At Rogue we offer a fitting service – Any high-quality jewellery can be installed or moved around between your piercings. Simply book in for a checkup appointment with a member of the piercing team. Piercing cleaning is also an easy process that you should know how to do at home.
If you want to know how to look after your fresh piercing, click here to read our full aftercare advice.
The most common question we get is: How does my new jewellery work? How do I change them? How do I look after them? What is piercing cleaning? This blog will go through all the details of how to to each of the above.
The Different Jewellery Styles
It is really important to check the tightness and fit of your jewellery on at least a weekly basis. Even the most secure styles may come loose over time. Find your style of jewellery below and ensure you are tightening them appropriately!
Threadless Jewellery
The most common form of jewellery found at Rogue is threadless jewellery, aka Push-fit jewellery. These are the most straightforward styles to fit at home, and the least fiddly!
Internally Threaded
Our most common style for navels, tongues, cheeks, septums and many other placements. Internally threaded jewellery screws together – Remember: Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey! The video below shows a threaded labret, but all threaded jewellery such as barbells and circular barbells works in an identical manner.
BCR
BCRs are commonly found in daith and septum piercings, but may be used in other placements too.
Seam Rings
Seam rings are a great option for secure, permanent wear in well-healed piercings. These are the trickiest to install at home, so we do highly recommend having these fitted by a pro!
A Note on Changing Jewellery at Home
We always recommend having your jewellery fitted by a trained professional. Not only can changing your jewellery at home cause unnecessary trauma to your piercing if not done smoothly, but an untrained hand can cause serious damage to your jewellery. If you have good experience with handling and changing body piercings, you are at a lower risk of damaging items but this risk is still there.
The most common cause of damage to jewellery is the aggressive use of tools during insertion and removal. This is the main reason why we do not sell or give tools to the public. When used incorrectly, tools can snap threadless pins, pop gems out of their settings, and irreparably scratch delicate jewellery.
It is very important to note that jewellery damaged during home insertions is not covered by any manufacturer warranty or warranty at Rogue. This means that if your jewellery requires repairs such as a pin repair, repolishing, gem resetting or scratch removal, you will need to pay out of pocket or simply purchase a new piece of jewellery. Please do not attempt to fit jewellery at home unless you are confident that you can do so without the use of tools, and without damaging your new jewellery. If you are simply changing a threadless end, this is often absolutely doable at home! However if you are fitting a £2500 Gold-and-Diamond Ring for your wedding… It might be best left to a pro.
Another common cause of issues with at-home insertions is that you may damage the fistula (piercing channel) by being too rough. Especially if you are unfamiliar with body piercings, it can be very easy to be too aggressive when inserting new jewellery at home. This can cause swelling, bleeding, and irritation even to a well-healed piercing. Depending on the client and the piercing, we may sell you an insertion taper to help with insertion of jewellery. We do not do this for everyone as again, a taper is a tool that can easily be misused. Unless you are confident in your ability to change your jewellery, please book in for a checkup and we can do it for you for a very small fee.
If you are purchasing jewellery online, please get in contact with us as we can often recommend a high quality studio near you that can install your new pieces! Please note that some studios may charge a fee for this service.
Piercing Maintenance
It is important to look after your jewellery! It is vital for both the security and aesthetic of your piercings that you check on and clean your jewellery, long after your piercing has healed. So how does piercing cleaning work?
Healed Piercing Cleaning
It is very easy to clean a healed piercing. This is a piercing that is 6+ months old, and is completely pain and irritation free. Simply wash with warm water and a mild, fragrance-free facial wash when you are in the shower.
First, run your piercings under the water to dampen them. Piercing cleaning is an easy process. Take your favourite facial wash – We recommend this one – and rub it between your fingers to form a lather. Gently massage the suds in and around your piercings (front and back!) to break up any buildup of oils and skin cells. Massage for 30 seconds to a minute to really allow your piercings to benefit.
Once your piercings have been thoroughly washed, rinse them well with clean water. When you exit the shower, remember to dry your piercings. Either use a lint-free towel or paper towels. Don’t neglect to dry the backs of your ears!
If your ears feel dry after this, you may want to moisturise them with a sparing application of a neutral oil such as Jojoba oil. You can also use a gentle fragrance-free moisturiser if you wish. Keep in mind to avoid any oils or moisturisers near fresh, healing or irritated piercings!
Cleaning Your Jewellery
Throughout your daily life, your piercing jewellery may get dirty. Even with regular showers and cleaning as above, some pieces may need to be removed and cleaned every so often to keep them looking their best.
General Cleaning
Most jewellery, both Titanium and Gold, can be cleaned like this. If you are wearing precious gemstones such as Pearls or other natural stones, please check before you clean as this may damage soft stones. This cleaning method is absolutely fine for Swarovski crystals, synthetic Opals, Topaz, Sapphires and Diamonds.
- Gently remove the end from your jewellery. Use one of the guides above if possible! You do not need to remove the wearable shaft. This makes it less likely that you will struggle to reinsert it.
- Fill a cup with warm water and a couple of drops of mild dish soap.
- Dip your jewellery into the soap mixture, and gently brush the item with a soft toothbrush. Take care to focus on any intricate areas such as the prong setting of most gems.
- Once the end is clean, rinse it with clean water (Do not hold it over the drain!) and dry with clean paper towel.
- You can now reinstall the end, shiny and clean!
Cleaning Gold Jewellery
As Gold is a precious metal, it can mildly tarnish over time. This can appear as a dulling of the surface, or the appearance of little brassy patches of colour. This is not a cause for concern, and is very easily remedied!
- Gently remove the item of jewellery. Use one of the guides above where possible.
- Wash the item as described in the ‘General Cleaning’ section above. Ensure the jewellery is dry before continuing.
- Take a jewellery polishing cloth (or a soft microfibre cloth as an acceptable substitute) and gently buff the jewellery until it is glossy and very shiny. This may take 1-2 minutes in total per item.
- Wipe the item with paper towel to remove any polishing particulates.
- Reinstall your newly polished jewellery!