Jewelry Basics

Once upon a time, there was externally threaded nickel based body jewelry with big shiny silver balls and very little choice, piercers were bored and frustrated and clients more so. 

Now, the game has totally changed and body jewelry is anything but basic. Today we have almost infinite choices to ensure the best healing times, with the fewest complications and not compromising on style for a second. 

EXTERNALLY THREADED V. INTERNALLY THREADED V. THREADLESS

What are the differences and does it really matter?

threaded jewelry - externally threading, internally threaded and threadless, what is the difference and why does it matter?

External Threading: almost universally not recommended due to the threading causing trauma to skin and potentially creating micro-tears and re-irritating tissue which slows down healing or can even re-open healed piercings causing infection, excess scar tissue, swelling and potentially infections. 

Some externally threaded jewelry also contains high quantities of nickel which is the number one cause of allergic reactions. 

If you are using externally threaded jewelry, we recommend using hand polished/mirror finished titanium to prevent the reactions from the nickel, but ideally you want to use threadless or internally threaded jewelry. 

Internal Threading: Internal threading is a better choice for body piercings as it keeps the threading contained inside its post, which prevents any abrasive material on the outside of the piercing irritating the tissue. 
Internal threading however, is much harder to change yourself as it can be tricky to handle the ends. 

Threadless Jewelry: combines the benefits of internal threading with the ease of being able to remove and change the jewelry yourself *only when its healed and only handle piercings with clean hands* 
It has become the industry standard and a client favourite - it also provides the most options for ends at this time

Pros of Threadless:

  • It's safe, as long as you buy from a reputable studio or online source, threadless flat back posts are usually made of hand polished titanium, which is the ideal material for healing. 
  • it's easy to use, the more you bend the pin the more tension is created when pushed into the post and the tighter the end is in the post. A lesser bend = less tension = less tight 
  • it's easy to remove, you literally pull the end straight out of the post, if its too stuck, try a little twisting in your pulling 
  • it's comfortable,  you can wear headphones with ear piercings, you can wear ear buds with a tragus - the flat back sits perfectly against your skin which stops jewelry from being caught on as much stuff like hair, clothing etc which decreases the likelihood of the jewelry coming out and getting lost, or being hurt from being ripped or tugged. Butterfly backs are easily pulled out, harder to clean and catch on more things.
  • You can mix and match,  you buy one flat back post per piercing and can easily switch the ends to whatever suits your mood or outfit. 

Please note, you can ONLY use threadless jewelry with other threadless jewelry. You can not use a butterfly back or other type of backing with the decorative ends.

 

SO HOW DO I USE THREADLESS JEWELRY? 

how to insert, change and remove threadless ends from a threadless jewelry post

WHAT ABOUT SIZES? 

inch to mm conversion for body jewelry sizes

piercing gauge size to mm size conversion