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Ear Lobe Stretching FAQ

October 01, 2015

What is stretching?

Stretching is the means by which one slowly enlarges a body piercing to accommodate increasingly larger sizes of jewelry. This is done by slightly stretching the tissue and allowing it to relax and heal at an increased size. The process is then repeated. This can be done a virtually unlimited number of times as long as it is done correctly, allowing for extremely stretched holes to be produced. Incorrect stretching can lead to tears, bleeding, the chance of infection and potential scarring which can make further stretching difficult and painful. Slow, proper stretching will leave a piercing elastic and healthy. The most commonly stretched body piercings are ear lobe piercings.

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This is not a "Mayan" flare

September 08, 2015

It's true, there is nothing inherently "Mayan" about the style of jewelry that most of us have come to know as the "Mayan" flare. More than likely those of us making or wearing the jewelry with this name are not of this culture, and the style itself (which as been simplified to anything with a large front flare) is not unique to the Mayan culture. In fact, we hold in our antiquities collection pieces with large flares or drastically larger front faces created by cultures on the other side of the world from Indonesia and Thailand.

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"Why not my size?" Sizing as a barrier to innovation in body jewelry

September 08, 2015

The demand for jewelry to adorn stretched piercings has never been higher. With that demand comes a marketplace hungry for new work and innovation, both aesthetically and technically. I believe the largest hinderance to that progress is the immense number of sizes at which people expect to be able to obtain similar styles.

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White Eagle Labret

September 08, 2015

For many years I have admired the sculptural gold and stone labrets of Prehispanic cultures. A few years ago I started toying with the idea of creating a sculptural eagle head piece. I recently started attending the annual Association of Professional Piercers conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Every year there is an innovator's showcase of new jewelry objects submitted by the various vendors. I decided that I would submit the eagle labret for inclusion, and it was time to get busy.

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Learn to wrap your ear weights for comfort and safety

September 08, 2015

For several years now I have been wrapping the wearable surface of my metal ear weights in natural thread. I do this because my ears do not care for some metals, and because I find that after the thread softens from some wear, they become much more comfortable than bare metal alone. This is particularly important with very heavy weights.

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Mesoamerican shell cuff adornments

September 08, 2015

 

Although my primary purpose in collecting antique objects is to hold and research body adornment jewelry, over the years I have picked up some pieces that are fascinating from a technical or cultural perspective (such as obsidian micro blade cores and shell beads), and some pieces that although I believed to be body adornments, I couldn't prove it. Such was the case with these curved shell forms which I immediately believed to be earrings, although I had never seen an example until a visit to the national museum of anthropology in Mexico City.

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Growing up with Tattoos and Piercings

September 08, 2015

If you have ever remotely considered adding a tattoo or piercing to your body, you have probably encountered that special someone who asks you jokingly, “So what are you going to do when youʼre 80?” Iʼd say most people feel insulted by that question, but maybe it should get us thinking. Who are we supposed to be when weʼre older? And why does everyone believe that at 80 we will all of a sudden regret whatever alteration weʼve made to our bodies. Who decided that tattoos would be something each and every teenager would regret at the sight of their first wrinkle or after the birth of their first child? Which authority on adornments decreed that all piercings should be rendered obsolete after age 30 (or 40, or 50?) Is the first AARP invitation in the mailbox our signal that weʼre aging and body modifications are taboo? Donʼt pull out the Frosty the Snowman sweaters and Hush Puppies just yet, letʼs take another look at this.

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Stretched Labret: Ensuring longevity & minimizing damage

July 16, 2015

We get asked quite frequently to talk about labrets (lip piercings), methods for stretching and the dangers of tooth damage and gum erosion. Below you find a response to one of those emails which we think sums up our thoughts quite well on the subject.

I will speak simply of my personal experience with my own stretched labret, currently at about 21mm. Labrets and other oral work are really the only ‘common’ piercings that have the potential to result in permanent damage that is very expensive to repair, if not irreparable altogether, in comparison to other procedures and stretched piercings. There are some safeguards that can be taken to give you the best chance that damage will not occur, but the reality is that in many cases it will eventually happen over time and that is something that needs to be considered.

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Basilica Plugs in Brass, Pink Ivory & Pearl

October 10, 2014

The Basilica is one of our favorites in our lineup of made-to-order body jewelry, both because we find it strikingly beautiful and also because it is so multidisciplinary in construction. Utilizing woodworking, metalsmithing and lapidary skills, multiple Onetribe employees pull together to create each unique set of Basilica plugs one at a time as they are ordered by our customers.

