Body Jewellery Size & Measuring Chart

For the ease of use all the gauge measurements in our shop are done in millimetres (for example, 1.2 ga means the thickness of the bar is 1.2 mm). In USA and Europe jewellery have different measurement system.

THICKNESS / GAUGE		DIAMETER / LENGTH
UK / EUROPE	USA	mm	inches
1mm	18ga	6mm	1/4"
1.2mm	16ga	8mm	5/16"
1.6mm	14ga	10mm	3/8"
2mm	12ga	11mm	7/16"
2.4mm	10ga	12mm	1/2"
3.2mm	8ga	14mm	9/16"
4mm	6ga	16mm	5/8"
5mm	4ga	18mm	11/16"
6mm	2ga	19mm	3/4"
8mm	0ga	21mm	13/16"

When referring to size of jewellery there are two measurements. One is the width (of a ring) or length (of a bar) called the "diameter" of the jewellery. The other is the thickness of the jewellery, which is the "gauge." As a general rule - jewellery no thinner than 14 gauge (1.6 mm) should be used below the neck. This is because of a likelihood of migration and cutting.

Body Jewellery Materials

Never use standard stainless steel or 9 carat gold jewellery, gold plated, acrylic or sterling silver on initial or unhealed piercing. Titanium is suitable for this purpose and is less likely to be rejected by the body. If you want to use gold, always consider at least 18 carat gold jewellery for initial healing periods. Low nickel steel is also suitable for healing periods and is often known under various brand names (e.g. Implantanium or Nickelite).

316L Surgical Stainless Steel Body Jewellery: All the steel items of body jewellery we sell are made of 316L Top Grade Surgical Steel.
Surgical Steels are categorised into four general classes, based on composition: 200 series steel contains chromium, nickel and manganese, 300 series contains chromium and nickel, 400 series contains chromium and 500 series contains low chromium.
The most corrosion resistant are 300 series steels, hence their popularity for medical implants and body jewellery. However, not all 300 series steels are suitable for invasive body piercing applications.
316L has the exact same components as regular stainless steel, excepting that 316L has a lower amount of carbon in it's makeup.
We use 316L steel for body jewellery; other popular choices for jewellery are Composition D Implantation Steel and 316LVM Surgical Steel.
Although these high grades all contain nickel, they do not release nickel salts into the body and do not induce contact nickel dermatitis. All steels we sell meet the annex criteria in the EU Nickel directive and can be used for secondary piercing applications.

Titanium Body Jewellery: Grade Ti6AL-4V Titanium in compliance with implant specification BS 7252 Part 3. Titanium is used for initial body piercing and healed piercing as it is compliant with the EU Nickel Directive introduced in Europe in 2001.
Because of its' main characteristics, titanium is now challenging stainless steel as the most favoured metal in the body piercing jewellery industry. Titanium is only half the weight of steel and can be anodised, offering a wide selection of surface colours.

Not all grades of titanium and its' alloys are suitable for invasive body jewellery applications.

We use grade 23 surgical titanium (Ti6AL4VELI) for all new titanium body jewellery products. This is a grade recognised by standard society's world wide for medical devices, including the international standards organisation in Switzerland and the ASTM in the USA. Heard valves, pacemakers and replacement human body parts are being made of Grade 23 titanium. Its' biocompatibility is internationally respected. Grade 23 titanium has been designated an 'F' prefix by the ASTM (F-136), signifying it's status as an approved medical grade material, thus allowing FDA consent for it's use in medical devices. No higher qualification exists.
All our G23Ti body piecing jewellery has a super smooth surface and extreme chemical stability.

PVD Gold Titanium / Steel Body Jewellery: Gold PVD is suitable for initial and healed piercing andis in compliance with the EU Nickel Directive. Gold PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) coating is applied onto Titanium or Surgical Steel (called sometimes "Injecto Gold"), after the products are ultrasonically cleaned and placed in a high vacuum coating chamber. The surfaces are then atomically cleaned at high vacuum by high energy plasma generated by ionising gas and target materials. Active gases are then introduced to produce a coating plasma in conjunction with multiple target sources.
We offer a selection of G23 Titanium and Surgical Steel body jewellery with a golden coloured PVD coating on.
The PVD formula is proven biocompatible and permanent. It can be autoclaved without detrimental effect, and possesses an extremely low coefficient of friction. No gold or palladium is added to the formula. The products usually have a noble gold colour (paler than yellow titanium). They are suitable for initial and healed piercings and are in compliance with the EU Nickel Directive.

PVD Black Titanium / Steel Body Jewellery:

Black PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) coating is applied onto Titanium or Surgical Steel (called sometimes "Injecto Black") after the products are ultrasonically cleaned and placed in a high vacuum coating chamber. The surfaces are then atomically cleaned at high vacuum by high energy plasma generated by ionising gas and target materials. Active gases are then introduced to produce a coating plasma in conjunction with multiple target sources.

Since it's introduction to the medical device industry in the late 1980's, Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) has become widely used to deposit wear resistant, thin film coatings onto medical devices (including heart pacemakers, surgical instruments, and orthopaedic implants).
The main value in PVD technology rests in the ability to modify the surface properties of a device without changing the underlying material's properties and biochemical functionality. We use this advanced technology as a surface enhancement on medical grade titanium jewellery.
The surface coating is tremendously adhesive to the substrate, is conformal and pinhole free, is an excellent permeation barrier, and is sterile on preparation. The biocompatibility of a component is an absolute pre-requisite when applied in medical device situations. The base formula for PVD Black has been tested by an independent biological testing laboratory, and is certified biocompatible for external and internal medical devices that come into contact with bone, skin, tissue or blood.
It's often recommended to use Titanium or PVD Black body jewellery, as this is a completely pure metal. Your piercing would heal at a substantially faster rate with this body jewellery. This is because it is biologically inert. Black PVD is suitable for initial and healed piercings and is in compliance with the EU Nickel Directive.

