Piercing jewelry at Irish Rose Tattoo

The jewelry in a new piercing sits inside a healing wound for months. What it is made of, how it is finished and how it is sized matters more than how it looks on the display. That is why the case at Irish Rose is small and specific: implant-grade titanium, solid gold, threadless, and nothing else.

Rayna Lundvall chooses every piece that goes into a fresh piercing. She has been piercing for eight years, is APP-trained, and pierces with needles only.

What our piercing jewelry is made of

ASTM F-136 implant-grade titanium. This is the same titanium alloy specification used for surgical implants. It is nickel-free, light, does not corrode, and can be anodized to gold, rose or blue tones without plating anything on top. Titanium basics, such as flat-back labrets, simple ends and seamless rings, run $35 to $60.

14k solid gold. Solid all the way through, not gold-filled or gold-plated over a base metal. Gold ends, including bezel-set stones, clusters and simple discs, start at $90 and go up with the design. In most cases gold ends sit on implant-grade titanium posts, which keeps the cost reasonable without compromising the material in the piercing channel.

Threadless. Most ends are pushed into the post and held by tension from a slight bend in the pin, instead of screwing onto threads. There are no exposed threads to scrape the channel on the way in, and changing an end later is quick.

What we do not sell

No plated jewelry: plating wears off and exposes whatever is underneath. No acrylic, bioplast or silicone in fresh piercings. No surgical steel of unknown grade, sterling silver or anything sold as “hypoallergenic” without a material certificate. If a supplier cannot document the alloy, it does not go in the case.

That rules out a lot of cheaper jewelry. It also rules out most of the problems people blame on their own skin, which often turn out to be a reaction to nickel in mystery metal.

Downsizing piercing jewelry

A new piercing swells, so Rayna starts you on a post long enough to leave room. Once the swelling settles, usually at six to eight weeks, that extra length starts catching on hair, pillows and headphones, and can push the piercing off angle. A downsize swaps it for a shorter post.

The downsize check is free with every piercing. Walk in during shop hours, Tuesday to Saturday from noon to 8, and Rayna will look at it. If you need a shorter post, she quotes it before swapping. Week-by-week healing details are on the piercing aftercare page.

Changing your jewelry later

Leave the initial jewelry in until the piercing is fully healed, even if it looks fine sooner. Lobes take six to eight weeks; cartilage takes six to twelve months. Swapping early is the most common way people irritate a piercing that was healing well.

When you are ready to change it, come in. Rayna can swap ends in a minute, and for cartilage she will check the channel before putting in a hoop, which needs more healing than a stud. If you bought jewelry somewhere else, bring it and she will tell you honestly whether it is worth wearing.

Prices for each piercing are on the piercing page and the full price list. Ear projects, including curated multi-piercing ears, are covered under ear piercings.