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Sizing Chart
Size chart includes the sizes we make, and default flare size & wearing lengths.
We are happy to make pieces in odd sizes or with custom flares or wearing lengths.
Jewelry Size Flare Size Wearing Length
1.0mm (18g) 1-1.5mm 9mm
1.3mm (16g)
1-1.5mm
9mm
1.5mm (14g)
1-1.5mm
9mm
2.0mm (12g)
1-1.5mm
9mm
2.5mm (10g)
1-1.5mm
9mm
3.0mm (8g)
1-1.5mm
9mm
4.0mm (6g)
1-1.5mm
9mm
5.0mm (4g)
1-1.5mm
9mm
6.0mm
1-1.5mm
9mm
6.5mm (2g)
1-1.5mm
9mm
7.0mm (1g)
1-1.5mm
9mm
8.0mm (0g)
1-1.5mm
9mm
9.0mm (00g)
1-1.5mm
9mm
10mm
1-1.5mm 		10mm
11mm (7/16")
1-1.5mm
10mm
12mm
1-1.5mm
10mm
13mm (1/2")
1-1.5mm
10mm
14mm (9/16")
1-1.5mm
10mm
15mm
1-1.5mm
10mm
16mm (5/8")
1-1.5mm
10mm
17mm (11/16")
1-1.5mm
10mm
18mm
1-1.5mm
10mm
19mm (3/4")
1-1.5mm 		11mm
20mm (13/16")
1-1.5mm
11mm
21mm
1-1.5mm
11mm
22mm (7/8")
1-1.5mm
11mm
23mm
1-1.5mm
11mm
24mm (15/16")
1-1.5mm
11mm
25mm
1-1.5mm
11mm
26mm (1")
1-1.5mm
11mm
27mm (1 1/16")
1-1.5mm 		12mm
28mm
1-1.5mm
12mm
29mm (1 1/8")
1-1.5mm
12mm
30mm (1 3/16")
1-1.5mm
12mm
31mm
1-1.5mm
12mm
32mm (1 1/4")
1-1.5mm
12mm
33mm (1 5/16")
1-1.5mm
12mm
34mm
1-1.5mm
12mm
35mm (1 3/8") 
1-1.5mm
12mm
36mm
1-1.5mm
12mm
37mm (1 7/16")
1-1.5mm
12mm
38mm (1 1/2") 1.5-2mm 13mm
39mm
1.5-2mm
13mm
40mm (1 9/16")
1.5-2mm
13mm
41mm (1 5/8")
1.5-2mm
13mm
42mm
1.5-2mm
13mm
43mm (1 11/16")
1.5-2mm
13mm
44mm (1 3/4")
1.5-2mm
13mm
45mm
1.5-2mm
13mm
46mm (1 13/16")
1.5-2mm
13mm
47mm
1.5-2mm
13mm
48mm (1 7/8")
1.5-2mm
13mm
49mm (1 15/16")
1.5-2mm
13mm
50mm
1.5-2mm
13mm
51mm (2")
1.5-2mm
13mm

Wearing length is the area of the jewelry that fits inside your piercing. 

Overall length (sometimes confused with wearing length) is the total measurement of the jewelry from face to face, including any additional flare or face area.

Diagram of jewelry styles with wearing length marked in green and overall length marked in red.

1. Flat face double flared plug. Wearing length is measured from the inside of the flare edges. Overall length is measured from face to face.

2. Convex face double flared plug. Wearing length is measured from the inside of the flare edges. Overal length is measured from face to face.

3. Flat face double flared plug with flat flares. Wearing length is measured from inside the flare edges (the piercing cannot rest on the flat flare areas). Overall length is measured face to face.

4. Trumpet flare style plug. The dotted line denotes where the wearing surface ends on the front, because the larger portion of the slope cannot fit inside the piercing. Wearing surface is measured from inside the rear flare edge to the area on the front flare with the same diameter measurement. Overall length is measured from face to face.

5. Sloped single flare plug. Wearing length is measured from where the slope of the flare ends to the end of the plug. Overall length is measured from face to face.

6. Top-hat style single flare with convex face. Wearing length is measured from the inside flare corner to the end of the plug. Overall length is measured from face to face.

7. Top-hat style single flare with curved rear. Wearing length is measured from the inside flare corner to the beginning of the curve (the piercing cannot rest on the slope). Overall length is measured from face to face.

8. Top-hat style single flare with groove for an o-ring. Wearing length is measured from the inside flare corner to the groove (the piercing cannot rest on the groove). Overall length is measured from face to face.

9. Labret (round or oval) with a standard concave t-back. Wearing length is measured from where the wearing shaft meets the wing to the end of the flat portion (the piercing cannot rest on the slope).

Overall length is always longer than the wearing surface because it includes other sections of the jewelry that do not rest inside the piercing. If you are ordering a piece of jewerly and you specify an overall length instead of a wearing length, your jewelry will not fit properly. Order using "overall length" at your own risk. Knowing your ideal wearing length, which can change as you stretch your piercings, ensures you're able to order jewelry that will fit well from every vendor, every time.