Body Piercing & Jewellery Info

Tongue piercings have simply exploded in popularity in the past few years. With a huge range of jewellery now available for most tongue piercings there was just about something for every occassion. With the advent of the vibrating tongue bar there’s now something for literally every occassion, including the bedroom!

I’ll leave it for your imagination to work out why this would be ideal for the bedroom, except to say we’ve tried it and it comes HIGHLY recommended. Priced at just £9.99 from our favourite body jewellery store - Body Jewellery Direct - it even includes 2 spare batteries so you don’t run out at a critical moment.

A great product that works just as well in a ladies mouth as it does a mans, so why not treat yourself to one and spice things up just that little bit further?

Body piercing has seen an explosion in popularity over the past few years. This in turn has lead to a huge increase in the range of body jewellery available, both in style and in materials.

It wasn’t long ago that surgical steel jewellery was the ‘norm’ for body piercings with a small amount of silver and gold jewellery available for healed piercings. However, this has changed and you can buy body jewellery in a huge range of materials that include steel, silver, gold, titanium, plastic/acrylic, glass, bone, horn and even wood.

The range may now be extensive but there is a problem… what type of jewellery is suitable for your piercing? Not all of the above materials may be suitable, especially if your piercing is still relatively new and/or unhealed.

For new body piercings there are only a few materials now recommended. It used to be the case that surgical steel jewellery was the automatic choice for new piercings. However, it has since been found that a very small minority of people can have a reaction to the small nickel content in most surgical steel, so a directive from Brussels has since stopped the use of steel for new body piercings. Although there is a form of surgical steel available that’s nickel free, high production costs and the emergence of newer, more readily available materials have prevented this from becoming popular.

So what is ’safe’ for a new or unhealed piercing? Titanium is perhaps the No1 choice for new body piercings at the moment. Available simply polished or with a very wide range of inert, anodized or PVD coatings it is our jewellery of choice by far. From belly bars and ball closure rings to labret studs are all available in titanium and at a price almost on par with steel.

Another option, especially suited to those who want their piercings a little less visible, is bioplast or flexible acrylic. Being a form of plastic the material is very inert making it ideally suited for all piercings and with the ability to flex a little it is usually far more comfortable than conventional jewellery such as titanium. The only drawback for some is that it simply isn’t as attractive as titanium jewellery; especially the coloured or gem set titanium pieces.

Although not as pure or inert as titanium or bioplast, sterling silver is also an option for some people on newer piercings although not recommended for brand new piercings or those still ‘weeping’. However, as the vast majority of ’silver’ jewellery features a surgical steel bar that passes through the actual piercing, with only the detailing being made of sterling silver, most silver body jewellery should be treated as surgical steel for use in piercings i.e. not recommended for brand new piercings or those still with discharge but ideal for anything else.

So what is not recommended for newer piercings? It is important to stress that for brand new piercings, or those still weeping, you should only consider truly inert and ’safe’ materials such as titanium or bioplast/acrylic and all jewellery should be properly sterilised prior to use. Surgical steel is no longer recommended for unhealed piercings for the reasons stated above. Gold is only ever suitable for completely healed piercings (i.e. usually 6 months+ after the piercing and no weeping or discharge) due to the very high level of impurities most gold carries. Organic materials such as wood, horn and bone should only be used for healed piercings simply because they can carry contaminants and are very difficult to sterilise fully.

As a final word of advice, as with all things body piercing related - if in doubt consult your piercer.

Few can have missed the fact that the World Cup is almost upon us so why not show your support in a fun and unusual way?

Body Jewellery Direct offers a great range of George Cross body jewellery to help celebrate the World Cup in style, including this great George Cross flag tongue bar. Made from high quality surgical steel, this tongue stud is on sale for the duration of England’s stay in the World cup and is priced at just £3.50.

So why not visit them today and grab an unusual World Cup momento for your tongue or a George Cross belly bar for your tummy piercing?

With the cost of diamonds soaring to record highs and the huge influence of ‘bling’ on today’s fashion scene, Cubic Zirconia jewellery is seeing a huge rise in popularity. Cubic Zirconia is probably the closest man made material to the looks, hardness and feel of real diamond. But few people know what it is or how it’s made so here’s a brief summary for those interested…

Zirconium in its pure form is actually a chemical element that can be found in the periodic table. For those interested it has an Atomic Number of 40. However, although a naturally occurring element and metal, it is not found in its pure form and instead forms a part of several minerals, the most common being Zirconium Silicate which is mined heavily in the USA, Australia, India, Brazil and Russia.

Zirconium was discovered in 1789 by the German chemist Martin Klaproth, although he did not manage to isolate the element. This was achieved in 1824 by Jons Jakob Berzelius, a Swedish chemist, with pure Zirconium first prepared in 1914. Pure Zirconium is a greyish-white metal that is used in a wide range of industrial processes including heavy use by the Nuclear industry due to its hardness, heat resistance and non-reactive properties. These characteristics also help to make it ideal for jewellery.

Obviously a grey-white metal would hardly make an ideal substitute diamond so the raw material needs processing to produce the clarity required for jewellery. To do this high purity zirconium oxide powders, stabilized with magnesium and calcium, are heated to very high temperatures until they melt together, crystalising and clarifying on cooling to produce a clear, hard substance with properties similar to diamond and suitable for use in jewellery. During this process small amounts of other chemicals can also be added to produce different coloured crystals.

