Body Jewelry Glossary

Barbell

A barbell is a straight piece of jewelry finished with threaded balls on either end. Barbells are among the most versatile body piercing jewelry, and is most commonly used for the tongue.

Belly Button Ring

Also called a navel ring, it is a piercing that frames the rim of the navel. The design usually features a curved barbell that goes through the flesh at the top of the belly button and comes out the actual belly opening.
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Biopierce

Biopierce body jewelry products are non-allergenic and provide a fast healing process. The material is certified bio-compatible for safe and protected piercings.

Captive Bead Rings (CBR)

A popular style, the captive bead ring is a hoop-shaped design that features a single, unattached bead that is held in place by tension from both sides of the ring. The bead can be removed and inserted by releasing the tension on the bead. A CBR can be used for most piercing locations.
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Curved Barbell

A barbell slightly curved but not as much as a circular. It is usually used for eyebrow piercing or belly button piercing. Some people call this a bent barbell, a bananabell or simply a banana.
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Circular Barbell

Also known as horseshoe barbells due to their shape, they are similar to a CBR and are used in multiple piercing locations, including ear lobes, cartilage, and septum piercings. The horseshoe is a curved barbell that makes an incomplete circle; it features a small center gap and balls at either end. Circular barbells are sold in multiple different gauges and are worn in the same locations as the CBR.
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Industrial Barbell

An industrial piercing, also referred to as a scaffold piercing, is created when two or more piercings in the ear are connected by a single barbell. An industrial barbell is longer than a traditional barbell in order to pass through more than one piercing, such as through two different areas of the ear rim.
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Labret

A labret is the common name for both the piercing of the center, lower lip and the jewelry that is worn there. A labret is a barbell with a ball or decorative piece on one end and a flattened piece on the other so that it fits comfortably between the insides of the lip and the lower or upper gum.
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Nose Stud

A nose stud is jewelry worn in a nose piercing. There are several different designs of nose studs, including bone, I-shape, bend to fit, screw and hoops.
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Plug

A plug is a tube that is placed in a stretched piercing, most commonly the earlobe. Sometimes referred to as a tube or tunnel. Plugs can be hollow, solid or anything in between and come in many different sizes, colors and designs.
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Retainer

A retainer is a non-metal (usually nylon, acrylic or silicone) piece of jewelry that is clear or nude in color. It is designed to keep a piercing open but nearly invisible. A retainer is often worn when you wish a piercing to go unnoticed.

Taper

A taper (or stretching pin) is used to stretch piercings up one size at a time. Usually made of stainless steel, the small end of the taper is inserted into the stretched earlobe. It is gradually eased through the stretched earlobe until the larger end has expanded the opening to the desired size.
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