Are there different grades of surgical stainless steel?
Yes. The most commonly used surgical stainless steel is known as 316L. 316L steel starts off as a solid bar of steel and it is ground down to the size that is required, because of this process, there can be microscopic scratches all over the jewellery. At The Piercing Shop we prefer to use a certain type of steel known as 316LVM. The major difference between 316L and 316LVM is the process in which they achieve the desired thickness of jewellery. 316LVM is actually heated up until it is in a liquid form and set at the desired thickness, because of this process there is no need to grind it down, therefore there are no microscopic scratches on the jewellery.

Why do we only use 18ct Gold?
We do not use anything less than 18ct because the percentage of inferior metal used to make 9ct gold is more than half. 9ct gold is in fact only 37.5% pure gold, 14ct is 55% and 18ct is 75%. Our jeweller makes all of our jewellery by hand ensuring that every piece is highly polished and free from any possible scratches.

Are there any other metals that can be used for first time piercing?
There are two other metals that we can use for first time piercing, they are titanium and niobium. Niobium is the only hypoallergenic metal that is used in body piercing. Niobium naturally exists in humans in blood, bone, liver and muscle. Titanium is much lighter than surgical steel and much stronger. It is often used to make implantation medical devices. What these two metals have in common is that they are able to be coloured. The colour is an oxidisation layer which can break down over time but will not damage the piercing in any way. Some people can hold colour in titanium and niobium better than others depending on the acidity of the skin.

What is internally threaded jewellery?
There are two different types of threading. Externally threaded jewellery has the thread on the bar and the ball has a hole in it which the bar threads into. The disadvantage with externally threaded jewellery is that because the thread is on the bar it can damage the inside of the piercing during insertion, particularly if you are changing your own jewellery. Externally threaded jewellery is also more prone to having balls unscrew and fall off. We prefer to use internally threaded barbells and circular barbells not just because there is less risk of damaging your new piercing or loosing a ball, but because all of our internally threaded jewellery is made from the highest grade steel (316LVM) which means that it is free of all nicks and scratches.

Externally Threaded

Internally Threaded