The Apollo Tattoo & Piercing Studio crest

THE APOLLO TATTOO & PIERCING STUDIO

World-Class Tattoo & Piercing Studio in LA

Book Now Call Us Text Us
Body vs fashion jewelryImplant-grade materialsMaterials to avoidGauge & threadingTwelve jewelry typesStyle familiesCurated earThe downsizeCare & lifecycleFAQ

Body jewelry

Materials, quality & curation.

Fashion jewelry is designed to sit on the skin. Body jewelry is designed to sit through it. That single word changes everything — the alloy, the threading, the finish, the testing, the documentation.

Implant-grade materials (ASTM F-136 titanium, F-138 steel, nickel-free gold). The gauge and threading standards that separate studio jewelry from mall-kiosk product. Twelve functional jewelry types — labret studs, barbells, clickers, hoops, dermals. Style families and curated pairings for specific placements. And the long game: curation across months, the downsize appointment nobody talks about, and how to build a collection that ages well.

Implant-grade materials Twelve jewelry types
professional-studio standards Implant-grade titanium · internally threaded · documented alloys
Santa Monica, CA Open monday-sunday · 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM

Body vs fashion jewelry

Two different object classes. Two different design intents.

Most of what sits in a jewelry box is fashion jewelry — manufactured to a cosmetic standard. Body jewelry is a different category with different manufacturing tolerances, different alloys, and a different regulatory lineage. The mismatch is the whole problem: a [pricing discussed at consultation] earring can ruin a [pricing discussed at consultation] piercing because the piercing was a surgical procedure and the earring is costume material.

Fashion jewelry is designed to sit on the skin. Body jewelry is designed to sit through it. That single word changes everything downstream — the alloy, the surface finish, the threading system, the testing regimen. A post that rests on an earlobe for four hours at a wedding can be almost anything. A post that lives inside a healing channel for six months has to behave like a surgical implant, because functionally that’s what it is.

Implant-grade materials

The short list reputable studios work from.

Everything else is a conversation about risk. These are the materials a studio can document to a standard — the only materials that belong in a healing channel.

ASTM F-136 Titanium

Gold standard

Ti-6Al-4V ELI (Extra Low Interstitials) — a tighter spec than generic Ti-6Al-4V, developed for surgical implants where biocompatibility can’t be compromised. Light, low-reactivity, almost no nickel. The material used in orthopedic implants and dental screws. The industry first-line recommendation for fresh piercings. Anodizes to color without plating — the oxide layer shifts, no chemistry added.

Use for. Fresh piercings · healing phase · daily wear across all placements

ASTM F-138 Surgical Steel

Acceptable baseline

316LVM — Low Vacuum Melt, meaning fewer inclusions and a surface polishable to mirror. Strong and less expensive than titanium. Contains 10–15% nickel by weight, bound in the alloy matrix. Most wearers tolerate it; roughly 10–15% of the population carries some degree of nickel sensitivity. For that population, titanium is the call.

Use for. Clients without nickel sensitivity · most healed piercings

Niobium

Biocompatible

Fully biocompatible. Accepts anodizing, opening color options without plating. Heavier than titanium — some wearers prefer that, some don’t. Less regulated by a specific ASTM implant standard, so studios typically reserve it for healed piercings.

Use for. Healed piercings · color options · weighted wear

Solid 14k, 18k, 22k Gold

Healed upgrade

Acceptable when alloyed without nickel — not automatic. Some gold alloys use nickel as a whitener or hardener; a reputable supplier documents a nickel-free alloy. 14k and 18k for functional pieces; higher karats for delicate decorative ends that won’t take daily wear. Plated gold is not in the same category at all.

Use for. Healed piercings · decorative ends · long-term investment pieces

Platinum

Rare & durable

Excellent biocompatibility, dense, extremely durable, substantial cost. Most clients never encounter platinum body jewelry outside custom work — it exists and it’s a legitimate choice when the budget and intention align.

Use for. Healed piercings · custom work · heirloom-grade pieces

Glass (borosilicate, fused quartz)

Healed only

Chemically inert, easy to clean, doesn’t interact with skin oils the way organic materials do. Appropriate for healed stretched lobes. Not a fresh-piercing material.

Use for. Healed stretched lobes · organic aesthetic without porosity

Materials to avoid

Not every pretty object belongs in a piercing channel.

The same list, repeated calmly. If a piece of jewelry fails any of these tests, it doesn’t go into a wound — especially a healing one.

Plated jewelry

Gold plate, silver plate, rhodium plate — exposes the base metal the moment the plating wears, and the plating always wears. The tissue doesn’t care what the plating used to look like.

Nickel alloys in unbound form

Costume jewelry, mystery-metal fashion pieces, generic “alloy” jewelry sold without documentation. If the metal isn’t specified to an ASTM standard, assume the worst.

