Author: Kat

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How To Spot Quality Jewellery

A beautiful triple helix pierced with high quality ASTM F-136 Titanium jewellery. So shiny you can see yourself in it!

As piercing grows and rises in popularity, the number of piercers and jewellery companies has exploded. Fortunately, the amount of education and information available on piercings and jewellery is also growing. However as clients become more aware of quality and what to look for, bad jewellery companies and piercers have become wise to this and are beginning to twist the truth in order to continue to sell their poorly made jewellery. By using certain key words, some jewellery sellers are able to mislead their customers into purchasing low quality jewellery.

Here we will discuss what to look for in quality jewellery, and what to avoid when purchasing your own jewellery. We stock only the best in body jewellery, and you can shop these options here!

Metals

The first thing to discuss is what your jewellery is made of. The most common material is metal as it is durable, comfortable and easily available. However, not all metals are made equal.

Steel

Steel is not a single material, but an umbrella term for potentially thousands of different alloys. Only one grade of steel is implant grade and that is ASTM F-138 grade steel. However, the vast majority of steels used in piercing are ‘stainless steel’ and ‘surgical steel.’ Neither of these have any formal definition or safety status, and usually contain nickel and other allergens. One grade of ‘surgical steel’ that is often marketed as body safe is 316L. If you read into 316L, it is actually a low grade of marine steel. This is steel intended for use in heavy machinery, wastewater piping, and the petrochemical industry- not in the human body! These are pretty much the definition of mystery metals! We do not sell steel jewellery because of this. ASTM F-138 steel jewellery from one of our trusted brands can be ordered by request.

Titanium

High Polish, internally threaded Titanium vs low quality, scratched and poorly polished externally threaded jewellery. Which one would you rather wear?

Titanium jewellery is often considered the ‘gold standard’ (no pun intended) of body jewellery, but even titanium has its faults. There are 6 grades of pure Titanium, and multiple alloys. All of these can be marketed to the client as Titanium jewellery. Only one grade is commonly used in body piercing and is also implant grade: ASTM F-136 Titanium. Even this can be misleading! Some brands market themselves as selling ASTM F-136 Titanium jewellery, and yet when they are asked to produce mill certificates to prove this they either cannot provide them, or choose not to, or their certification comes from a source that has been exposed as falsifying documentation in the past. Every single brand we sell at Rogue can produce their ASTM F-136 certification from a trusted source. 

Gold

Gold has been successfully used in body jewellery for millenia. Before brick buildings and agriculture, there was Gold jewellery. However, it is important to understand the carat system of Gold. Pure Gold, 100% solid Gold, is 24ct. This means it is 24/24 parts Gold. The three main carats are 9ct, 14ct and 18ct. Let’s do the maths on these. 18k Gold is 18/24 or 75% pure Gold. 14k is 14/24 or 59% Gold. 9k Gold is 9/24 or 37% Gold. The rest of the alloy is what is important- If your 9ct Gold is only 37% Gold, then it begs the question of what the other 63% is? We only use body-safe 14k or 18k Gold alloyed with other high-quality, nickel-free metals which has been proven safe to wear long term. No high-end body jewellery company manufactures 9ct jewellery. The filler metals in 9ct Gold tend to be low-quality metals such as nickel and copper, which could be causes of irritation in piercings. Gold plating or vermeil is a whole other topic which is discussed below. We are incredibly proud of the Gold options we sell, and we hope you appreciate the time and effort that goes into producing and stocking only the best items for you.

Coatings

Some jewellery is available with a coating. This could be ‘Gold plating,’ ‘PVD Gold,’ ‘Titanium dipped,’ ‘Black PVD,’ or any other marketing term from a list of hundreds. None of these items are body safe or suitable for long term wear. These items generally don’t mention what material is used under the coating, so once the coating wears down or chips off (which it will!) you are exposing yourself to a mystery metal. Not only this, but the chipped surface is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, and can scratch you to cause irritation.

