Sizing your body jewellery: A quick guide

It’s crucial that you always wear the correct size of body jewellery. If it’s too small, it’s going to irritate. If it’s too big, on the other hand, it’s likely to snag on clothes or other external objects. This, you don’t want.

So, if you’re going to swap out a body piercing, you’ll need to know your size. But don’t panic because it’s actually very simple. You’ll need two measurements: the gauge and the length/internal diameter. Both should be in millimetres.

The measurements to consider for each style of jewellery are as follows:

Finding out an item’s ‘gauge’

If you’ve been pierced at Lighthouse, knowing your item’s gauge is simple: we write it on your aftercare leaflet. However, if you’ve gone elsewhere, you can always contact your piercer.

What does ‘gauge’ mean? It’s the thickness of the bar or ring. The smallest gauge you’ll find is normally 0.8mm, whilst higher gauge jewellery can be upwards of 1.2mm. Navel jewellery and tongue bars usually sit at around 1.6mm, for example.

Measuring the length of your barbell or labret

This requires measuring the space between the two balls, i.e., the space from the bottom edge of the top ball to the top edge of the bottom ball. Make sure not to remove the balls while measuring your bar.

For a curved barbell, don’t measure the bend in the bar. Simply measure the space between the balls in a straight line.

Measuring the size of your BCR or ring

Here, you’re looking for the internal diameter of your ring. It’s as easy as measuring the distance between the inner edges of your ring at the widest point. To make this easier, remove the jewellery, put it on a piece of paper, and draw a circle around the inside. Then you can measure the width of what you’ve just drawn. Also, do remember to give your jewellery a clean if you’re going to be wearing it again.

I ordered the wrong size. What do I do?

Unfortunately, you can’t return or exchange a piece of body jewellery if you buy the wrong size. This is because a seller can’t guarantee it’s not been worn. So, to save your precious pennies, it’s always worth taking the time to properly measure your jewellery.

Installing your new jewellery

Before replacing your body jewellery, remember three things:

• Your piercing must be fully healed
• Your hands must be clean
• Your jewellery must be sanitised.

To sanitise your piercing jewellery, fill a cup with boiling water, create a saline solution by adding a dash of salt, and throw your jewellery in there – from a close distance, of course. Once it’s cooled down, dry off the item and then you’re good to go or use an alcohol wipe to cleanse the jewellery.

Still have questions?

If you have any questions about sizing your body jewellery – or anything else piercing-related – please get in touch. You can give us a call on 01273 739 019 during normal working hours.

One of our friendly Lighthouse team will be happy to help. Or if you’re looking for a piercing shop in Brighton, please pop into our studio on Queen’s Road.