Sterling silver

A beautiful metal for a necklace, a poor choice for a piercing. Silver tarnishes in contact with body fluids; the oxide it produces can tattoo surrounding tissue gray-black (argyria).

Mall-kiosk mystery metal

If the supplier cannot produce a mill certificate or an ASTM reference, the material is not body-jewelry grade. The documentation is the standard.

Bone, wood, horn, organic

Legitimate in healed stretched lobes where the channel is effectively skin-lined and the wearer controls hygiene. Not acceptable in a fresh piercing — porosity harbors bacteria.

Plastic & acrylic

Marketed aggressively to first-timers as “flexible” or “hypoallergenic.” Both are porous at a microscopic level and harbor bacteria inside a healing channel. A reputable studio will not start a piercing with acrylic.

Fashion jewelry is designed to sit on the skin. Body jewelry is designed to sit through it. That single word changes everything downstream.
— The Apollo Tattoo Studio
If you can see threads on the part of the jewelry that passes through your skin, the jewelry is externally threaded. Send it back.
— The Apollo Tattoo Studio
A piercer declining to install outside jewelry is not gatekeeping. The studio opened the channel, and the studio is responsible for what sits in it.
— The Apollo Tattoo Studio

Twelve functional jewelry types

What each piece actually does.

Jewelry categorized the way a piercer thinks about it — by what the piece does, not by what it costs or which brand made it. Shape, closure, and placement all change how tissue heals and how the piece reads on the body.

Ι

Labret studs (flat-back)

A straight post with a flat disc on the inside and a decorative end on the outside. The flat disc sits against tissue without pressure points — which is why the flat-back labret is the studio-standard workhorse of modern piercing.

Where it goes. Most healing cartilage, nostril, monroe, medusa, vertical labret, upper lobe stacks

Healing role. First choice for healing; stays in place for healed wear

Gauge range. 18g–14g, 16g most common

ΙΙ

Straight barbells

A post with decorative ends on both sides. Built for placements that pass straight through tissue rather than curving around an edge.

Where it goes. Tongue · industrial · nipple · some surface placements

Healing role. Same piece often carries from starter through healed; length downsizes after swelling

Gauge range. 14g standard; 12g for heavier industrial

ΙΙΙ

Curved barbells

A slight banana curve with an end on each side. The curve follows tissue that folds or tucks.

Where it goes. Navel · rook · vertical labret · eyebrow · some surface

Healing role. Almost always the healing piece; clicker or ring swaps come later

Gauge range. 14g navel/eyebrow · 16g rook/vertical labret

ΙV

Circular barbells (horseshoe)

A near-full ring with an opening and a ball on each end — the horseshoe silhouette. Easier to flip than a full ring, which is why septum piercers often start here.

Where it goes. Septum · some earlobe · occasional healed nostril

Healing role. Easy to flip up during septum healing

Gauge range. 14g–16g

V

Captive bead rings (CBR)

A ring with a captured bead or ball held in place by the tension of the ring itself. The original hoop standard, still in use, increasingly replaced at healing stage by hinged alternatives.

Where it goes. Healed cartilage · healed lobe · septum · nipple

Healing role. Healed only — opening and closing a CBR on fresh tissue isn’t the move

Gauge range. 16g–12g

VΙ

Seamless rings

A continuous ring with no hinge — opened and closed by gently twisting the ends laterally with ring-opening pliers. Cleanest silhouette of any hoop.

Where it goes. Healed helix · healed conch · healed nostril · healed septum

Healing role. Healed only — not a starter piece

Gauge range. 18g–14g

VΙΙ

Hinged segment rings / clickers

A hinged ring that clicks open and shut like a door. The modern standard for ring-style placements once healing allows — no pliers, no tension fumbling, no open-wound jewelry changes.

Where it goes. Septum · daith · healed helix · healed conch · healed nostril · healed lobe

Healing role. Most daith and septum pieces heal in a clicker or horseshoe

Gauge range. 18g–14g · 16g septum

VΙΙΙ

Stud earrings

Short-post jewelry with a decorative end and a backing. The majority of lobes heal in a stud.

Where it goes. Lobe (first, second, third) · upper lobe stack · healed upper ear

Healing role. The majority of lobes heal in a stud

Gauge range. 18g–16g lobes · 14g stretched-lobe starters

ΙΧ

Hoops

Continuous-circle jewelry — CBR, seamless, or clicker silhouettes grouped by visual family. For most cartilage placements, hoops are a healed-only choice.

Where it goes. Healed cartilage · healed lobe

Healing role. Healed only for most cartilage — a fresh helix in a hoop migrates and scars

Gauge range. Varies by placement

Χ

Nose screws, L-bars, fishtails

Specialized nostril jewelry. The screw has a pigtail curl that locks into the nostril from inside. The L-bar bends 90 degrees. A fishtail is a straight post the piercer bends into a custom curl for the client’s specific nostril geometry.

