This is a new section that I’m adding to ModBlog in which we talk to some of the best artists around the world about the nuances of the business of being not just good at what you do, but great. In this first column, we’ll be talking about jewelry — does it really make a difference if you’re using generic “316LVM” versus something that’s “ASTM-spec”? Is titanium really better? Is threading important? What if someone brings in their own jewelry?
I thought this would be a good one to start with, given the recent example of the kid who thought chain links would make acceptable jewelry!
In today’s column, commentary comes from (shown left to right below), Patrick Bartholomew (a mostly retired piercing pioneer who you may know from the London Piercing Clinic, and can be found at iam:PatrickB), Tom Brazda (iam:TomBrazda, TomBrazda.com, former owner and head piercer of Stainless Studios, now doing research and development into new body modification technologies and aftercare at BodyArt Pro), “Moddoctor” (iam:Moddoctor (a practising physician in the United States that is primarily a cosmetic surgeon but who also does piercing), and Leo Ziebol (iam:5point, co-owner of 5pointstudios)
PATRICK BARTHOLOMEW:
After fighting a running battle with rejection from allergies to stainless steel jewellery I finally stopped using it in fresh piercings on the first of January, 1992. I changed to titanium, and I have stayed with it ever since. With the steel I would have an average problem factor with rejection as high as twenty percent of all piercings, either minor “walking” out of alignment, or full rejection — with the Titanium it reduced to less than one piercing in four thousand. That was good enough for me. I also insist on supplying the initial jewellery.
TOM BRAZDA:
ASTM complient materials are designed to survive inside the human body and also release little to no toxic elements. These standards are changed as new information comes to light. If it does not comply with these standards then its considered a “commercial” grade material.
But material alone does not make a good piece of jewelry — you need a good smooth surface finish since the surface of the jewelry is what will be in contact with the healing tissue. If it’s not truly smooth it will increase scarring during the healing process by abrading the tissue as it moves around. The balls on the jewelry whether, it’s a barbell or captive need to be held on well and not come loose easily. The edges of the ring or barbell need to be rounded and smooth as well so that there is no sharp edge being pushed against the tissue.
The internal/external issue is a tough one since I’ve seen crappily made internals and well thought out externals. Whats important is what is in contact with the tissue during a jewelry insertion. Any sharp edge will cause damage.
Titanium is better in the sense that the tissue growth around it is not as dense as the tissue that forms around stainless, and since it’s lighter it’s better in heavier gauge piercings. But there are people out there that are sensitive to titanium, just like there are people sensitive to nickel. What makes the biggest difference is how “passive” the surface layer of the jewelry is. This can be achieved well in both stainless and titanium with proper processing.
Finally, if a customer brings in a piece of jewelry, unless I know who made the jewelry, I won’t use it. Most of the time its not even an appropriate size to do that persons piercing. People don’t come in standard sizes so “standard” sized jewelry doesn’t work!
MODDOCTOR:
It’s pretty remarkable how little difference jewelry material often makes. People with no metal sensitivities can heal with anything it seems. You could pierce those people with a paperclip (not really!) and they would do fine. Other people, though, just refuse to heal with stainless jewelry and I have found that changing to titanium resolves those problems. That said, jewelry quality makes a big difference across the board. Cheap jewelry seems like it sticks in a healing piercing, which may be the result of less than smooth polished surfaces.
As for internal versus externally threaded, I definitely prefer using internally threaded. It’s easier to pass through a fresh piercing and jewelry changes are less traumatic even in a well healed hole.
LEO ZIEBOL:
When it comes to jewelry, I don’t know much about how different metal affect the body on a cellular level but I do know that I want to do everything I can to help that piercing heal as easily as possible. I have seen a lot of problems associated directly to poor jewelry. I’ve also seen some of the most god-aweful pieces of reconstituted tin can heal excellently. For me, using quality jewelry is another way that I minimize the chance factor. I will never eliminate it but I will do my best to keep it as low as possible.
It is rare that I will use jewelry brought in by a client. We have one other shop in our area that uses ASTM internals and I would gladly use a piece that was brought in from there as long as it wasn’t damaged or of improper size for that client. If I don’t know where it came from or what company made it, I won’t use it.
