Body Jewelry Terminology and Definitions

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Body Jewelry Terminology and Definitions

■ Saddle shapes are plugs with two flares (double flared).

■ Cylinder shapes are plugs with straight shafts and no flares.

■ Rods are long cylinders.

■ One flares have, well, one flare.

■ Labret shapes have a straight shaft with an attached disc at one end. They might be used for a variety of purposes, but we call them labrets as they have most frequently been utilized in labret piercings.

■ Tapers are like mildly angled cone shapes that are small on one side and larger on the other. They are generally straight.

■ Talon shapes have a mild curve, like a slightly bent finger, and are tapered from large to small.

■ Claw shapes have a dramatic curve, like a C shape, and are tapered from large to small. They often have a nail head or ball shape at the big end, acting as a sort of flare to keep the claw in.

■ Spikes (usually used when referring to septum shapes) are straight, long cylinder shapes that are tapered down to points at both ends.

■ Tusks (usually used when referring to septum shapes) are slightly curved shapes, like a slightly bent finger, that taper down to points at both ends.

■ Crescents are tusks that are not tapered down to points at both ends, but instead maintain their diameter until ending in flat or convex ends, like a slightly bent cylinder.

■ CBR stands for captive bead ring.

■ By pincher we mean a very tight diameter piece often seen in septum jewelry. It is much smaller than a CBR shape.


■ Solid means there are no drilled or natural holes.

■ Hollow means there is a hole drilled through the plug lengthwise, or a natural hole that runs lengthwise. Light can normally be seen through the hollow part. Drilled usually means a very small hole was drilled for the piece to be strung as a bead; light may not pass through these tiny holes. Other terms used to describe hollow plugs include flesh tunnels, tunnels, earlets, and eyelets.

■ Convex means a round end, like the surface of a ball.

■ Concave means a depressed surface, like the shape of a cave.

■ Diameter is the measurement used in a similar way as when referring to the size of a body piercing, for example: 0ga aka zero gauge, 5/16", or 8.2mm. Diameter is measured at the part of the jewelry where it would normally be worn, for example, the smaller part on a saddle shaped plug (NOT the flare), the larger end of a taper, a bit back from the tip, or the largest measurement on a curved shape (for example, a spiral) that can be used. This is sometimes referred to as the 'wearing surface.'

■ Sizes mentioned are diameters, measured at the wearing surface (the part of the jewelry where it would traditionally be worn). For example, the smaller part on a saddle shaped plug (NOT the flare), or the larger end of a taper, a bit back from the tip.

■ The gauge system is a way of measuring diameters and only goes up to around 7/16", beyond that, we use fractional inches. Gauge is a unit of measurement.

■ Length refers to the measurement from front to back on a plug or labret, or from side to side on a septum; length runs along the same axis a piercing needle would go through a piercing. All stated lengths are total from edge to edge (not merely tip to tip of flares, which would not allow for convex ends or thick flares).


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