Q . How and why did you get into Piercing? Who are your heroes or your inspiration? I got into the piercing industry in 2005, I started the proper way, with an apprenticeship at a near-by shop that was higher end on piercings. I then started my long days of watching and helping around the shop, and my longer nights researching different piercings, methods, and parts of the anatomy. But all that hard work in my mind would be well worth it, as...
One of the most popular piercings in the West, the tongue piercing has gone from strength to strength over the last decade. With a history that dates back to ritualistic practises used by the Myans and Aztecs, as well as being proof of trance-states to the Islamic Fakirs, the Sufis, and the spirit mediums of the ancient far east, the modern resurgence in the West came about via the famous 'Gauntlet' piercing studio - the U.S.A's first piercing...
A bridge piercing is a Piercing|body piercing through the skin on the bridge of the nose , usually directly between the eyes of the wearer. The bridge piercing is also known as an "Erl" or "Earl" piercing, after its first recipient, Erl van Aken. A variation on this piercing, the vertical bridge piercing is a Surface Piercings|surface piercing.
The risk of rejection is quite high for this piercing, as it is a surface piercing. There is...
Why's it called a Monroe?
Named after the actress Marilyn Monroe, who's famous beauty spot gave inspiration for this piercing, the Monroe is located to the side of the upper lip. It's often located on the left side of the face, although this isn't a hard and fast rule, and piercings above the lip are often referred to as Monroes no matter which side they're on. The same piercing located on the right can be known as a 'Madonna' or 'Cindy...
What does 'Gauge' mean?
The gauge of a piece of piercing jewellery refers to how thick the jewellery is ( see figure C in the graphic below ). In many parts of the world, the gauge system isn't used, and the thickness of piercing jewellery is measured in milimetres, so here's some information to show you what the different gauges mean in milimetres.
Measuring Body Piercing Jewellery
It's important to find the right...
Body Piercing has been around for centuries, and is even mentioned in biblical times. It's practice has served many social functions, including spirituality, social hierarchy, fashion, religion, non-conformism, and eroticism, among many others. Modern day piercing culture draws its appeal from all these functions, and many others, and piercing devotees have found new ways to express their love of the art-form, bringing new ideas and methods to...
Captive bead rings are a widely used and versatile piece of body piercing jewellery, and can be used in many, if not most piercings. Also known as 'Ball closure rings' or 'Captive rings' the jewellery is a circular ring opened, closed, and held shut by a bead. The captive bead or ball fits into a small opening in the circle of the ring. T he bead is slightly larger than this opening and has small indentations or depressions that correspond to...
Barbell style piercing jewelry is composed of a straight bar and with a bead on each end, one or both beads unscrewable for removal and/or changing of the beads. Often one of the beads is fixed, either via epoxy or welding , so that only one bead is used to install or remove the jewelry . Barbell threads are usually right-handed.
They are named because they resemble the barbells that are used in weightlifting.
Types of...
There are many different types of surface piercing. These piercings follow a channel which follows the plane of a flap of skin anywhere on the body, rather than piercing right through the skin tissue where it's thin enough in a convex or concave area. Surface piercings are becoming increasingly popular with anti-eyebrows, nape piercings, hip piercings, and many others growing in popularity, and microdermal anchors becoming more widespread....