So… Four experienced piercers, one a piercing pioneer, and one a doctor, all appear to be in general agreement — not only is it important to seek out not only jewelry made of high quality materials that are inherently biocompatible, but that the finish of the jewelry is of equal importance (so even if jewelry is a good material, if it’s not well manufactured, it will still complicate thing). All quality studios should be able to tell you exactly what materials they are putting in you and who manufactured them. You may pay a little more, but really, would you rather pay $25 for a piercing that’s going to be irritated, take longer to heal, and potentially reject, or $50 for one with a solid shot of lasting a lifetime?
In the next installment of this column we’ll be talking about items a good studio should have, that too few people have gone to the effort to obtain.
Comments
110 responses to “Is Body Jewelry Quality Important?”
I must be weird. My ears freaked out and got infected with titanium, but when I put silver in them they healed up just fine.
I must be weird. My ears freaked out and got infected with titanium, but when I put silver in them they healed up just fine.
Stainless steel can’t be anodized. “Blackline” is either coated through physical vapor deposition (PVD) which leaves a ceramic-like coating or it’s some other form of a coating. OR, in the case of pieces I see from the mall, it’s just some sort of black paint.
Black niobium (turned black through a heating and cooling process) or dark copper-colored (not jet black, but damn close) anodized titanium are much safer materials in my opinion.
Stainless steel can’t be anodized. “Blackline” is either coated through physical vapor deposition (PVD) which leaves a ceramic-like coating or it’s some other form of a coating. OR, in the case of pieces I see from the mall, it’s just some sort of black paint.
Black niobium (turned black through a heating and cooling process) or dark copper-colored (not jet black, but damn close) anodized titanium are much safer materials in my opinion.
Patrick Bartholomew looks like Billy Connolly in that pic 🙂
And for some relevant discourse: I have worked in a few shops, offering a variety of qualities of jewelry, all the way from unpolished externally threaded steel, to top of the line ASTM compliant, internally threaded hand polished materials. Having a clear view of each scenario, I can say that in my experience, jewelry quality counts for as much and often more than the piercer’s skill. A skilled piercer using low grade jewelry will not have the same success rate as a skilled piercer with high quality jewelry, plain and simple. I have seen this in my own work over the years.
It’s an understandable matter of economy for most shops… But a well healed piercing with beautiful jewelry is the best advertising money can buy.
Patrick Bartholomew looks like Billy Connolly in that pic 🙂
And for some relevant discourse: I have worked in a few shops, offering a variety of qualities of jewelry, all the way from unpolished externally threaded steel, to top of the line ASTM compliant, internally threaded hand polished materials. Having a clear view of each scenario, I can say that in my experience, jewelry quality counts for as much and often more than the piercer’s skill. A skilled piercer using low grade jewelry will not have the same success rate as a skilled piercer with high quality jewelry, plain and simple. I have seen this in my own work over the years.
It’s an understandable matter of economy for most shops… But a well healed piercing with beautiful jewelry is the best advertising money can buy.
what about “ebay jewelery” ?
I guess they are not all the same quality. should I stay with my local shop? what can tell me that my local shop are selling better quality jewelery than the ones on ebay?
what about “ebay jewelery” ?
I guess they are not all the same quality. should I stay with my local shop? what can tell me that my local shop are selling better quality jewelery than the ones on ebay?
Carson – step-down is indeed external, but with the threaded section at a considerably lower diameter, meaning that that section can potentially be seated inside the shaft of the piercing needle while it’s passed through the piercing, securely located & without the thread coming into contact with the tissue at all.
redneckzombi – ta, that answers most of it 🙂
Carson – step-down is indeed external, but with the threaded section at a considerably lower diameter, meaning that that section can potentially be seated inside the shaft of the piercing needle while it’s passed through the piercing, securely located & without the thread coming into contact with the tissue at all.
redneckzombi – ta, that answers most of it 🙂
ebay jewellery?!
VERY good jewellery is available online, but 99% of the time I’d not go with ebay… how can you be sure of eBay quality at all?! (the current exception being IAM:Anotherhole’s store, and that’s not going to appear on eBay searches anyway – link on his page tho.)
ebay jewellery?!