Where it goes. Nostril (specialized)

Healing role. Healed nostril wear; fishtail often custom-bent by the piercer

Gauge range. 20g–18g

ΧΙ

Dermal anchors (microdermals)

A single-point piercing: an anchor plate sits beneath the skin, a threaded post rises through the surface, and a decorative top threads onto it. Not a through-and-through piercing — one entry, no exit.

Where it goes. Flat anatomy — cheekbone, sternum, hip, nape

Healing role. Anchor stays beneath skin; only the top gets changed

Gauge range. Post thickness specified per placement

ΧΙΙ

Stretched-lobe jewelry

Plugs (solid), tunnels (hollow), and eyelets (hollow with flared edges) in sizes from starter 12g all the way up through the inch-plus range.

Where it goes. Healed or actively-stretching lobes

Healing role. Organic (glass, stone, wood, horn) for healed stretches only; synthetic implant-grade for fresh/stretching

Gauge range. 12g and larger, up through inch-plus

Curated pairings

What goes where, for a first piece.

Starter recommendations — the pieces a working studio reaches for first on specific placements. Not a rule; a starting point.

First lobe Flat-back titanium stud, 16g, plain ball or small bezel-set stone
First helix Flat-back titanium stud, 16g, tiny gemstone or plain ball — not a hoop
First conch Flat-back titanium stud, 14g, stone or charm — hoop only after full healing
Septum (hidden) Small hinged clicker or horseshoe, 16g, plain ends — flippable
Septum (visible) Larger clicker or ornate ring once healed, 14g
Navel Curved barbell, 14g, coordinated ends top and bottom
Tongue Straight barbell, 14g, implant-grade titanium — always

The curated ear

Planning takes months. Patience does the rest.

A curated ear is an intentional, composed set of piercings read as one piece. The word people reach for is “sleeve” — borrowed from tattoo vocabulary, and borrowed honestly, because the discipline is the same. Cohesive sleeves are planned across months. Cohesive ears are planned across the same span, often longer.

Ι

One piercer tracking the plan

Placements need to account for the ear’s real estate and the jewelry already in it. A mid-cartilage piece added without considering the composition can foreclose options you wanted a year later. Same piercer, across visits, keeps the whole plan coherent.

ΙΙ

Healing-first sequence

The newest piercing can’t share pressure with a placement that’s still settling. A fresh helix and a fresh conch on the same ear on the same day is a sleep problem, not a curation choice.

ΙΙΙ

Patience

Cartilage heals on its own clock. A typical curated-ear build runs 12–24 months. First piercing heals. Second added once the first is stable. Jewelry downsized. Statement piece introduced once the structure is fully settled.

The pile-of-jewelry version of an ear is what happens when placements are added on impulse, at different studios, with whatever jewelry was in the case that day. It reads busy because it is busy. A curated ear reads calm because every piece was chosen in conversation with the pieces already there.

Jewelry care

Gentle. Individual. Never shared.

Five habits that keep a jewelry collection in shape for decades — and keep the piercings they sit in healthy at the same time.

Clean mild

Mild soap and warm water. Rinse thoroughly. Dry with a lint-free cloth. Harsh chemicals, ultrasonic cleaners, and jewelry dips can damage plating, stones, and threading.

Store individually

Soft pouch, lined compartment, or ring box. A drawer full of tangled jewelry produces scratched ends, bent posts, and lost backings. Threading is delicate; a bent thread means a trip back to the studio.

Never share

Even with family. Worn jewelry has been in a wound channel. Bloodborne pathogen risk is real; the cost of caution is low. Buy your own pieces. Keep them yours.

If it falls out

Insert a retainer or the cleanest piece of the same gauge available, and see the piercer ASAP. Fresh and semi-healed piercings close in hours. A temporary retainer buys time.

When to retire

Loose threading, worn-through plating, loose stones in settings, visible pitting under light. A compromised piece is not worth the channel it’s sitting in.

Special situations

MRI, airports, work, pregnancy.

Four situations where body jewelry intersects with real-world logistics — and what to do before the moment arrives.

MRI scans

Some metals are MRI-safe, some aren’t. Always tell the tech. Implant-grade titanium is generally considered safe in most imaging environments; steel varies; some jewelry simply has to come out. When in doubt, ask the radiology staff and the piercer — not the internet.

Airport security

Most jewelry doesn’t trigger detectors. When it does, a visual inspection usually clears it. Frequent flyers sometimes keep a titanium or bioplastic retainer as backup.

Sleep & work

Some workplaces require jewelry to come out or swap for a retainer. Bioplastic or glass retainers exist for exactly this — a piece that holds the channel without reading as jewelry on sight.

