The 411 on Body Jewelry

Body jewelry and other body decorations are very popular today in Western culture. Although this process has been around for thousands of years, not everyone fully understand the names and locations of each body piercing.

Belly Button Ring


This is a very tradition body piercing and is typically done with a 14 gauge straight or curved barbell and two balls. The body jewelry goes through the skin around the navel, typically directly above, but sometimes below or to the side. This piercing takes about 6 to 12 months to heal and in many states requires a person to be 16 or have parental consent.

Tongue Ring

There are multiple styles of tongue rings available and we will discuss two: the traditional tongue ring and the web tongue ring. The traditional tongue ring is a 14 or 16 gauge straight barbell that penetrates directly vertical through the center of the tongue. The web tongue ring is generally a 14 or 16 gauge shorter, curved barbell (similar to and eyebrow ring) that sits horizontal through the "web" under the tongue; the part that connects the tongue to the rest of the mouth and that you can see if you touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue.

Industrial


The industrial is a piercing that goes through two parts of the outer ear. It can be done in various places along the ear but both holes are generally along the cartilage of the ear and are 14 or 16 gauge. Depending on the location of the holes, the barbell can be very long or pretty short and it usually threads through each hole with the rest of the barbell showing in front of the ear. A ball is secured to each end and this piercing takes 4 to 6 months to heal.

Labret/Monroe

Although the labret and monroe are two different piercings, they are a similar concept. They each pierce the area directly around the mouth or lips. Typically the Monroe is on the top lip, off to the side (like the infamous Marilyn Monroe mole) and the labret is on the bottom, usually in the center. These piercings go directly through the lip and use a unique type of ring. They are 16 gauge and very short; the back is a flat surface that can rest against the gum or teeth and the outside is a ball or decorative gem.

Surface Rings

Surface piercings are exactly what the name implies; they are on the surface. They do not penetrate one spot on the skin and come out on another, rather they stick into the skin and do not come out the other side. People commonly get these piercings on their sides or on their faces, next to their eyes. They stay in the body by using a "fishhook" design. That is, they can move down into the skin, but as you pull out of the skin, it will be stopped, or stuck, by the hook. In most cases these rings are professionally removed or changed.