VERY good jewellery is available online, but 99% of the time I’d not go with ebay… how can you be sure of eBay quality at all?! (the current exception being IAM:Anotherhole’s store, and that’s not going to appear on eBay searches anyway – link on his page tho.)
Personally I wouldn’t touch eBay jewelry unless you know it’s from a reputable manufacturer (ie. Anatometal, etc.), and then, to be honest, you’re better off either buying it from BMEshop or another online source that’s dedicated to this industry, or from your local studio…
Personally I wouldn’t touch eBay jewelry unless you know it’s from a reputable manufacturer (ie. Anatometal, etc.), and then, to be honest, you’re better off either buying it from BMEshop or another online source that’s dedicated to this industry, or from your local studio…
I find that if theres something at my most trusted local studio they dont have, he’ll order it for me, which I’m pretty sure is common. Also, bmeshop, bodyartforms, onetribe, all great online sources for body jewelry. Its really not a hard thing to get your hands on, and definately worth it!!
I find that if theres something at my most trusted local studio they dont have, he’ll order it for me, which I’m pretty sure is common. Also, bmeshop, bodyartforms, onetribe, all great online sources for body jewelry. Its really not a hard thing to get your hands on, and definately worth it!!
As I understand it, PVD (Blackline) is the process, not the material, which makes the jewelry black.
PVD is a hardener/friction-reducer used to coat large, solid steel or titanium implants such as those used in hip replacements. This coating isn’t used medically for small implants (small like body jewelry) because the coating can crack and splinter if the underlying metal is bent or undergoes stress.
This is why PVD coated rings is a really bad idea. It’s probably not so bad with plugs or threaded beads, etc.
The FDA requires fairly extensive compatibility testing on an individual basis prior to inserting PVD coated materials into the body.
————————
In Europe, ASTM F-138 Steel doesn’t meet the EU Directive on body jewelry. The amount of Nickel released is well within the standards of the Directive. But since the Nickel CONTENT is too high, they cannot use it.
I find that to be pretty ridiculous.
As I understand it, PVD (Blackline) is the process, not the material, which makes the jewelry black.
PVD is a hardener/friction-reducer used to coat large, solid steel or titanium implants such as those used in hip replacements. This coating isn’t used medically for small implants (small like body jewelry) because the coating can crack and splinter if the underlying metal is bent or undergoes stress.
This is why PVD coated rings is a really bad idea. It’s probably not so bad with plugs or threaded beads, etc.
The FDA requires fairly extensive compatibility testing on an individual basis prior to inserting PVD coated materials into the body.
————————
In Europe, ASTM F-138 Steel doesn’t meet the EU Directive on body jewelry. The amount of Nickel released is well within the standards of the Directive. But since the Nickel CONTENT is too high, they cannot use it.
I find that to be pretty ridiculous.
what about bioplast? Is there a real differance between PTFE and bioplast? For me i cant heal with steel and it takes slightly less time with TI but with PTFE or bioplast i heal wonderfully and super fast ( atlest it seems that way)
what about bioplast? Is there a real differance between PTFE and bioplast? For me i cant heal with steel and it takes slightly less time with TI but with PTFE or bioplast i heal wonderfully and super fast ( atlest it seems that way)
In general, the quality can be seen at a glance. Carefully inspect jewelry for physical flaws before buying, and stick with the noted manufacturers (and retailers/dealers of). Finish, smoothness, fit of the ends. Certification and the like are useless, because the same cheap companies trying to pass off hypo-allergenic-nickle-free-jewelry as sold in Claires and bulk online retailers would have no compunction against fraudulent or misleading paperwork.
There will always be cheapskates buying $2 jewelry to save money, and to prove how hardcore and adaptive their body is. If a shop is compromising on jewelry quality, who knows what else they’re not keeping a watchful eye on? In the end every client has to use their own commonsense and do their own research.
In general, the quality can be seen at a glance. Carefully inspect jewelry for physical flaws before buying, and stick with the noted manufacturers (and retailers/dealers of). Finish, smoothness, fit of the ends. Certification and the like are useless, because the same cheap companies trying to pass off hypo-allergenic-nickle-free-jewelry as sold in Claires and bulk online retailers would have no compunction against fraudulent or misleading paperwork.
