Antique Engagement Rings

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.  To better understand each piece of body jewelry, let’s go over some definitions.

Belly Button Ring
One of the most common piercings, a belly button is generally pierced using a 14 GA barbell and two acrylic or metal 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.

Because of the amount of blood in the tongue, these piercings can heal as quickly as 4 weeks after being done.  Tongue piercings are almost never done below the age of 16 and often require parental consent.

Industrial
The industrial is a piercing that penetrates two parts of the outer ear.  It’s possible to pierce the ear at a variet of angles and distances, but its nearly always done along the cartilage.  Because of the options associated with this piercing, the barbell can range from very short to very long and typically threads through each of the separate holes.  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. Both will require a fairly unique ring because of the location directly through the lip.  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.  Of all the oral piercings, these are considered to be the most dangerous when it coems to dental health.

Surface Rings
These are exactly what you think:  a piercing on the surface of the skin.  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.