Picking The Perfect Hoop Nose Ring

Here are some things to know before making your purchase.

Gauge

The thickness of any body jewelry piece is referred to as the “gauge”. The gauge correlated to the needle size used to make your piercings. Ear piercings, for instance, can come in size 16 gauge as well as others. Nose piercings can come in several different sizes, too. Most often, a 20 or 18 gauge is used.

The smallest gauge is typically considered something along the lines of a 22 gauge, which is very tiny. Gauges get larger with decreasing number (i.e. a size 00G is massive compared to a 20 gauge).  

When deciding on your gauge, think about how noticeable you want your piercing to be. If you want it more noticeable, stick with an 18 gauge. If you want it smaller, ask for a 20 or even 22 gauge when getting pierced.

Diameter

For stud nose rings, the diameter is obviously not a concern, but for hoops it can play a pretty massive role in your piercing. The diameter is the distance from inside edge to inside edge across the widest portion of a hoop. If your piercing is higher up, or if your nose is on the large side, a nose ring with a larger diameter would suit you better than one with a small diameter.

The common sizes for nose rings are 5/16” and 3/8” (8mm and 10mm, respectfully), but you may find that these sizes don’t suit you. How to know what size you need for sure? The best option is to ask your piercer, who would be able to expertly measure your nose or jewelry and predict the best nose ring size for your face. Piercers could also custom-bend hoops to fit your unique nose shape. This may cost you extra, but is well worth the price since you would have a perfect-fit nose ring made just for you.

Style

The last part of choosing a nose ring is picking a style you like. But that’s entirely up to you—don’t be afraid to experiment!