There will always be cheapskates buying $2 jewelry to save money, and to prove how hardcore and adaptive their body is. If a shop is compromising on jewelry quality, who knows what else they’re not keeping a watchful eye on? In the end every client has to use their own commonsense and do their own research.
I am also still in two minds about the internal/external debate. Whenever I bring up my reservations about internal you can guarantee at least one piercer will fly off the handle at me! I am currently experimenting with it and am preferring the use of it in cartilage work simply because it makes the jewellery transfer smoother for both me and the client. I also now use threadless labrets in nostrils. My externally threaded jewellery is manufactured in the UK by a guy that has considerable knowledge of such things. I have not noticed a problem with it’s use (including transfer) in soft tissue areas such as lips and lobes. I am prefering internally threaded bars for surface work though and have recently discovered the joys of flat-bottomed bars. I think there is a place for both internally and externally threaded jewellery. Jewellery that is likely to be removed/changed regularly seems to fare well with external since any exudate remaining in the piercing is not forced down the shaft and instead is collected on the thread which can then be wiped off before the ball is screwed on. I find that good quality externally threaded seems to have no ill consequence in soft tissue piercings provided the piercing is well and truly healed before frequent removal/replacement takes place.
Oh, and I prefer titanium hands down. Most reactions I have seen have been from surgical steel.
I am also still in two minds about the internal/external debate. Whenever I bring up my reservations about internal you can guarantee at least one piercer will fly off the handle at me! I am currently experimenting with it and am preferring the use of it in cartilage work simply because it makes the jewellery transfer smoother for both me and the client. I also now use threadless labrets in nostrils. My externally threaded jewellery is manufactured in the UK by a guy that has considerable knowledge of such things. I have not noticed a problem with it’s use (including transfer) in soft tissue areas such as lips and lobes. I am prefering internally threaded bars for surface work though and have recently discovered the joys of flat-bottomed bars. I think there is a place for both internally and externally threaded jewellery. Jewellery that is likely to be removed/changed regularly seems to fare well with external since any exudate remaining in the piercing is not forced down the shaft and instead is collected on the thread which can then be wiped off before the ball is screwed on. I find that good quality externally threaded seems to have no ill consequence in soft tissue piercings provided the piercing is well and truly healed before frequent removal/replacement takes place.
Oh, and I prefer titanium hands down. Most reactions I have seen have been from surgical steel.
Tiffany and Redneckzombie
there is a swiss company that produces only pure titanium and they laser “etch” each piece with the name of the company and give certificates with each piece. The company is called zinova, the web page is http://www.pure-titanium.com the only bad thing is it´s all in spanish, and they only sell externaly threaded…
Tiffany and Redneckzombie
there is a swiss company that produces only pure titanium and they laser “etch” each piece with the name of the company and give certificates with each piece. The company is called zinova, the web page is http://www.pure-titanium.com the only bad thing is it´s all in spanish, and they only sell externaly threaded…
A Swiss company named Zinova, with a site all in Spanish? o.O
A Swiss company named Zinova, with a site all in Spanish? o.O
LewisDodd: I checked out that site – interesting. Very interesting. I’ll have to read some more on their pages, and see how long it takes to make a piece of jewelry.
Personally, I’ve been very satisfied with Industrial Strength and Anatometal. The pieces I’ve purchased online from them have been great, other than the fact that they take so long to arrive.
I think people need to be made aware of the types of complications that poor jewelry quality can cause. I’m sure many people have had problems with their piercing and just assumed that it was an “infection.” Okay, is it a jewelry or metal sensitivity? A bacterial infection? Fungal infection? We can’t shove information down people’s throats, but I think information via articles and interviews like Shannon is doing put a public spotlight on problems that people might not otherwise think of.
Long live BME.
LewisDodd: I checked out that site – interesting. Very interesting. I’ll have to read some more on their pages, and see how long it takes to make a piece of jewelry.
Personally, I’ve been very satisfied with Industrial Strength and Anatometal. The pieces I’ve purchased online from them have been great, other than the fact that they take so long to arrive.
