Body Piecing Jewelry – Choosing the Right Materials

There are many kinds of body jewelry available. Here is a simple guide to choosing the right materials for various types of jewelry.

Platinum is considered to be the best choice for body piercing jewelry because it is inert, meaning it doesn’t react chemically to body fluids or other materials. However, it is expensive, so platinum pieces are beyond the price range of many jewelry buyers. Some platinum pieces are also quite heavy which means they can stretch the piercing site unnecessarily.

While gold is the universal favorite for all types of jewelry, it is important to use only solid gold of at least 14 carats in body jewelry. Gold plated pieces can wear away from friction, so it is not ideal for use in body jewelry. Some people are sensitive to the silver, zinc, copper and nickel that are often alloyed with gold so these people should be careful to avoid allergic skin reactions.

Sterling silver is very attractive for body jewelry; however it cannot be worn in all piercings. Sterling silver is made of 92.5 percent silver. The rest is an alloy, such as copper, which can tarnish and corrode. For this reason, silver should not be worn in the mouth or in the genitalia. In addition, silver scratches easily and the scratches could harbor bacteria that can cause infections. Thus silver should only be worn in healed areas.

Stainless steel can be safely worn in body jewelry if it is made of 316L or 316LVM stainless steel. However, these pieces do contain small amounts of nickel, to which some people are sensitive. Look for annealed steel as it is slightly flexible, making for easier insertion. However, the more the piece has been annealed, the softer it is and the easier it is to scratch.






Titanium is a very popular body piercing jewelry material because of its lightweight and the fact that it reacts well with bodily fluids. Likewise, glass also reacts very well with bodily fluids; however it is much heavier so it could cause openings to stretch. Thus glass pieces, or those made from Pyrex, should only be used in healed piercings.

Plastic or acrylic body piercing jewelry is popular because it is inexpensive and is available in many styles. It should only be used for short periods because the plastic material does not allow the skin around the piercing to breathe. In addition, do not use plastic or acrylic jewelry in the mouth or on the lip because biting down on it can cause it to shatter. Likewise, it can break down when it contacts alcohol.

In these days of environmental consciousness, body piercing jewelry made of natural materials such as wood or bone is attractive. However, wood pieces are often finished with chemicals that can be irritating to the skin. Wood pieces should not get wet and so must be removed before bathing. Bone and horn pieces have sharp edges when broken. Wood, bone and horn jewelry should be cleaned regularly with antibacterial soap and thoroughly dried before the next use.

The best rule of thumb when buying body piercing is to look for well-crafted pieces made of quality materials that can be easily clean and sterilized. The most attractive piece of body jewelry can harm you if it made poorly of the wrong materials and not adequately clean.

In the world of wholesale body piercing jewelry, wholesale silver jewelry and stainless steel jewelry wholesale distributors ACHA, Co. stands out from the other stainless steel jewelry manufacturers! At ACHA, Co. their expert designers and jewelry sales representatives are skilled at working with wholesale stainless steel jewelry.

Body Piecing Jewelry – Choosing the Right Materials / Author: urlreader