What Is An Earring Gauge: Your Friendly Guide To Earring Sizes
Have you ever looked at a cool pair of earrings, maybe online or in a shop, and then felt a bit confused by words like "18G" or "14 gauge"? It's a common feeling, you know, a bit like trying to understand a new language for your ears. Picking out earrings can be really fun, but getting the size right is, so, quite important. If the fit isn't good, it can make wearing your favorite pieces less comfortable, or even cause a little trouble for your piercing.
Many people, too it's almost, just pick earrings based on how they look, which is totally fair! But there's a practical side to it, especially when it comes to the part of the earring that goes through your ear. That tiny bit of metal has a size, and that size has a name: the earring gauge. It tells you about the thickness of the earring post or the jewelry itself.
This guide is here to make all that clear for you. We'll talk about what an earring gauge actually means, why knowing about it is a good idea, and how you can figure out the right size for your own ears. By the end, you'll feel much more sure about picking out earrings that not only look great but also fit just right, as a matter of fact.
Table of Contents
- What Exactly Is an Earring Gauge?
- Why Knowing Your Earring Gauge Matters a Lot
- Understanding the Earring Gauge Scale
- How to Figure Out Your Earring Gauge
- Typical Earring Gauges for Different Piercings
- Changing Your Earring Gauge: Things to Keep in Mind
- Picking the Right Earring Gauge for You
- Taking Good Care of Your Piercings and Earrings
- Questions People Often Ask About Earring Gauges
- Wrapping Things Up
What Exactly Is an Earring Gauge?
The Basic Idea
An earring gauge, simply put, is a way to talk about the thickness of the part of the earring that goes through your ear. It's the measure of the hole's diameter, or how wide it is. You see, when you get a piercing, the piercer uses a needle of a certain size, and that size creates the initial hole. The gauge of your earring should match that hole, or be very close to it, so it fits well. It's really just about the width, you know, of the jewelry's post.
This measurement is pretty important for a few reasons. If an earring is too thick for your hole, it just won't go in, or it might cause some discomfort. If it's too thin, it could move around too much, or even make your piercing hole get smaller over time, which isn't what anyone wants. So, knowing this measurement helps you pick pieces that are a good fit, basically.
Why It's Not Like Other Measurements
Now, here's where it gets a little different from what you might expect. Unlike, say, measuring your height or the length of a table, where a bigger number means a bigger thing, earring gauges work the other way around. With earring gauges, a smaller number actually means a thicker piece of jewelry. For instance, a 14 gauge earring is thicker than an 18 gauge earring. It's a bit backwards, apparently, but you get used to it.
This system comes from how wire used to be drawn. The number refers to how many times the wire was pulled through a die to make it thinner. So, more pulls meant a thinner wire and a higher gauge number. It's a historical thing, really, and it stuck around for body jewelry. This inverse scale is something to keep in mind when you're looking at different earring sizes, as a matter of fact.
Why Knowing Your Earring Gauge Matters a Lot
For Comfort and Healing
Imagine trying to wear shoes that are too tight or too loose. It's just not comfortable, is it? The same goes for earrings. If the gauge of your earring is too big for your piercing, trying to put it in can be painful and might even damage the skin around the hole. This could lead to swelling or even a little tear, which is something you definitely want to avoid, you know.
On the flip side, if the earring is too small, it can rub and irritate the piercing. This might slow down healing for new piercings or cause problems for older ones. For a new piercing, the piercer will usually use a slightly thicker gauge to help the hole heal well and stay open. Using the correct gauge helps everything stay calm and happy, very much so.
For the Look You Want
Beyond comfort, the gauge can also change how an earring looks on you. Thicker gauges tend to make a bolder statement, often seen with certain types of body jewelry or stretched earlobes. Thinner gauges give a more delicate or subtle look. So, your choice of gauge can really affect the overall style, you know, that you're going for.
Some earring styles are just made for certain gauges. For example, some intricate designs might need a thicker base to hold all the details, while tiny studs work best with a thinner post. Knowing about gauges helps you pick pieces that will not only fit but also look as they're meant to, which is pretty neat.
Keeping Your Piercing Happy
A well-fitting earring keeps your piercing stable. If an earring is too thin, it can shift and move around a lot, which can cause friction and irritation. This movement can sometimes lead to what people call "cheese cutter effect" where the thin jewelry slowly starts to cut through the skin. It's a rather unpleasant thought, but it can happen.
Using the right gauge helps keep your piercing hole the size it should be. It stops it from shrinking if the jewelry is too small, or from getting stretched out unintentionally if the jewelry is too big. This helps maintain the health and shape of your piercing over the long term, which is something we all want, naturally.
