweight, they often stay in place better than other plugs and also they allow the body to "breathe" so the piercing is less likely to smell as it might with other materials.
Most organic jewelry are fragile, so care should be taken not to allow them to be exposed to extreme pressure. Organics are not recommended for new or unhealed piercings, should not be worn long-term or during swimming, bathing or sleeping.

BIOPLAST is a Biocompatible material that is autoclavable. It can be cut to any length, is self threading (with any steel or titanium ball) and is totally flexible. It has been shown to reduce swelling and accelerate the healing process in new piercings. It does not cause any allergic reactions. Combined with High polish Titanium or with Nickel free Surgical Steel balls, it is probably the best material to use for initial piercings.
BIOFLEX (Biocompatible flexible polymer)
Bioplast and bioflex is pretty much the same thing, but Bioflex is more flexible and soft than Bioplast. It is bio-compatible plastic safe to use in fresh initial piercings.
TEFLON (Polytetrafluoroethylene = PTFE) are favored over acrylic because they are autoclavable and flexible. These plastics are sometimes an option for someone with a severe sensitivity to all metal jewelry, and have also been successful for surface piercings and implants with lower rejection rates.
If needed it is easy to shorten the length of the teflon piercing by simply cutting the stem and make threads by pressing and screwing the stem with the steel ball.
It's also a good material to use as retainers, when you need to take out any metal jewelry, like when in surgery or when X-rayed, so that the hole won't shrink.

PYREX GLASS Medical grade Pyrex (borosicilate) is completely non-porous. It is completely hypoallergenic and Lead/Barium free. It is an extremely strong glass. It maintains a comfortable temperature in extreme weather conditions and will not freeze to the ear or crack. Glass jewelry, although non-toxic and basically bio-compatible, should not be used for a fresh piercing or during stretching, but only on well-healed piercing.

SILVER We sell only 925 silver is used for earrings and on decoration parts of the jewelry- such as navel bananas, nipple shields, etc.
Silver is only suitable for ear and nose piercing. It is not suitable to pierce any other parts of the body with silver earring stem.

RHODIUM A rare, silvery-white metallic element that is hard, durable, and resistant to acids. It is used as a permanent plating for jewelry and is added to platinum to make high-temperature alloys. Rhodium is mostly used on attachments & accessories of navel bananas & earrings.

PEWTER Pewter material is any of various alloys of tin with small amounts of other metals to make tin stronger and harder. We sell only nickel free pewter jewelry. Pewter is used on attachments & accessories of navel bananas & earrings.

SWAROVSKI CRYSTALS Swarovski is a company known for its amazing crystal made of glass. It is high-quality crystal that has beautiful luster and sparkle to it. Swarovski is known for making the highest quality crystal in the industry. Crystals are cut with a diamond shape on either side, thus giving off a highly faceted appearance and lots of sparkle.

RUBBER & SILICONE Rubber items (plugs, tunnels, o-rings for hardware earrings) are easy stretched, very lightweight. There is specially made skin color (from light to dark) silicone plugs made for hiding the stretched earlobe. It is not reccomended to wear rubber for a long time, so do not forget to clean it once a day with warm water and mild soap.

PMMA It is a shatterproof plastic often used as an alternative to glass. It can be as transparent as glass, allowing 92% of the sunlight to pass through or completely solid opaque black or white. PMMA is light, hard, easy to polish and very durable. PMMA earrings are fade-proof and odorless.

STEM GAUGE is the thickness of the stem = the diameter of the hole in the skin.
PIN SIZE is the thickness of the stem (Stem gauge definition used for body piercing, and pin size definition is used only for earrings).
BALL SIZE measured by ball diameter. When balls sold separately there is additional info about ball gauge (size of the stem on which this ball can be screwed on).
Example: 5x1,2mm ball = 5mm ball for 1,2mm gauge stem.
BALL CLOSURE RING (Captive Bead Ring)
The diameter of all types of rings is the inside diameter of the ring. The gauge is the thickness of the stem (wire). Always measure the largest inside diameter of the circle.
Example: 5x1,2mmx10 ball closure ring = 5mm ball x 1,2mm gauge stem x 10mm diameter ball closure ring.
BARBELL LENGTH
Straight barbell length is the linear length of the bar between the balls. Measure the length of a barbell between the two balls along the length of the shaft.
BANANA LENGTH
Banana length are measured in a straight line from the inner length between the two balls. Measure the distance between the top and bottom holes of your piercing to determine the length you need.
CIRCULAR BARBELL DIAMETER
Circular barbells are measured across the inside diameter of the barbell similar to captive bead rings. The gauge is the thickness of the wire. Always measure the largestinside diameter of the circle.
LABRET LENGTH
Labrets / Monroes are measured from the disk to the ball along the length of the bar.
Hardware Wearable Area
The wearable area of a hardware or the lemgth is the distance between flares or flare and o-ring.
Septum Spike Wearable Area
Septum spike wearable area is the length of the bar between the spikes.
Pincher/Claw Diameter
The diameter of pinchers is measured as the inside diameter. The gauge is the thickness of the pincher at the thickest point (top).
Spiral Diameter
The diameter of helix or spiral barbells is measured as the inside diameter.
Nose Studs/twists
Nose Twists, also known as nose screws, are measured from the base of the ball / charm to the beginning of the twist, as shown in the diagram. Measure nose bones to the end of the shaft, before the beaded tip

If you ahve more questions, please read full item description at the product page; contact us or contact your local professional body piercer.