I think people need to be made aware of the types of complications that poor jewelry quality can cause. I’m sure many people have had problems with their piercing and just assumed that it was an “infection.” Okay, is it a jewelry or metal sensitivity? A bacterial infection? Fungal infection? We can’t shove information down people’s throats, but I think information via articles and interviews like Shannon is doing put a public spotlight on problems that people might not otherwise think of.
Long live BME.
I have used stainless steel for YEARS when I was in Venezuela, and never had problems, I really agree with Tom, is very important not only material, but the finishing of jewelry, I know is true some people are sensitive to nickel, but is pretty ridiculous when somebody sells titanium jewelry saying that nobody has titanium allergy. And I think the same about threading, I have used external, internal and one step threading, and each one has advantages and disadvantages, and again, depending on finishing, type of piercing and piercing methods. I’m now in Europe and people seems to ask more for titanium jewelry than for steel.
I have used stainless steel for YEARS when I was in Venezuela, and never had problems, I really agree with Tom, is very important not only material, but the finishing of jewelry, I know is true some people are sensitive to nickel, but is pretty ridiculous when somebody sells titanium jewelry saying that nobody has titanium allergy. And I think the same about threading, I have used external, internal and one step threading, and each one has advantages and disadvantages, and again, depending on finishing, type of piercing and piercing methods. I’m now in Europe and people seems to ask more for titanium jewelry than for steel.
#39, I was wondering the same thing. Sounds questionable to me.
So after reading most of this, I get now why my 4 month old earlobe piercing is still giving me grief. It doesn’t like the ASTM-F138 steel cbr. I ordered a titanium cbr earlier to replace it. Now I wait.
#39, I was wondering the same thing. Sounds questionable to me.
So after reading most of this, I get now why my 4 month old earlobe piercing is still giving me grief. It doesn’t like the ASTM-F138 steel cbr. I ordered a titanium cbr earlier to replace it. Now I wait.
Sorry I havent really been watching the post. I wear blackline in my nipple and I have never had a problem, I also have had it in my eyebrow without problems although now I use Ti. We bought the jewellery from http://www.bodyjewelleryshop.com and to be honest I have had lots of stuff from there and it’s all been reasonably good quality. So its like someone said, maybe his body just didnt like it and mine doesnt mind it.
As for cheap jewellery I have never bought it, e-bay jewellery in my opinion looks s*** and the stuff you get on markets and in malls are s*** too in my opinion, I would never dream of putting anything in my piercings that costs £0.99 LOL. Thanks for the feedback on it!
Sorry I havent really been watching the post. I wear blackline in my nipple and I have never had a problem, I also have had it in my eyebrow without problems although now I use Ti. We bought the jewellery from http://www.bodyjewelleryshop.com and to be honest I have had lots of stuff from there and it’s all been reasonably good quality. So its like someone said, maybe his body just didnt like it and mine doesnt mind it.
As for cheap jewellery I have never bought it, e-bay jewellery in my opinion looks s*** and the stuff you get on markets and in malls are s*** too in my opinion, I would never dream of putting anything in my piercings that costs £0.99 LOL. Thanks for the feedback on it!
The next piercing I want doing is my labret. I have been looking around for a piece of jewellery that I want to put in it. I don’t want a piece of jewellery with a ball or a spike but I want a flat round disc. I have seen this on a few people and I prefer it over the ball or spike. Lukas Zpira also has this type of jewellery in his labret piercing and there was a picture of a girl posted on modblog a few days ago who also had this type of jewellery…
Does anyone know a good reputable online body jewellery shop where I could purchase a good quality piece of jewellery of this type? I have looked on bodyjewelleryshop.com and I have done a few searches on wildcat and not found what I am looking for!
On a different note may I say that this new section is great, its always good to get an opinion from experts and I think its just what people need in nowadays!
The next piercing I want doing is my labret. I have been looking around for a piece of jewellery that I want to put in it. I don’t want a piece of jewellery with a ball or a spike but I want a flat round disc. I have seen this on a few people and I prefer it over the ball or spike. Lukas Zpira also has this type of jewellery in his labret piercing and there was a picture of a girl posted on modblog a few days ago who also had this type of jewellery…
Does anyone know a good reputable online body jewellery shop where I could purchase a good quality piece of jewellery of this type? I have looked on bodyjewelleryshop.com and I have done a few searches on wildcat and not found what I am looking for!
