A-Z GUIDE: BARBELLS & LABRETS
Everyone is unique, every piercing is unique. We don’t believe in a "one size fits all". That is why we offer a range of gauges and lengths, so you’re sure to find the perfect fit.
Please Note – This is a standard guideline for reference only. If you aren’t sure of the size you need, we recommend visiting a professional piercer for advice, who can check out your piercing in person. Otherwise, you can test some different sizes at home prior to purchasing by ordering our spare bars.
GAUGE (G)
Gauge (G) is used to describe the thickness of the earring posts.
20G (0.8mm) - the thickness you’ll find on traditional butterfly back earrings
18G (1.0mm) - slightly thicker, the 18G bar can be used for both lobe and cartilage piercings
16G (1.2mm) - a thicker post, the 16G bar is usually used for cartilage piercings
Though the standard gauge for different piercing locations can be seen in the guideline above, it can depend on a number of other things. For example whether you were pierced with a needle or gun and if your hole has shrunk...etc.
LENGTH (MM)
Length (mm) is used to describe the length of the earring posts, excluding any charms, balls, and screwable areas.
The length you’ll need for your piercing depends on both the placement of your piercing and your personal ear anatomy. If you have thicker or thinner ear parts, we recommend sizing up or down from our standard recommendation.
Newly pierced ears may also need a little room for swelling and bumps, so we suggest sizing up while it is healing. Remember to downsize when the piercing has healed.
BARBELL VS LABRET
The choice between labret or barbell usually comes down to personal preference. There are however some piercing locations where a labret is usually recommended, such as tragus and forward helix piercings.
BARBELL
❤️ Easier to put on
❤️ Less risk of losing even if the ball fastening comes loose, as usually (if you’re lucky!) the post will remain in your ear
❤️ More attractive when seen from the back, especially if you have shorter hair
🖤 May be less comfortable if you have multiple piercings very close to each other
🖤 More likely to get caught in hair
LABRET
❤️ Recommended for tragus and forward helix piercings
❤️ Only the charm needs to be changed without taking the post out of the hole each time
❤️ May be more comfortable if you have multiple piercings close to each other
❤️ Less likely to get caught in hair
🖤 Hard to put in as the hole needs to be found from the back of the ear
🖤 More fiddly and harder to screw on tightly than a barbell, you may need the help of some pliers
🖤 More risk of losing if the charm becomes loose, as the charm is not attached to the post. Usually, only the post will remain in your ear
HOW TO PUT ON BARBELL EARRINGS
ORDERED THE WRONG SIZE?
Have you ordered the wrong size? Need to downsize? Don’t worry! You don’t need to buy a whole new earring. We’ve made most of our piercing jewellery interchangeable, so the bar type, length and gauge can easily be changed.
Please check that the product you have bought is interchangeable. It will be written on the product page whether it is interchangeable with either an externally threaded bar or internally threaded bar.
You’ll need some flat nose pliers to help unscrew the existing bar and to screw the replacement bar on tightly. When fitting a new barbell bar, please screw on the bar on to the charm as tightly as possible to prevent the ball and charm from spinning at the same time.
Need help? We'll happily change the bars for you - simply contact us to arrange this. The items will need to be sent back to us at your own cost (a reshipping fee will apply for international orders).
