Nose Rings

How to choose a great nose ring (hoop):

  1. Choose your Nose Ring Size
    • measure from your piercing hole to the bottom of your nostril
    • consider the thickness of your nostril – if it’s on the thick side, add in 1mm. If it’s really thick, add 2mm or more
    • I measure in millimeters on the INSIDE of the ring – from the inside of one edge to the inside of the opposite edge
    • See the conversion chart below for millimeters to inches
    • I use 8mm = ‘fits most’ size, 6mm = really small, and 12mm = really large 
  1. Choose your Nose Ring Gauge
    • gauge means how thick the wire is
    • 22G is thinner & daintier, 20G is standard, and 18G is thicker
    • 20G is about the thickness of a regular earring post or hook
    • if you don’t know, you can compare to an earring, or ask your piercer 
  1. Choose your Nose Ring Material
    • are you a silver nose ring person? A gold nose ring person? Solid gold, or gold filled? Maybe niobium is just right for you.
    • create different looks with different metals – the choice is all yours.
    • all of my nose rings are nickel free 

Nose Studs

End Styles

I offer the following end styles:

  • screw end for left or right nostril
  • L end (shaped like an L)
  • bone end (straight shaft with little ball on the end)
  • straight shaft 17mm long (otherwise known as fishtail)

Something I often get asked is "Do you mean my nostril or when someone is looking at me?" I mean your nostril - so, for example,  a screw end for a left nostril is when your left nostril is pierced.

Shaft Length:

I make my shafts about 6.5mm long

The small "L" part of my L ends are 5mm long

The screw portion of my screw studs is about 4.5mm wide

However, I can make these to a size you require. You need to leave a note for the specific size if you need something other than my standard (eg. "7mm shaft length). Please don't leave "make them a bit longer, or "make them a bit shorter" in your order notes. 

Conversion Chart

Inches to Millimeters

1/16 inch = almost 2mm
1/8 inch = just barely over 3mm
1/4 inch = just barely over 6mm
3/8 inch = almost 10mm
1/2 inch = almost 13mm
5/8 inch = 16mm
3/4 inch = 19mm
7/8 inch = just barely over 22mm
1 inch = 25.4mm

Millimeters to Inches

1mm = just over 1/32 inch
2mm = just over 1/16 inch
3mm = almost 1/8 inch
4mm = 5/32 inch (= a bit over 1/8 inch)
5mm = just over 3/16 inch
6mm = almost 1/4 inch
7mm = almost 9/32 inch (= a bit over 1/4 inch)
8mm = 5/16 inch
9mm = almost 3/8 inch
10mm = just over 3/8 inch
11mm = almost 7/16 inch
12mm = almost 15/32 inch (= almost 1/2 inch)
13mm = just over 1/2 inch
14mm = almost 9/16 inch
15mm = almost 19/32 inch
16mm = 5/8 inch
17mm = almost 11/16 inch
18mm = just over 11/16 inch
19mm = 3/4 inch
20mm = 25/32 inch
21mm = just over 13/16 inch
22mm = almost 7/8 inch
23mm = 29/32 inch
24mm = just over 15/16 inch
25mm = almost 1 inch

 

European Sizing

In Europe, the gauge is indicated in millimeters. The conversions are as follows:

24G = .511mm

22G = .644mm

20G = .812mm

18G = 1.02mm

16G = 1.2mm

Care & Cleaning

Sterling Silver

Sterling silver tarnishes. There is no avoiding it entirely. Keeping your silver clean is much easier than trying to clean it after it has darkened. Here are some tips:

If it's a piece you don't wear all the time, keep it in the little ziploc it came in and store it in a dark place. This will help minimize the oxidization (tarnish)

If you do wear it all the time, you will need to periodically clean it. This can be done by purchasing a little pot of silver jewelry cleaner from your local drug or department jewelry counter, or by purchasing a cleaning cloth. Grocery stores also carry a product called "Silvo" that works well. There are also numerous articles on the internet with home cleaning methods that may be worth checking out.

What is gold fill? 

Gold-filled jewelry is jewelry composed of a solid layer of gold (typically constituting at least 5% of the item's total weight) mechanically bonded to a base of either sterling silver or some base metal. It does not flake or chip, and wears and lasts like gold.

Gold

First, it’s important to understand a bit about gold. Pure gold is 24 karat and generally isn’t used on its own to make jewelry because it is much too soft. Gold is mixed with other metals to form an alloy of metals. The higher the karat, the more gold it contains.

14 karat gold and 18 karat gold are good choices for jewelry.

So, will it tarnish, and what makes that happen? Tarnish shows up as a slight discoloration on the surface of the gold. Tarnish is the result of the mixture of moisture with oxygen and sulphur compounds. Your own personal body chemistry plays a big part in whether your gold nose jewelry will tarnish. Just being in the warm, moist environment of your nose makes it more likely that it will get a small amount of tarnish and need to be cleaned from time to time. The chemical makeup of your body, as well as what your jewelry is exposed to (chemicals, chlorine, hairsprays, etc) will determine the rate of tarnish (if it occurs at all), and how often cleaning needs to be done.

To clean your gold jewelry, most often a soak in mild dish soap and warm water, a soft cloth, and a clean rinse and dry will keep it nice. If that’s unsuccessful, you can purchase a gold jewelry dip cleaner from most department stores, jewelry counters, or online retailers.