On a different note may I say that this new section is great, its always good to get an opinion from experts and I think its just what people need in nowadays!
the stuff from bodyjewelleryshop is from wildcat whose quality varies from piece to piece. their blackline is made with titanium. most of the asian stuff is made from steel. when you place the pvd coating on stainless it makes the oxide layer not form. this is what makes stainless stainless. if a crack or chip happens in the pvd coating then the steel can start rusting/corroding under the coating. i once removed a labret from someones upper ear and had to use pliers to twist it open since it had rusted shut.
and not all black jewellry is equal since there is more then one black pvd coating.
the stuff from bodyjewelleryshop is from wildcat whose quality varies from piece to piece. their blackline is made with titanium. most of the asian stuff is made from steel. when you place the pvd coating on stainless it makes the oxide layer not form. this is what makes stainless stainless. if a crack or chip happens in the pvd coating then the steel can start rusting/corroding under the coating. i once removed a labret from someones upper ear and had to use pliers to twist it open since it had rusted shut.
and not all black jewellry is equal since there is more then one black pvd coating.
One thing is that it’s pretty easy with common sense to tell good quality jewelry *if you’ve ever been exposed to it*. If someone’s been pierced several times, or seen their friends’ piercings, with poor quality jewelry then mediocre jewelry would look really good to them. They lack an adequate benchmark.
I didn’t know what could possibly be wrong with my ok-but-not-great quality body jewelry until I actually saw, held and handled a piece of excellent quality.
One thing is that it’s pretty easy with common sense to tell good quality jewelry *if you’ve ever been exposed to it*. If someone’s been pierced several times, or seen their friends’ piercings, with poor quality jewelry then mediocre jewelry would look really good to them. They lack an adequate benchmark.
I didn’t know what could possibly be wrong with my ok-but-not-great quality body jewelry until I actually saw, held and handled a piece of excellent quality.
I’m with Patrick on this one. Titanium all the way.
As mod Doctor says. People with no allergies can heal with anything, but if you’re one of the unfortunates (like myself and daughter) who DO have allergies, the last thing you want in your new piercing is something you’re allergic to.
Now of course I’ve read/heard that there are people who are allergic to Ti, but in the last 4 years using it , I’m still to find one person with this metal allergy.
I as a piercer, I don’t know if the person sitting across from me (who may have never had any metal in their body before) is nickel sensitive and I’m not going to risk their health/piercing to find out.
We know how all allergies work: no exposure, no problems. Why risk it?????
I’m with Patrick on this one. Titanium all the way.
As mod Doctor says. People with no allergies can heal with anything, but if you’re one of the unfortunates (like myself and daughter) who DO have allergies, the last thing you want in your new piercing is something you’re allergic to.
Now of course I’ve read/heard that there are people who are allergic to Ti, but in the last 4 years using it , I’m still to find one person with this metal allergy.
I as a piercer, I don’t know if the person sitting across from me (who may have never had any metal in their body before) is nickel sensitive and I’m not going to risk their health/piercing to find out.
We know how all allergies work: no exposure, no problems. Why risk it?????
Damn, this one really got me thinking about the quality of the labret stud in my left inner conch… Maybe I should get worried when it’s been there a year and hasn’t healed. I’ve used implant grade silicone in my 0g lobe, works like a charm, I even actually get less ear cheese! 😀
Anyway, I’d like to hear what you guys know about bioplast:
http://www.bioplastpiercing.co.za/
My girlfriend uses it in 3 of her piercings, and says that it helps the healing. I’m planning to try it as initial jewellery, if it actually is autoclaveable.
Thank you.
Damn, this one really got me thinking about the quality of the labret stud in my left inner conch… Maybe I should get worried when it’s been there a year and hasn’t healed. I’ve used implant grade silicone in my 0g lobe, works like a charm, I even actually get less ear cheese! 😀
Anyway, I’d like to hear what you guys know about bioplast:
http://www.bioplastpiercing.co.za/
My girlfriend uses it in 3 of her piercings, and says that it helps the healing. I’m planning to try it as initial jewellery, if it actually is autoclaveable.
