The AWG sizing system or earring gauge size was developed in 1857 to size electrical wires, and while this numbering system appears strange when it comes to earrings and other types of body piercing jewelry, it makes sense for wires to know what gauge are earrings.
Despite popular belief, even ordinary ear lobe piercings should be performed by a specialist. Instead, ear lobe piercings are frequently performed by amateurs who use a painful pistol to drive a pointed earring post through the lobe.
The gauge is defined as the diameter of any body jewelry. It also refers to the hole size through which the body jewelry will be inserted. Then there’s the length, which is the length of the shaft design on the jewelry.
Essentially, the coding scheme is founded on the concept that thinner electrical lines have
A thin 20-gauge wire has a higher current resistance than a narrower 16-gauge wire. To put it another way, a fine 20-gauge wire requires more current to run through its drawing dies than a 16-gauge wire.
As a result, the smaller the wire diameter, the higher the AWG or earring gauge size. Therefore, earrings with larger wires have a lower gauge number than earrings with thinner wires.
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What Gauge Are Regular Ear Piercings?
Ear piercings are typically 20-gauge or 18-gauge if punctured using a pistol. However, if they had their lobes pierced professionally, the piercing would be 16-gauge or 14-gauge.
Earring posts in a gun are frequently constructed of sterling silver or 14K gold, which are regarded unsuitable for piercing due to their fragile metals and nickel content. In addition, forcing the post through the ear lobe causes significant scarring because the tissue of your ear is traumatized and torn by the force of the gun, and the post then must push aside tissue to produce the piercing hole.
When a professional piercing is performed, a hollow needle is used to remove tissue to make way for the jewelry delicately. This promotes faster healing with less scarring and is frequently less painful than piercing a pistol.
Finally, a professional piercer can offer you a proper cleaning regimen for the piercing. Still, an unlicensed piercer can cause more harm to the piercings by providing you with wrong aftercare recommendations.
Gauge Size Chart for Earrings
AThe standard piercing gauge varies according to the piercer, although most piercers use 18-gauge jewelry for most piercings. They also use the technique above to determine the gauge size of the piercings, which varies depending on the location. However, most piercings and piercing gear are between 16-gauge and 18-gauge.
These are the gauges and lengths that professional piercers utilize. Everyone’s body is unique, and piercers may use different sizes and gauges depending on your body type or the type of jewelry you want to wear.
- Piercing earrings with 20-gauge are used for ear piercing. These are among the petite sizes intended to make tiny holes large enough to accommodate regular pierced earrings. This gauge is also widely used for nasal piercings.
- Larger gauges, often 14-gauge to 18-gauge, are utilized for locations such as the belly button, mouth, tongue, and brow. Stretchers can be used to progressively and painlessly widen an ear or tongue piercing. In addition, stretchers are excellent for making holes in larger gauges.
- The average nose ring gauge is 18-gauge. As indicated in the diagram, nose twists, also known as nose screws or nose studs, are measured using the method of the ball or charm to the commencement of the wrench. Measure from the tip of the nose bones to the shaft before the beaded tip. The length of a nose fishtail is measured from the bottom of the ball or charm to the end of the barbell.
What is the Gauge for Different Types of Ear Piercings?
While you may know the various gauge sizes for body jewelry, you will need a crash course in the fundamentals if you are new to these measurements because they are a little counterintuitive.
- The first thing to know about flat back earrings and cartilage hoops is gauge size or the diameter of your piercing. The thickness of the earring post that goes through your ear is your piercing gauge size.
- Everyone’s ear is unique, and your piercer may use a different needle size depending on your ear size and shape and your lifestyle.
- Most nose piercings, as well as some earlobe piercings, are done using a 20-gauge needle. Shop our flat back earrings in 20-gauge.
- Earlobe piercings, nose piercings, and some cartilage piercings can all be done with an 18-gauge needle. 18-gauge earrings are ideal for a wide range of healed cartilage piercings.
- Most cartilage piercings, including the tragus, rook, conch, and helix, are performed using a 16-gauge needle.
Can I Put A 14g In A 16g Piercing?
You certainly can. On the other hand, the jewelry will be loose and move around a lot. However, the whole will most likely close up around the smaller gauge jewelry, so you might not have been able to wear 14-gauge there any longer.
Gauge sizes work in inverse; thus, more significant numbers (such as 16-gauge) are thinner than lower numbers (like a 6-gauge). A larger gauge signifies a larger circumference, yet it is expressed with a lower number when discussing gauges. If you’re informed that you need a gauge greater than 14, look at 12 or 10, not 16.
Most piercers will prefer between 14-gauge and 16-gauge for industrial piercings, and while having a 14g means you may swap out for 16-gauge jewelry without pain, you cannot do the opposite. Because this piercing does not extend properly, industrial jewelry larger than 14-gauge is uncommon.
Most septums are pierced at 14-gauge or, more typically, 16-gauge. Assume you had a 16-gauge piercing, and it has healed. Putting a 14-gauge ring in would be as simple as putting a 12-gauge ring in. When it reaches close to that point, it’s time to start wearing tapered jewelry.
Although it may be a little loose, this will fit because 20-gauge is narrower than 18-gauge. However, if it is only worn for a brief time and with little movement, it will stay in place and serve the objective of keeping the piercing.
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