Pregnancy & body change

Navel piercings can stretch in late pregnancy; a flexible PTFE or bioplastic retainer keeps the channel open while the skin moves. A planning conversation with the piercer, not a DIY project.

The pile-of-jewelry version of an ear is what happens when placements are added on impulse. A curated ear reads calm because every piece was chosen in conversation with the pieces already there.
— The Apollo Tattoo Studio
The downsize is, by far, the single most underrated appointment in the piercing lifecycle.
— The Apollo Tattoo Studio
“Fully healed” and “ready to change jewelry at home” are not the same line.
— The Apollo Tattoo Studio

FAQ

Questions that come up at the jewelry case.

Seven questions Apollo piercers answer most often about materials, threading, curation, and care.

What does “surgical steel” actually mean in body jewelry?

On its own, almost nothing. “Surgical steel” is a marketing phrase with no regulatory meaning in the United States. What matters is the specific ASTM designation — ASTM F-138 (316LVM, low vacuum melt) is the implant-grade spec, and that’s what studios look for. Jewelry advertised as “surgical steel” without an ASTM number could be anything from implant-grade 316LVM to cheap 304 with high nickel content. The documentation is the standard; the phrase alone isn’t.

Why does my piercer insist on titanium for my first piercing?

Nickel sensitivity. Roughly 10–15% of the population carries some degree of nickel reactivity, and plenty of people who don’t think they’re sensitive discover it the hard way through a fresh piercing. ASTM F-136 implant-grade titanium carries almost no nickel — it’s the same material used in orthopedic implants and dental screws. Once a piercing is fully healed, the options open up (nickel-free solid gold, niobium, steel for the non-sensitive), but for the healing window titanium is the first-line call for good reason.

How do I tell if jewelry is internally threaded?

Look at the post — the part that passes through your skin. If you can see threads on the post itself, it’s externally threaded (avoid). If the post is smooth end-to-end and the threads are cut into the decorative end that screws on top, it’s internally threaded (studio standard). A third option, threadless, has a straight post with a thin pin on the decorative end that friction-fits into a hollow receiver — no visible threads at all on either piece. Reputable product listings state the threading type explicitly. If a listing doesn’t say, assume externally threaded and keep scrolling.

Can I just swap my jewelry at home once my piercing is healed?

For simple pieces on long-settled piercings, yes — a threadless stud swap on a two-year-old lobe is rarely a problem. For anything complex, anything on a cartilage piercing under a year old, or any first jewelry change after initial healing, let the piercer do it. “Fully healed” and “ready for home jewelry changes” are not the same line. A piercing can be healed on the outside while the fistula inside is still fragile, and a fumbled insertion tears the channel. The piercer has tapered insertion pins, measures the settled channel, and can spot problems before they start. Fifteen-minute studio visit; six-month reset avoided.

What’s the difference between a curated ear and just a lot of piercings?

Planning and coordination. A curated ear is an intentional, composed set of piercings read as one piece — placements that account for each other, jewelry chosen in conversation with existing pieces, a healing-first sequence across months rather than a pile accumulated on impulse. The pile version reads busy because it is busy. A curated ear reads calm because every decision spoke to the decisions already there. The discipline: one piercer tracking the plan, 12–24 months of patience, and a willingness to downsize and coordinate rather than just add.

How often should I clean my body jewelry?

Not very often, and gently when you do. Mild soap and warm water, rinsed thoroughly, dried with a lint-free cloth. No harsh chemicals, no ultrasonic cleaners, no jewelry dips — all of them can damage plating, loosen stone settings, or degrade threading. For healing piercings, the jewelry stays in during aftercare rinses; it’s not taken out for cleaning. For settled piercings, a weekly light clean is plenty. The bigger risk is storage: tangled jewelry in a drawer produces scratched ends and bent posts, and scratched surfaces harbor bacteria. Store pieces individually.

Is it true that I should take jewelry out for an MRI?

Sometimes, and always tell the radiology tech. Implant-grade titanium is generally considered safe in most MRI environments; stainless steel varies by grade and magnet strength; some jewelry has to come out before imaging can proceed. The responsible move is to tell the tech what you’re wearing and where, and to confirm with your piercer before the appointment whether your specific pieces can stay in. If a piece has to come out, a bioplastic or glass retainer keeps the channel open for the length of the scan.

Ready to build the collection right?

Implant-grade titanium. Internally threaded. Installed by the piercer who opened the channel.

Apollo’s jewelry case is built around the professional-studio standards on this page — documented alloys, internal threading, mirror finish, and the paperwork to prove it. Book a consultation to start a curated project, or stop in for a downsize, an upgrade, or a jewelry change done properly the first time.

Schedule a tattoo session Request a consultation
Jewelry types Consultation