Gauges and Sizing

Wearing jewellery of the correct size in your body piercing is very important, so knowing how to measure yourself makes buying and choosing body-piercing jewellery quicker, safer, and more convenient. If the body jewellery is too short for your piercing it will aggravate the area, cause an excess of swelling, and possibly lead to infection. If it is too long the jewellery stands more chance of getting caught or snagged on clothes, fingers, hair, etc. This, in turn, causes more aggravation and maybe even micro-tears in the tissue around the hole, which can lead to unnecessary scarring or even infection.

All you need to remember is that gauge refers to the thickness of the jewellery, and length refers to the internal diameter (for rings) or length (for barbells). The lower the gauge number, the thicker the jewelry (i.e. 6ga is thicker than 8ga, and 0 gauge is thicker than 2 gauge).

The measurement is taken as the distance between both holes of your piercing. Take a ruler and measure yourself between the two holes, in millimeters. If you find this hard to do get a friend help. It is also possible to measure the body jewellery. Measure the distance between the two balls of a barbell, or the inside diameter for a ring. Once you have a measurement, it is common to round the figure up to the closest even number in millimeters. Eg 13mm becomes 14mm, 11.5 becomes 12mm. In terms of the jewellery these measurements must relate to the bar itself (without the ball) or the widest point of a ring.

The internal/inside diameter refers to the length/diameter at its longest/widest point as measured on the inside of the jewellery.

Please remember all common sizes are just that- the common sizes, everyone is different (wouldn\'t the world be boring if we weren\'t??) so please measure your piercing to ensure you have the correct size jewellery for you.

Ear:

If you got your ear(s) pierced by a gun (which we HIGHLY oppose) and you\'ve never stretched your hole(s), your jewellery gauge is 20 or 18. With a little antibacterial soap and water, massaging 16 gauge jewellery into the hole shouldn\'t be a problem. DO NOT attempt to go any thicker than 16 gauge if you currently have a 20 or 18 post! If you were pierced with a needle the gauges most commonly range from 20 to 12, most likely being 16 and 14. Intricate piercings, like the tragus and rook, typically hold jewelry 8mm,10mm, or 11mm in size. However, jewellery for the lobes can be just about any size!!

Eyebrow:

The most common gauges for an eyebrow piercing are either 18ga or 16ga, with 16ga being the most common. Typical ring diameters and curved barbell lengths are 8mm, 10mm and 11mm.

Labret:

The most common gauges for a labret piercing are 14ga and 12ga. Depending on the thickness of your lip, the most common flat back post lengths are 6mm, 8mm or 10mm, with 8mm being the most common. Remember, you are pierced with a longer post to allow for swelling. To avoid damaging teeth and gums, you must switch to shorter length piece when the swelling goes down (your piercer should do this for you)

Lip:

Like the Labret, typical lip jewelry is either 14ga or 12 gauge. Again, the size of the jewellery depends on the thickness of your lips, most frequently 6mm,8mm and 10mm for labret posts or 8mm or 10mm if it is a BCR or BCR variant.

Navel:

The standard navel jewelry is 14 gauge. Very few piercers will pierce a navel with a 12 gauge needle unless requested. The most frequent size jewellery for a healed navel is 10mm or 11mm. This applies to both curved barbells and BCRs.

Tongue:

The two most common gauges for a tongue piercing are 14ga and 12ga, most are 14ga. Regardless, the tongue is usually well-behaved enough to interchange either gauge jewellery. The most common size for tongue barbells is 16mm. If for any reason you feel your tongue jewellery creates too much friction with your gums or teeth, replace your jewellery with something shorter, if it is pushing on your tongue replace it with something longer. Remember, you are pierced with a longer post to allow for swelling. To avoid damaging teeth and gums, you must switch to shorter length barbell when the swelling goes down (your piercer should be happy to do this for you). The price you pay for smaller jewellery will be a lot less than new teeth!

Nipple:

Nipples are most frequently pierced at 14ga or 12ga. For females, common replacement sizes include 14mm and 16mm for barbells or 14mm and 16mm for rings. For males, common replacement sizes include 11mm, 12mm, and 14mm for both barbells and rings.

Nostril:

If you got your nostril pierced with a gun (first of all, shame on you!!) your hole is 20ga. Otherwise, it is probably 18ga or 16ga. Typical sizes for this jewelry include 8mm,10mm, 11mm, and 12mm (with 10mm being most common). Pre-bent nostril screws fit nearly everyone, but an unbent nostril screw is best for the pickier piercee (no pun intended). A quick stop to the jeweller to bend your post is probably your best bet with a precious stone and metal screw.

Septum:

Your jewelry is probably 14 gauge. Common lengths for the septum include 10mm, 11mm, 12mm, and 16mm (AKA "The Bullring").