Aside from ear piercings, nose piercings are one of the most common body modifications. Nowadays many women, but also men get their nose pierced and like to experiment with different ring types. When it comes to nose piercings, there are a lot of different options to choose from. That said, people often get confused about the right nose ring sizes, and which one is good for them. In this article, we’re going to detail different ring sizes and how to determine them.
Before reading this article, you probably have known determining the right nose ring size isn’t easy. Fortunately, this post details ways to measure nose ring sizes easier.
[toc]We will introduce you to terminologies using when measuring nose ring sizes. This post will also help you make difference between gauge, length, size, rise and diameter.
The mentioned parameters also apply to choose different styles for the nose and our nostrils. We hope that once you finish reading, you will be able to pick the proper ring size with ease.
Gauge
What is the gauge? The definition of the guide shows us that gauge describes the thickness of body jewelry in respect to the size of a needle used by the piercing professional to make the piercing. Considering the right gauge for your nose ring size is important because everyone has a different nose shape, thickness, and other properties.
You can also determine the right gauge with the help of a local piercing professional who will handle the piercing. They will determine the structure of your nose and find an appropriate size gauge that won’t hurt or irritate your nose, nor hurt its shape.
There are a lot of different gauge sizes so that every different shape of a nose can be treated properly. While there are different gauge sizes, it’s worth mentioning that the standard sizing for nose ring sizes is 20 gauge.
The 20 gauge correlates to 0.8 millimeters of the thickness of the piercing piece that will go through your nose.
For ear piercings, this measurement is a little different. For example, aside from the standard gauge sizes, it can also come in size 16, as well as some other options. Most often, when it comes to nose piercings, piercing professionals will use either 20 or 18 gauge. If they determine your nose isn’t suitable for standard measurements, they will use different sizing.
Below, we will list and detail the most commonly used gauges for nose piercing. Still, before we do that, it’s worth noting that gauges are growing larger with the decreasing number. That said, size 00G which seems to be the smaller size for a gauge, is in fact extremely tiny, while 20 and size 22 are super-thin.
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22 Gauge (0.6 mm thick)
The 22 gauge is the smallest gauge used on nose piercings. It’s also worth noting that size this thin would rather seem unusual to get in the United States. However, many people from India and the Middle East, where getting nose piercing is a commonplace often requests getting their nose pierced with 22 gauge piercing. That’s mostly because of the cultural influence of nose piercings and their spiritual ritual in that country.
Because they are so small, they’re often handmade. Additionally, many jewelers and piercing professionals make them custom so that it’d fit the nose particularly of the person who requested it.
20 Gauge (0.8 thick)
As mentioned above 20 Gauge is the standard nose ring size. When on the spring for nose piercings, this is the gauge you’ll most commonly find. Being the smallest average size gauge in body jewelry, people often compare it to other body jewelry like earrings as well as belly button piercings. Being standard, you’ll find it on other piercing types too.
18 Gauge (1 mm thickness)
The 18 gauge is fairly larger compared to the other and allows the use of thicker hoops. If you want to make your piercing more noticeable, the thicker gauge is the way to go. It’s more suitable for larger noses, or those who want to place piercing at the higher end of the nose.
While there are some exceptions to the gauge sizes, these are the most commonly used. Jewelers and piercing professionals will most likely introduce you to this type of gauge sizes. It’s extremely important to pick the right piercing gauge. Not only your piercing will feel uncomfortable if you don’t, but there’s also a possibility that your jewelry will fall out.
Length and Diameter
Now that you’ve determined the gauge size for your nose ring, it’s time to look into other important properties. Those are length and diameter.
When you’re choosing the right diameter and length of your piercing, you’re also choosing the aesthetics and looks of your piercing. Additionally, this helps choose the type of a stud or hoop you want for your nose ring. Lastly, choosing this will help choose the style of your piercing.
Jewelers and piercing professionals refer the length of a stud to different names such as “rise” and “wearable surface.” It measures from the base of the gemstone or some other decoration to the end or the first bend of the post.