Gold Vermeil is a new marketing term we have seen in the last few years. Vermeil is a layer of Gold plated onto Sterling silver, which is not body safe. So again, once the coating wears away you are left exposed to an unsafe metal. For this reason, we do not stock plated or coated jewellery. If you would like fun coloured jewellery, we can anodise your Titanium jewellery by passing an electrical current through it to change the colour that the metal reflects! This is the only body-safe way to wear coloured jewellery. If you want Gold jewellery, the only way to safely do so is to purchase solid Gold jewellery.

To read about more materials and their merits (or issues), click here.

Threading

Internal threading is the safest, most secure threading system.

There are two main types of threading: Internal threading (which includes threadless) and external threading. This is often the first port of call when investigating whether your jewellery is high quality. Externally threaded jewellery is when the thread pattern is exposed on the labret or barbell. There is currently no high-quality brand in the world that produces externally threaded jewellery. This is because the thread will tear the fistula every time it is inserted or removed, which in turn will irritate your piercing and increase your risk of infection as you are removing the dermal barrier. Externally threaded jewellery is not made in body-safe materials such as ASTM F-136 Titanium or 18k body-safe Gold. Why do some studios still use external thread? It is simply down to cost. Externally threaded jewellery is often up to 50% cheaper to buy than internally threaded jewellery.

Not only is internally threaded jewellery safer to insert and remove, but it is also a much more secure threading style than external thread. If you find that you consistently lose your ends from an externally threaded labret, then maybe it’s time to move to internally threaded jewellery. Our high end manufacturers pride themselves on producing only the most secure threaded jewellery!

Jewellery Polish

In the timeless words of Paddy, owner of ISUK…

One thing that is often overlooked when purchasing body jewellery is the surface finish of your jewellery. All jewellery should be free of scratches, nicks and dents. It should have an utterly perfect mirror finish – In our jewellery photos you can often see our reflection in the piece! 

Scratches, knicks and dents can irritate your piercing in the same way as external threading does. Not only this, but any imperfections in surface finish gives bacteria a place to grow and multiply which is not good for a fresh or healed piercing. Some studios have been known to save money by purchasing and using totally unpolished jewellery. Our jewellery is either hand-polished or goes through a multi-stage mechanical polishing process in order to produce that incredibly reflective and smooth finish.

Conclusion

In order to be a high-quality piece of jewellery, your item must be at the highest standards of each of these categories- You can find and purchase low-quality, poorly polished internally threaded jewellery. You can also buy Titanium that has been dipped in a plastic or painted coating, rendering it dangerous. The gold standard of body jewellery is an internally threaded or threadless item made from ASTM F-136 certified Titanium or body-safe 14/18k Gold that has been polished to a superb mirror finish. 

Where you purchase jewellery from is also incredibly important. We do not recommend purchasing jewellery from online retailers that do not have a physical piercing studio. Handmade options from websites such as Etsy may look cute and be a unique choice, but they have no safety regulations and sellers often cannot produce documentation to prove their jewellery is safe. Some are even just resellers for companies or brands that are known to produce dangerously low quality jewellery.

The best way to guarantee the safety and quality of your jewellery is to purchase your items from a well-known, high quality brand such as BVLA, Neometal, Industrial Strength, Anatometal or LeRoi through your local premium piercer. If you want to see our range of these brands, click here. Our basic range also meets these high standards, and we are proud to carry safe jewellery that is accessible to all budgets.

This is just an overview of what to look for in quality, safe jewellery that will last a lifetime. The brands we carry offer a lifetime warranty, so you can imagine the pride and care they take in offering only the highest quality jewellery. If you have any questions about jewellery or the quality of what we carry, don’t hesitate to get in touch via kat@roguepiercing.co.uk or via our instagram.

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Why Does a Piercing Apprenticeship Take So Long?

Today we’ll be discussing why apprenticeships take so long and why you shouldn’t pay for online or in-person piercing schools. A full, comprehensive piercing apprenticeship lasts 2-3 years. In this blog we delve into why that’s the case, and why you shouldn’t settle for anything less.

