Body Jewelry Sizes to Know Other than Gauge (and How to Measure Them)

All About Body Jewelry Sizes

While gauge is an incredibly important size to know for someone with piercings, there are other sizes and measurements that can also be important to how comfortable your jewelry is! Here is our guide to getting the comfiest fit.

These are especially helpful when buying jewelry online.

Ball Diameter

Whether you’re opting for a regular old ball closure for your circular barbell, a pointed cone, dice shape, heart or playboy bunny, the diameter of the closing end is important.

For piercings like septum it’s important to know the ball diameter so that you don’t entirely cover your nostrils – it happens!

More generally it’s all in the aesthetics. Why would you want a huge dice on the end of a 16g circular barbell?

How to Measure Ball Diameter

If you’re ordering a ball off the net measure out the diameter they’re given you onto a piece of paper and compare it to a ball you already have. That’s the only way you’ll be able to appropriately understand the dimensions.

If you’re trying to take a measurement of a ball you already own in order to buy another of the same size, try sticking it down on a piece of paper with some tape and draw around it carefully. That way you can measure straight along the middle to get the diameter.

Bar Length

You might not realise it, but when getting any new piercing your piercer is always thinking about the length of the jewelry. It’s important because you’ll swell at first and jewelry that’s too small can cause issues with veins and circulation!

How to Measure Bar Length

Bar length can be tricky to measure because most bars aren’t straight. But even curved barbells are measured in the same way straight barbells are!

The easiest way to measure bar length is to lay your bar down on a piece of paper. Mark each end where the screw-on-ends start. Remove the jewelry form the page and measure straight between those two marks. This works if it’s curved or not!

Body Jewelry Sizes

Hoop Diameter

Hoop diameter is actually so important in regard to lip piercings, fraenulum and other piercings that come into come into contact with your teeth. If you’re wearing a ring that is too large in a lip piercing, this will tap against your teeth as you talk and move. A fitted ring with cause less damage, which is why it’s so important to size down after healing!

How to Measure Hoop Diameter

Some piercing stores and piercers give away free size cards that help measure piercing diameter and gauge, but it’s just as easy to make your own. Just measure a straight line on a piece of paper and careful mark the mm’s (this is the most commonly used size variation and is easy to convert to gauge and other sizes). 

Then position your piercing ring over the marked measurements and you’ll be able to easily see the size. Just make sure you’re taking the measurement from the inside edge of the ring, not the outer!

At the end of the day the easiest way to measure jewelry size is to use a ruler and paper! if you decide to make a purvchase with us at urbanBodyJewelry.com we include measurement cards that help measure all type of body jewelry. If you’re worried about sizing down to a smaller size, a trip to your piercer is always the best option. They will be able to try you in different sizes to find the most comfortable.