Thank you.
I don’t understand this…..how can an artists say their “PRO QUALITY” etc, when they use 316L. Even 316LVM has a little nickel in the metal. If you’re going to do it, do it right. I also agree with Patrick-if you’re going to use something of High Quality-Use Titanium. I’m not saying that there’s not good quality steel out there, because there is. I’m just saying don’t spend the extra money for steel when you can get 316L for a lot less. If you do want something that is non-allergenic, go with non-anodized Titanium. You can tell non-anodized from anodized titanium by the color. Non-Anodized Titanium will look just like polished steel. Another advantage is the weight, the titanium jewelry is much lighter which is nice when you’re dealing with the large gauge jewelry.
I don’t understand this…..how can an artists say their “PRO QUALITY” etc, when they use 316L. Even 316LVM has a little nickel in the metal. If you’re going to do it, do it right. I also agree with Patrick-if you’re going to use something of High Quality-Use Titanium. I’m not saying that there’s not good quality steel out there, because there is. I’m just saying don’t spend the extra money for steel when you can get 316L for a lot less. If you do want something that is non-allergenic, go with non-anodized Titanium. You can tell non-anodized from anodized titanium by the color. Non-Anodized Titanium will look just like polished steel. Another advantage is the weight, the titanium jewelry is much lighter which is nice when you’re dealing with the large gauge jewelry.
Firstly, I have found that titanium and niobium both work well. Just that here in the UK our jewelery is usually significantly cheaper than in the USA so we rarely use the American made niobium. As to determining the lighter titanium from the stainless steel – my old drugs scale found a new use when I quit snorting and smoking. Unfortunately the difference in weight between the steel and the niobium is not particularly significant so It is a lot more difficult to tell the difference by weight.
Secondly, In the UK the jewelery used as the industry standard in fresh piercings is usually 1.6mm – 16ga! I used to complain and preach far and wide, until I discovered that there was in fact very little difference in the healing properties of thinner to thicker jewelery in most of the popular piercings, and over here 16ga and 18ga were what the customers wanted. I nearly went bust as my customers voted with their feet and went to studios who were quite prepared to use the thinner ti jewelery.
Finally, externally threaded Jewelery is again the jewelery of choice, and what our public want/are prepared to pay for! I would doubt if even 1 in 10,000 UK piercings are done with internally threaded jewelery, and with our healing success rate as high as it is, the results speak for them selves. As a commercial Piercer we pretty well have the choice of being right and bankrupt or wrong and solvent on this score as well. Our solution has been to use either a canular or a threaded screw on insertion pin. Both work pretty well, so the debate between internally threaded (and expensive) and externally threaded (and cheap) jewelery is not really one that we even consider here in the UK.
Firstly, I have found that titanium and niobium both work well. Just that here in the UK our jewelery is usually significantly cheaper than in the USA so we rarely use the American made niobium. As to determining the lighter titanium from the stainless steel – my old drugs scale found a new use when I quit snorting and smoking. Unfortunately the difference in weight between the steel and the niobium is not particularly significant so It is a lot more difficult to tell the difference by weight.
Secondly, In the UK the jewelery used as the industry standard in fresh piercings is usually 1.6mm – 16ga! I used to complain and preach far and wide, until I discovered that there was in fact very little difference in the healing properties of thinner to thicker jewelery in most of the popular piercings, and over here 16ga and 18ga were what the customers wanted. I nearly went bust as my customers voted with their feet and went to studios who were quite prepared to use the thinner ti jewelery.
Finally, externally threaded Jewelery is again the jewelery of choice, and what our public want/are prepared to pay for! I would doubt if even 1 in 10,000 UK piercings are done with internally threaded jewelery, and with our healing success rate as high as it is, the results speak for them selves. As a commercial Piercer we pretty well have the choice of being right and bankrupt or wrong and solvent on this score as well. Our solution has been to use either a canular or a threaded screw on insertion pin. Both work pretty well, so the debate between internally threaded (and expensive) and externally threaded (and cheap) jewelery is not really one that we even consider here in the UK.