Acrylic Body Jewellery: A new generation of polymers (acrylics) are being increasingly used in medical situations, and their suitability for body piercing jewellery is widely acknowledged. Our Ultra Violet body piercing jewellery is manufactured from Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Acrylics and acrylic resins are common names for polymers of derivatives or acrylic acid and methacrylic acid.
PMMA was amongst the first plastics to be developed in the second and third decades of the twentieth century, and was successfully employed as a substitute for glass in widescreens for motor vehicles and aeroplanes. PMMA became subsequently the material of choice for contact lenses, cosmetic surgery and spinal fixation devices. Considered biologically inert, PMMA is better under its' various brand names, Lucite, Plexiglas, Perspex.

Acrylic jewellery should be frequently cleaned. In extremely rare cases of sensitisation, remove and replace the jewellery.
Acrylic is a porous material commonly known as plastic (it is technically a certain type of) and lucite. Since its porous nature has a tendency to hold bacteria,acrylic is not recommended for unhealed piercing, nor in genital piercing. Acrylic comes in an unlimited number of colours and sizes, and is often used by many because it is low-cost and light-weight. Acrylic cannot be autoclaved, nor can it be placed in alcohol, as that would cause the material to crack.
Acrylic jewellery is not suitable for initial or unhealed piercing.

Sterling Silver Body Jewellery: Sterling Silvers chemical composition doesn't allow it to be used for components that are inserted into the body. Never use sterling silver on initial or unhealed piercing.
All of our sterling silver jewellery has a surgical steel shaft which it is attached to. Our Silver carries the hallmark 925 stamp which you can actually see on the silver designs.

Teflon/ PTFE Body Jewellery: Teflon (PTFE, polytetrafluoroethylene) - is an inert wear-resistant, slippery and flexible plastic, and has been used extensively as a component of permanent and temporary surgical implants. It is suitable for all piercing. PTFE is suitable for initial piercing, and those taking a long time to heal.
Benefits of PTFE:
1) Can be Sterilized with Autoclave
2) Totally Flexible - It will bend with your body tissues unlike all metal Jewellery.
3) Hypo-allergenic - Being one of the least allergic materials, P.T.F.E. is used in the medical industry to make Heart Valves and other surgical implants. Should there be a problem of allergic reaction or rejection to conventional metal jewellery, it is likely that PTFE Body Jewellery is now a practical choice for that person under any circumstances.
4) Fully Adjustable- A razorblade is all that is needed to adjust the bar to the exact size of your piercing!
5) Self Threading - PTFE bars will fit all threaded accessories that you may already own! Simply screw-on your accessory (balls, spikes, etc...) on to a PTFE bar. It will create a thread on the bar and will hold strongly.
PTFE is a great inert biomaterial with excellent biocompatibility characteristics. PTFE has amazing 'Non-Stick' properties; lymph does not stick to it. Perfect for work if you're not allowed to wear jewellery, or if you're going into hospital. PTFE Barbells are perfectly acceptable in the medical world for swapping with your existing jewellery, until X-Rays, operations etc. are completed. Because of it's flexibility, PTFE barbells are often used in the navel piercing of pregnant women, as they bend to allow the stomach to expand.

Organic Jewellery: Our organic (natural) body jewellery comes in either horn or bone. Both materials come from domestic Indonesian water buffalo.
Please note: they are not killed for jewellery materials.
Horn is black and made primarily of keratin, a fibrous material, similar to that of hair and nails. Bone is white and is composed of the mineral calcium carbonate. Organic jewellery is not suitable for initial or unhealed piercing.

Stone Body Jewellery: Stone Plugs Earlets Tunnels - Red creek jasper, picture agate, adventure jade, obsidian, tiger eye, black onyx and amber are some of the types of stones we use for our carved stone
The quality of our stones, the carving, the polishing and basically overall craftmanship on each piece in this selection is truly amazing. Stone carved jewellery is not suitable for initial or unhealed piercing.

Silicone Body Jewellery: while it is not uncommon for jewellery to be partially silicone in construction (spikey silicone "ball covers" for tongue barbells, for example), it is less common but not unheard of for the jewelry to be made entirely of silicone.
By constructing jewellery out of silicone, problems such as gum recession can be minimized, as well as increasing biocompatibility. Stretching may also be slightly easier using soft silicone jewellery (which can "auto-stretch", although this comes with its own problems), and silicone's excellent mobility has applications in surface piercing as well.
Silicone jewellery can't be chemiclave, soaked in madacide or exposed silicone to any other toxic chemical. The silicone may retain minute amounts of the toxin(s), which should be avoided. Wash with soap & warm water prior to use, or autoclave jewelry.
Silicone is excellent for healed piercings, but it is not recommended for stretching or for problem piercings.

GlassWear Body Jewellery: our Pyrex (Borosilicate) glass jewellery range is autoclave safe and hypoallergenic.

DISCLAIMER These guidelines are based on a combination of vast professional experience, common sense and research. This is not to be considered a substitute for medical advice from a doctor. Be aware, however, that many doctors have no specific training or experience regarding piercing and may not be educated on how to best assist you.

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