Congratulations on taking the bold step of piercing your nipples! It takes courage to take the plunge, but now that you've done it, it's time to adorn them with some fabulous new jewelry. Nipple piercing jewelry comes in a variety of styles, sizes, and materials, allowing you to express your individuality and personal style. From simple and understated to bold and elaborate, the options are endless. But before you rush to buy your new accessories, it's important to ensure that you choose the correct size for your piercing to avoid discomfort or complications. In this regard, learning how to measure your nipple piercing jewelry is crucial. Don't worry, it's not as complicated as it may seem, and with a little guidance, you'll be on your way to finding the perfect fit.
Before you can indulge in the excitement of selecting new nipple piercing jewelry, it is crucial to learn how to measure your current nipple piercing body jewelry.
This step is essential as it helps you to determine the correct size, gauge, length, and diameter required for your new jewelry. Measuring your nipple piercing jewelry is a relatively simple process, and all you need is a few basic tools such as a ruler, caliper, or measuring tape. First, take note of the gauge of your current nipple piercing jewelry. Gauge refers to the thickness of the jewelry, and it is crucial to select the correct gauge size to ensure a comfortable fit. Additionally, you should also measure the length and/or diameter of your current jewelry to ensure you choose a new piece of the correct size.
Armed with this information, you can confidently shop for your new nipple piercing jewelry, knowing you have the right measurements to select the perfect fit.
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GAUGE
What gauge is my nipple piercing jewelry?
Knowing the gauge of your current nipple piercing jewelry is very important. Gauge sizes are often written as a number followed by a little “g” which is the abbreviation for gauge.
For example: 14g would be spoken as fourteen gauge
If you choose the wrong gauge, you might end up accidentally shrinking your piercing channel, making future shopping more difficult.
The most common gauge used in a nipple piercing is 14g, followed by 16g and 12g. Can you guess what gauge is the largest (thickest)?
If you guessed 12g, you’re right!
Here’s the correct gauge order: 16g, 14g, 12g. When you are looking at gauge sizes, the smaller the number in front of the “g” the larger the thickness (gauge).
Things get confusing once you start mixing in millimeters, but after awhile, it’s an easy conversion. In many cases, sellers will list gauge, millimeter or both.
LENGTH
How do I find out the length of my current nipple piercing jewelry? How long of a straight barbell should I order?
Measure!
The best way to measure the length of your nipple piercing barbell is to find a ruler and measure from inside the ends. If you have silver ball ends, do not measure past those ball ends, only measure the length of the shaft in-between them.
Apply this same concept to other ends like prong set opals and forward facing gemstones. This will give you the most accurate length. This length is also the minimum length you need to have a comfortable fitting piece. You can always go ¼” up on each side or more, depending on how much “wiggle” room you like. Sometimes each nipple piercing will have its own length. That is fairly normal. So you can always order one length for each nipple. It’s as simple as that!
DIAMETER
How do I measure my hoop or ring so I can shop for straight barbells? If I'm wearing straight bars how do I measure for a hoop?
Diameter is a measurement of the straight line passing side to side in a circle shape.
This measurement, when applied to body jewelry, can refer to one of two different things.
- Hoop Diameter
- Ball, Opal, Gem Diameter
The first one is the diameter of your hoop or captive bead ring.
If you are currently wearing a hoop or captive bead ring, it’s important to measure the inner diameter of your current jewelry piece. This is the “length/diameter” of your nipple piercing jewelry.
How wide across your ring or hoop is equals the diameter you need to order if you are shopping for another ring or hoop or if you’re switching to a straight barbell.
Again, in this measurement, you need to measure the inner portion. Instead of placing your ruler on top of your ring or hoop, you need to only measure the inside. This gives you the most accurate diameter measurement and it allows you to know the minimum diameter (length) you’ll need to order to be comfortable.
The second refers to the ball, opal or gemstone size. It is important to know what diameter you need in both cases.
When diameter refers to gemstone size, you measure the same way.
Take your silver ball end for example. If you measure it from side to size, you’ll get the ball diameter.
If you’re looking to upgrade to an opal or gemstone, you’ll want to know this diameter size so that you can shop accordingly.
If you wanted an opal larger than your silver ball, you’d first measure the ball diameter and then go up in size when ordering an opal end. A standard diameter size for ball ends is 4mm. It is a fairly common size to see in initial nipple piercings.
If you wanted more of a statement piece, you might decide to order a 5mm or 6mm opal or gemstone end to make it more visually appealing. The reverse is also true. Say you’re not really into a large ball end; you could shop for 3mm ends instead.
See how simple it can be if you know your measurements?
If you learn how to measure your own jewelry gauge, length and diameter, you’ll be in charge of your own shopping experience!