Summary — Choosing the right earrings for your piercings involves material, gauge, style, and timing. Here’s what to know at every stage — healing, downsized, and fully healed.
During Healing: Material Is Everything
When a piercing is healing, the jewelry it contains is in constant contact with healing tissue. The wrong material can cause allergic reactions, prolonged irritation, or delayed healing. The right materials:
- Implant-grade titanium (ASTM F136) — the gold standard for healing piercings. Lightweight, hypoallergenic, available in color through anodizing.
- Solid 14k or 18k gold — excellent for healing. Make sure it’s solid, not plated — plating wears off and the base metal underneath can irritate.
- Implant-grade steel (316L or 316LVM) — good for most people, though some have nickel sensitivity that reacts to steel.
What to avoid: nickel, mystery alloys, cheap plated metals, acrylic, anything labeled “surgical steel” without ASTM specifications.
Gauge and Length: Why These Numbers Matter
Gauge refers to the thickness of the jewelry post. Most ear piercings are done at 16g or 18g, with 14g being common for conch and some other cartilage piercings. If you buy jewelry in the wrong gauge, it won’t fit — or worse, you’ll force it through and damage the healing tissue.
Your piercer will tell you the gauge of your piercing when it’s done. Write it down.
Length matters for labret studs — the post needs to be long enough to accommodate swelling during healing, but not so long that it snags. At your downsize appointment (8–10 weeks for cartilage), your piercer switches you to the right length for your healed anatomy.
Style by Piercing Type
Lobes: The most flexible — studs, hoops, huggie rings, drop earrings. Once healed, almost anything works. During healing, flat-back studs or simple rings are safest.
Helix and flat: Flat-back labret studs during healing. Once healed, small seamless rings or clicker hoops are also popular.
Forward helix: Flat-back studs are the go-to — the flat back is particularly important here given the placement against the face.
Conch: Studs during healing. Once healed, larger hoops (12–14mm) look incredible in a conch and are one of the most popular style upgrades post-healing.
Daith: Curved barbells or seamless rings. The curved shape of the daith means hoops fit better than straight posts.
Building a Cohesive Look
The easiest way to make multiple piercings look like a curated collection rather than a random assortment: stick to one metal tone (all gold, all silver, or all rose gold) across everything, and vary only the style and size. Mixing metals can work but takes more intentionality to pull off well.
Size variation is the key to depth — a larger statement piece (a conch hoop or a detailed stud) surrounded by smaller, simpler pieces creates visual hierarchy without chaos.
Questions About Your Jewelry?
If you got pierced at Aurilus and have questions about what jewelry will fit or work for your specific piercings, reach out or come back in. Ready for a new piercing to add to your collection? Book here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I wear hoops in a helix while it’s healing?
Not recommended. Hoops move more than flat-back studs, which disrupts healing tissue. Wait until the piercing is fully healed before switching to a hoop.
What’s the difference between implant-grade titanium and regular titanium?
Implant-grade titanium (ASTM F136) is a specific alloy tested for biocompatibility — meaning it’s certified to not cause reactions in body tissue. Regular titanium is a broader category that may or may not meet those standards. For healing piercings, the ASTM F136 grade specifically is what you want.
How do I know what gauge my piercing is?
Your piercer will tell you at the time of piercing. If you’ve forgotten, you can also measure the current jewelry or bring it back to the studio to have it checked.
