8 Types of Nose Rings and How They Can Enhance Your Style

Nose rings are becoming more and more popular as time passes. Now, they’re commonly accepted in the workplace, and even fashion shows are branching out and showing more models with body modifications.

So how can nose rings enhance your individual style? Read on as we explore eight types of nose rings and how you can use them to spruce up your outfits.

Hinged Rings

If you like to change up your jewelry often to match your outfit of choice, then a hinged ring is perfect for you. In fact, they’re often used for ease of insertion. Rather than struggle trying to get a captive bead out or put one in, hinged nose rings have a hinged segment that opens and closes for easy insertion and removal.

Ranging in sizes from 20 gauge to 00 gauge, hinged rings are perfect for both nostril and septum piercings (including stretched septums). They come in various materials, from stainless steel to titanium and even 14 KT gold.

Hinged Nose & Septum Rings

Another great feature of a hinged nose ring is that it comes in various designs and colors. Therefore, if you like to change your style every day, this type of jewelry is perfect for you.

A hinged ring can enhance your fashion because you can opt for something simple, like a plain stainless-steel ring, or something more elaborate, such as a 14KT gold hinged ring with front-facing white opalite—which would look perfect in a septum piercing.

Whether you’re trying to make a bold, unforgettable statement with your look or you want to keep things simple and modest (perhaps for work), hinged rings allow you to explore various styles.

Seamless Rings

Seamless rings are similar to hinged rings, except they don’t have a hinged segment that opens and closes. Instead, there is a small opening in the jewelry that you can bend for insertion and removal.

Seamless rings range in sizes from traditional hoops to D-rings and crescent moon shapes.

Seamless Nose Rings

Circular Barbells

Also known as horseshoes, circular barbells can be used for nose piercings. While they’re more commonly used for septum piercings, they can also be used for nostril piercings.

In a nostril piercing, they actually give the effect that you have stacked nostril piercings in which you’re wearing studs. The circular barbell is actually worn within the nostril, and all others see are the two ends you screw onto the barbell.

Circular barbells come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 18 gauge to 00 gauge. But the best part about them is the fact that they come in such a wide range of colors and you can choose which ends you want to wear.

If you’re wearing a circular barbell in a nostril piercing, you’re going to want to focus on the ends, as those will be most visible. But make sure you think about the size of your nose—you don’t want to end up with ends that are too big to wear on your nostril.

Circular barbells are extremely trendy when it comes to septum piercing jewelry. Part of this is because they’re easy to flip up if you need to hide the piercing. However, the other part is the fact that you can really make a statement with your style. From adding a pinch of attitude to your style to going for a more boho look, there’s something to enhance anyone’s style.

Guy Septum Piercing

Captive Bead Rings (CBR)

If you’re more experienced with inserting and removing jewelry, or you don’t change your jewelry often, a captive bead ring is a great option for nostril and septum piercings.

As the name suggests, a captive bead ring is made up of two parts: the captive bead and the ring. The captive bead is held in place through the natural tension of being pinched between each side of the ring. Additionally, there are fixed captive bead rings that have an attached bead on one end, and you can bend the ring to open and close the jewelry.

Captive Bead Rings Nose Piercing

They come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 20 gauge to 00 gauge. They also come in a range of styles and colors.

If you want to match your nose ring to your makeup or skin tone, you can select from gold, rose gold, or even rainbow PVD.

Additionally, you can opt for something plain like a stainless-steel captive bead ring, or you can opt for something more eye-catching, such as a spiked snap-in captive bead ring (this one is probably best for a septum).

Captive bead rings make the perfect accessory to any outfit regardless what you select.

Nose Screws

A nose screw is a common choice for initial jewelry when you’re first getting pierced. A nose screw is a pre-bent post with an end on it. The bend sits snugly in your nostril to keep the jewelry in place and can be bent more to fit with your exact nose shape.

The great thing about nose screws is that they’re quite easy to insert and remove. While you should wait to change your jewelry until your nostril piercing is properly healed, they do make it easy to add variety once you’re able to change your jewelry regularly.

Opal Nose Screw Rings

At Urban Body Jewelry, we have a wide selection of nose screws to choose from. Whether you want a dome, spike, flower, heart, butterfly, etc., we have something to match anyone’s style. Plus, nose screws add the perfect pizazz to help spruce up any outfit.

L Bend

These are very similar to nose screws in that they’re nostril piercing jewelry that comes in a pre-bent design.

Where nose screws come with a curved bend in the post, L bends come in the shape of an L. This means that you’ll have to know the proper length you’ll need to make the jewelry fit properly.

L bends come in a variety of materials ranging from glass to titanium and stainless steel to 14KT gold. This enables our jewelry to come in a wide range of colors and shapes.

L Bend Nose Rings

You can accessorize any outfit by matching flowers to a floral pattern, opting for a stone that matches the colors in your shirt, or even going a bit more out there and selecting a Playboy bunny. We’ve got something for everyone regardless of your style, aesthetic, or gender.

Labret Style

Favored by the Association of Professional Piercers (APP), threadless jewelry is extremely common for nostril piercings. One of the many benefits is that they’re great for long-term wear and can be switched out quite easily.

Threadless jewelry consists of two parts: the end on a small pin and the post. The post is actually a labret stud—a piece of jewelry with a post and backing part that’s either a disc shape or a flat circle. The end can have a gem, stone, shaped design, etc., on it. The post is also hollow and receives the pin. This jewelry is also known as snap-together or “press-fit.”

Labret Nose Piercing Jewelry

This jewelry enables you to wear the same post part, but switch out the ends to match your style for the day. For example, say you’re wearing a black turtleneck and want to keep with the all-black look. You can wear a black hematite end. The next day, you can change it out and wear a dainty and delicate gold disc. It all depends on what look you’re going for.

Nosebones

Nosebones are very similar to the ends you’d wear with threadless push pins or labret-style jewelry. However, they don’t need a backing post. Instead, there is a small ball on the end of the jewelry that’s a larger gauge than the rest of the jewelry to keep it in place. In a way, it functions in the same manner double flares on plugs do. Nosebones come in a variety of styles, ranging in shapes (from anchors to the Playboy bunny), gems, and colors. Urban Body Jewelry also offers nosebones in a wide range of materials, such as glass, titanium, stainless steel, and 14KT gold. You’re sure to find something that adds to your daily style!

Nose Piercing Jewelry Styles

The Main Point

Regardless of what jewelry option you choose for your nostril or septum piercing, there are many ways you can enhance your style. It just comes down to what you envision for your particular look.

Nose rings are just one way to accessorize an outfit. If you have other piercings, it’s always fun to coordinate your outfit with all of them. Be sure to browse through our collection of nose rings and other body jewelry today!


Written by Jackie Rachel

Jackie Rachel

Jackie Rachel is a poet and Content Account Manager. She has been getting pierced for over 16 years, while taking the time to learn proper aftercare techniques from the Association of Professional Piercers (APP) members. Always enamored by the jewelry options that exist for body modifications, she one day hopes to assist clientele with picking out jewelry and styling ears.