Understanding the Earring Gauge Scale
The Inverse Relationship: Bigger Number, Smaller Hole
Let's clear up the gauge number thing once and for all. As we touched on, the gauge system is a bit counter-intuitive. A higher gauge number means a thinner piece of jewelry. So, an 18 gauge earring is thinner than a 16 gauge earring, and a 20 gauge earring is even thinner. It's like that, so, a bit of a trick to remember at first.
To give you an idea, a standard sewing needle might be around 22 or 24 gauge. A very fine, delicate earring post might be 20 gauge. As the numbers go down, the thickness goes up. This means 14 gauge is thicker than 16 gauge, and 12 gauge is thicker than 14 gauge, and so on. It's just how the system works, basically.
Common Gauges You'll See
For most everyday earrings, especially those for earlobes, you'll often see 20 gauge or 18 gauge. These are pretty common sizes. Many initial piercings, particularly in cartilage areas, might start with a 16 gauge or 14 gauge. These slightly thicker sizes help the piercing heal more steadily and are less likely to migrate.
As you get into larger sizes, like for stretched earlobes, the numbers get even smaller, eventually reaching 0 gauge, 00 gauge, and then moving into inch measurements. We'll talk about those a little more, you know, in a moment. But for typical earrings, stick to the higher numbers like 18G or 20G.
What "00g" or "0g" Means
When you see "0g" (zero gauge) or "00g" (double zero gauge), you're looking at much thicker jewelry. These sizes are past the regular numbered gauges and are typically used for stretched piercings, like those often seen in earlobes. After 00g, the sizing usually switches from gauge numbers to actual measurements in fractions of an inch or millimeters.
So, 0g is thicker than 2g, and 00g is thicker than 0g. It's the end of the "gauge" system as the sizes get very big. If you're thinking about stretching your ears, it's a very different process than just wearing regular earrings, and it needs a lot of care and patience, you know.
How to Figure Out Your Earring Gauge
Checking Old Earrings
One simple way to get an idea of your current earring gauge is to look at the earrings you already wear comfortably. If you bought them from a reputable place, the gauge might be listed in the product description or on the packaging. You can also compare them to known sizes, if you have access to a gauge wheel or chart. This is a pretty good starting point, anyway.
Be careful not to force any earring into a hole that feels too tight. Your ear will tell you if it's not the right fit. If you're not sure, it's better to assume your piercing is a common size like 18 or 20 gauge for lobes, or 16 or 14 gauge for cartilage, until you can confirm it, you know.
Visiting a Piercing Place
The best and safest way to know your exact earring gauge is to ask a professional piercer. They have special tools, like gauge wheels or calipers, that can accurately measure the thickness of your current jewelry or even the size of your piercing hole itself. They can also give you advice on what sizes are best for your specific piercings. This is, so, the most reliable method.
A piercer can also help you understand if your piercing has shrunk a little or stretched a bit over time. They can offer insights into what jewelry materials and sizes would work best for you, which is very helpful. Don't be shy about asking them questions, they're there to help, you know.
Using a Measuring Tool
If you're feeling a bit adventurous and want to measure at home, you can buy a gauge wheel or a digital caliper. These tools can measure the thickness of an earring post quite precisely. Just make sure you're measuring the part that goes through your ear, not the decorative front. This can be a bit tricky to get just right, so, you know, take your time.
Remember, these tools give you a measurement in millimeters or inches, and you'll then need to convert that to the corresponding gauge number using a chart. There are many charts available online that show the millimeter equivalent for each gauge size. Always be gentle when measuring, too it's almost, and don't push anything into your ear.
Typical Earring Gauges for Different Piercings
Standard Lobe Piercings
For most people, a standard earlobe piercing is done at either 20 gauge (which is about 0.8mm thick) or 18 gauge (about 1.0mm thick). These are the most common sizes you'll find for regular stud earrings, hoops, and dangle earrings. Most fashion jewelry you pick up will likely be in one of these sizes, pretty much.
If your piercing was done with a piercing gun, it's very likely 20 gauge. If it was done with a needle by a professional piercer, it might be 18 gauge. Both are considered standard and comfortable for most lobe piercings. You'll find a wide range of styles in these sizes, naturally.
Cartilage and Helix Piercings
Cartilage piercings, like helix, tragus, conch, or rook piercings, are usually started with a slightly thicker gauge. This is because cartilage takes longer to heal and needs a more stable piercing to do so. Common starting gauges for these areas are 16 gauge (about 1.2mm) or 14 gauge (about 1.6mm).
Using these thicker gauges helps prevent the "cheese cutter effect" we talked about earlier, especially in areas that might experience more movement or pressure. It also allows for a wider variety of jewelry styles, like captive bead rings or barbells, which tend to come in these gauges, as a matter of fact.
Industrial Piercings
An industrial piercing, which is two piercings connected by a single straight barbell
Earring Gauge Sizes Chart
Size Of Gauge Earring at Sherry Hawley blog
Earring Gauge Size Chart Ear Gauge Comparison Chart