The post refers to the spot before the ending, which can be L, U or ball-shaped. This part goes through the piercing, with wearer feeling it in their nose.
There are different nose studs, although they mostly range between five and seven millimeters in length. The average length size is six millimeters.
Piercing professional base the chosen length to how thin or thick the nasal cartilage of wearer is. That said, when you will be piercing your nose, the piercer will measure your nose. That should help you decide on making the perfect fit.
However, if you choose the hoop nose ring, then instead of length, you consider the diameter.
Diameter refers to the distance between the inner edge of the hoop. It has two common sizes 5/16-inches and 3/8-inches, equaling eight and ten millimeters respectively.
The professional piercer will determine the hoop size based on where you want the piercing placed. He or she will also consider the gauge you’ll use as well as your nose size. It’s of utmost importance to find the right hoop diameter. If you don’t, wearing it may get uncomfortable, and it may also look odd on your nose.
Choosing the Right Metal
Although choosing the right metal has little to do with the right nose ring sizes, the right metal fits perfectly with the chosen diameter and gauge. Now, we’ll highlight some of the most commonly used metals on jewelry, which will help you be stylish and fit your piercing with an everyday outfit.
There are a lot of metals to choose from, but only pure and high-quality metal types give an as great impression. Before you choose the right metal, make sure to confirm you’re not allergic or sensitive to any metal types.
It’s important that you do it before attempting to get the piercing done. Otherwise, consequences could be extremely uncomfortable and maybe even fatal.
Surgical steel
When it comes to choosing the right and most natural-looking metal for a nose ring, surgical steel is the best choice. Not only it looks stylish, but it also encourages healing, and won’t irritate your skin even if it’s sensitive.
It boasts great hypo-allergenic properties that prevent skin from getting irritated. However, make sure to confirm that what you’re getting is surgical steel.
There are metals such as nickel that look similar to surgical steel, but they are cheap and potentially unhealthy for you.
Silver
Silver never goes out of style. It’s a must-have metal for any piece of jewelry. However, it may not be the best choice for nose rings.
People who have their ears pierced at times notice that silver can leave ugly-looking marks on the skin as a result of oxidation. Those black marks can also be hard to clean, especially if the skin is sweating.
While those marks aren’t noticeable on ears, they are fairly noticeable on the nose, causing black stain around the nose. That’s why many experts recommend piercing wearers to wait for a year before wearing silver jewelry in the nose.
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Gold
Just like surgical steel, gold is another great asset for nose jewelry, and it’s safe to wear. Its sturdy and sleek design allows it to look stylish around your nose. Also, it won’t cause any sort of stains on your nose.
When it comes to the type of gold, go for 14k or 18k yellow or white gold. Don’t go for gold-plated metal jewelry. They can often maintain the poor properties of cheap metals used.
Learn more
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Titanium
Titanium is a great option for nose jewelry. It’s strong, sturdy and durable. That means you shouldn’t use it as a healing piercing, although it’s a great secondary jewelry asset you can wear after some time since the piercing has passed.
Other Things to Consider
Below, we listed a brief Q&A which will help you decide on picking the right nose ring sizes. We hope that the guide we provided was useful so far. Don’t forget to pick the right piercing professional, who knows the shape of your nose, and won’t hurt you during the piercing process.
- What to do if my nose ring sticks out and doesn’t fit properly?
If you have a gem or decoration on the nose ring, it’s possible it stuck too far from the nose. That means you must check the length or rise of the nose jewelry. Most of the nose rings vary between five and seven millimeters in length. However, smaller sizes may be recommended if your nostrils are smaller.
- Part of the nose screw is sticking out. How to make it less visible?
It’s possible that your nose is smaller than the average, ensuring a farther fit compared to others. However, it means that finding the right screw size may be difficult and will always result in a bit of a worse fit.
In that case, the best solution is to switch to the nose bone style, so that you can fix it quicker and easier. You can also use a screw with a smaller curve, which may possibly solve the problem.
What are your tips for choosing the right nose ring sizes? Let us know in the comments!
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