Although ‘close’ to real diamond, there are obviously small different between Cubic Zirconia and diamond including hardness and brilliance. The naked eye finds it hard to differentiate between the two, however true diamond does have an increased refractive index (the ability to refract a ray of light into its component colours). Cubic Zirconia (CZ) has a refractive index of around 2.16, whereas diamond has an index value of 2.42. As I say, although this is difficult to pickup with the naked eye it does mean that true diamond will always ’sparkle’ just that little bit more when properly cut.

The hardness of the two materials is also different. As most people are aware, diamond is an incredibly hard material and often used for industrial cutting and grinding processes. In fact diamond tops the hardness scale with a value of 10 whereas CZ is a little lower at around 8.7.

Hardly exciting reading I know but the above at least gives a little insight in to where CZ comes from and why it remains so popular for Jewellery. At the end of the day it simply looks good and can be purchased without breaking the bank.

Tattoos were once thought to only be for big and burly men. They’d have an image tattooed onto their forearm and often it would symbolize a major event or a special person within their lives.

Tattoos have changed a great deal since then but the general idea of placing a mark on your body in a permanent way is still very appealing to many people today.

A discreet place for a tattoo is on the ankle. Ankle tattoos are one of the most popular types of tattoos. Most ankle tattoos are small and the design can reflect a part of the personality of the person who has it.

Some common designs in ankle tattoos are a tribal symbol, a floral arrangement or an initial. An ankle tattoo can be small enough that it isn’t noticeable unless the person is very close. Many professional women choose this type of tattoo because it isn’t overbearing and at the same time it allows them to carry something personal on their bodies always.

Once you have decided on a design and coloring for your ankle tattoos you’ll want to visit a reputable establishment that does tattoos. Looking through the yellow pages is one route but if you know anyone who has a tattoo you should ask them about their experience. Quite often they’ll be happy to share with you and they may recommend a place for you to visit.

After deciding on a tattoo parlor you’ll want to discuss with the artist your concept. If you come there without a design in mind they will be able to show you a range of images that you can choose from. Most people prefer a smaller design for ankle tattoos and if the artist feels that yours is too large, they will work with you to bring it down to a scale that is more appropriate.

At this time they will also explain the procedure involved with receiving ankle tattoos. It does involve the use of needles and therefore most people find eating a light meal about an hour before their appointment preferable. This helps to keep the blood sugar levels up and if you are even a bit uncomfortable around needles this can be very important.

It’s very important to care for your ankle tattoos. Tattoos can become infected without proper care and this can occur on any part of your body.

When you first receive your ankle tattoos you’ll be given a list of instructions to follow. This includes the proper way to clean and care for the tattoo.

Avoiding sunlight is important within the first few days after your tattoo. This means you’ll want to keep your ankle covered if you spend a significant amount of time outside. This also helps to keep the colors of the tattoo vibrant for years to come.

Salt water or chlorinated water is also not advisable for an ankle tattoo. Therefore you’re wise to stay out of any pools or hot tub in the days immediately following your tattooing. The chemicals can alter the look of ankle tattoos and lead to bleeding of the colors. This means that the color will be altered and for anyone who has recently received a tattoo that can be disappointing.

Ankle tattoos are a fun way to try a tattoo. They are also a great way to express your individuality and unique sense of style.

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Few can have failed to notice the huge growth in recent years of body piercing. It is more or less the norm now to have a belly piercing and even tongue piercings and the more unusual facial piercings are a common site. But what happens if you really don’t want to have holes made in your skin? Or perhaps you have a small piercing but like the looks of the large ear plugs but don’t want the huge holes, what then?

Enter onto the scene ‘fake-it’ body jewellery. ‘Fake’ body jewellery, i.e. jewellery that doesn’t require a piercing, is not a new concept. For example, clip on earrings have existed for literally 100’s of years. However, it is only recently that similar products for other parts of the body have been available.

Perhaps the first ‘fake’ body jewellery to become available was the emergence of clip-on nipple jewellery. For several reasons, many people do not like the idea of having a nipple pierced, not least of which is because of the possible pain involved in puncturing a rather sensitive part of the anatomy. Clip-on nipple jewellery resolved this problem. Usually made from sterling silver to make it both affordable and pliant enough to be adjusted for the individual, a wide range of styles now exists. The mechanics are simple – a u-shaped adjustable clip slides over the nipple, squeezing just enough to stay in place without causing discomfort. Although this type of jewellery is unsuitable for continuous wear, it’s great for an evening out in revealing or tight fitting clothing or simply for bedroom fun.

More recently we have seen the release of ‘fake’ jewellery for existing piercings. Although a hole is still required for this type of jewellery, it is designed to make the piercing look far bigger than it actually is. By far the most popular jewellery of this kind are the fake-it ear plugs. The size of the bar that passes through the piercing is the standard 1.6mm gauge. However, the bar is capped on both ends with much larger gauge steel, either decorated or plain, that gives the impression of much larger gauge jewellery. Fake rubber sealing rings complete the look and help to disguise the fact that this isn’t real large gauge jewellery. Ideal for people who love the look of large ear jewellery but don’t want the huge holes in their ears.

For a great range of real and ‘fake’ body jewellery check out our favourite UK body jewellery site Body Jewellery Direct UK.