Types of Piercing Jewellery: Labret, Barbell, Ring and More

Piercing jewellery comes in a handful of core styles, each with a job it does best. Learn these and you'll know exactly what you're looking at — and what to search for when you want to change a piece.

Flat-back labrets: the all-rounder

A flat-back labret has a flat disc on one end and a decorative front on the other. The flat disc sits behind the ear or against the inside of the lip, which makes it the most comfortable style for cartilage and for sleeping — nothing digs in. See our titanium flat-back labret. It's the backbone of most curated ears and the default for lip and labret, helix, conch, tragus and flat piercings.

Barbells: straight and curved

A barbell is a straight bar with a ball or end on each side. Straight barbells suit the industrial, nipple and tongue; curved (banana) barbells follow the shape of a rook or a navel. They're simple, secure and easy to clean, which is why they're used on so many body placements.

Rings: seamless, clickers and horseshoes

Rings give movement and a bolder look. Three kinds cover most needs:

Seamless & segment rings

A smooth, continuous ring that opens by gently twisting (seamless) or by removing a small segment. Clean and minimal — lovely on the lobe, helix and daith.

Clickers

A clicker has a hinged section that clicks shut, so it's easy to put in and very secure — our septum clicker is a classic. Popular for the septum, daith and conch, often with a decorative front.

Horseshoes (circular barbells)

A horseshoe is an open ring with a ball on each end — the classic flexible choice for the septum, which can be flipped up and hidden when you want — see the septum horseshoe.

Studs and ends

A stud is the decorative front itself — a plain ball, a crystal, a shape — that screws or pushes onto a labret post. On threadless systems you can swap just the end and keep the same post, which makes restyling a curated ear quick and gentle.

How the pieces attach: threadless vs threaded

How the front fixes to the bar affects both comfort and healing:

• Threadless (push-fit) — the end pushes into the bar and holds by tension. Smooth to insert, kind to healing tissue, and easy to change.
• Internally threaded — the thread is inside the bar, so only a smooth surface passes through the piercing. A good, safe choice.
• Externally threaded — the thread is on the outside of the bar and drags through the piercing. Best avoided, especially on anything healing.

Which jewellery for which piercing?

• Lobe — studs, labrets, small hoops.
• Helix, tragus, conch, flat — flat-back labrets; hoops once healed.
• Daith — clickers and seamless rings.
• Septum — clickers and horseshoes.
• Navel — curved barbells.
• Nipple, industrial, tongue — straight barbells.

Whatever style you choose, it only sits well in the right gauge and size, and heals best in the right material.