What is an Piercing Apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship is the best way to learn to pierce. During an apprenticeship, you will be trained by an experienced older piercer in all aspects of safety and technique. Choosing your mentor is a big decision as their experience and reputation will follow you into your professional career. Make sure your mentor is qualified, experienced and a respected member of the industry. For Aiden’s rundown of piercing education, click here.

Aiden has been working in this industry for over 10 years, and was a founding board member of the UKAPP. This is the kind of experienced mentor you should be looking for! (However we might be a little bit biased.)

What do you Learn during a Piercing Apprenticeship?

In short, you learn an awful lot!

You will first learn all the safety aspects of piercing: Bloodborne pathogens training, cross-contamination, how to clean and sterilise jewellery, how to safely reprocess tools, which chemicals to clean your station and clients with, and the correct use of a sterile field including sterilised gloves, needles, tools and jewellery. This first stage prepares you to confidently handle a clean environment and prevent infection of yourself and your clients with harmful pathogens. 

The second stage would be learning to handle your clients, organise your day, organise jewellery orders and keep up to date with the financial side of piercing. You will need to know how to take bookings, organise your finances, handle your clients from the moment they step in the door and how to keep a polite and respectful environment to work in. Most piercers work alone or in small studios, so it is important that you know how to be self-employed and confidently run your business. It’s vital that we take care to teach our apprentices everything there is to know, and how to become a good piercer.  Not only this but it is vital that we teach our apprentices about the history of the industry and where we come from. If we don’t pass on the knowledge of Jim Ward, Fakir Musafar, Mr Sebastian and all the founding greats then we are at risk of losing our history altogether.

The third stage of a piercing apprenticeship is the piercing itself. You will be taught how to prep your clients skin, how to open and handle your sterilised gloves, how to approach your client and how to correctly pierce them. You will be taught which jewellery is appropriate for which piercings, how to safely fit them and how to manage your clients when they come in for their checkups and downsizes. Learning to pierce straight, at the correct depth, angle and with your clients anatomy in mind is hugely important for a successful piercing and an uneventful heal for your client. You will be taught to pierce and master a few basic piercings such as conches, helixes and lobes before moving on to more complex piercings. This can take months of work and practice!

Finally, once you have shown you are adept at all piercings and can work cleanly and safely, you will fledge and become a junior piercer. It may take upwards of two years to get to this point. Yes, upwards of two years! There is so much more to piercing than simply pushing a needle through a client and taking their money.

In addition to piercing ears and noses, to be a solid piercer you do have to consider piercings other areas. Intimate piercings are an important part of what we do and if we don’t pass on the knowledge of how they should be pierced, then we risk letting intimate piercing die out in the UK. Being taught to be an ‘ear piercer’ only is a dissatisfying apprenticeship.

Why You Should Never Attend a Piercing School

At Rogue we have seen many piercing schools come and go, but we are yet to see a single school provide a course that gives its learners an acceptable skill level to begin piercing. There are far too many piercing schools or other people who feel that they can teach piercing but they simply do not grasp the scope and depth of knowledge that must be learnt.

Piercing Schools are not the way to go. Don’t fall into the trap!

The average piercing school course in the UK lasts 6 days. 6 days! 6 days is not enough time to learn the basics of hygiene, nevermind become a fully fledged and skilled piercer! There is no way that you will become a confident, adept and knowledgeable piercer with only 40 hours of training. Often these schools are teaching outdated techniques and training you to use low-quality jewellery. As a learner, you may not even realise you are being taught dangerous techniques until it is too late.

Apprenticeships are usually unpaid and usually free of charge. You should not be attending a piercing school that costs thousands of pounds to end up with a ‘qualification’ that actually devalues you in the eyes of the piercing industry. Most high-end piercing studios will reject applications for work or apprenticeships from someone who has taken a piercing course. Some piercing schools claim that a short 2 day course is enough to prepare you for an apprenticeship, but this simply isn’t true. A good studio will think twice about taking you on as an apprentice as they will have to sink time into retraining you out of bad and potentially dangerous habits. It’s simply not worth it.

So How Do I Get An Apprenticeship?

We understand that apprenticeships are rare and incredibly competitive to get. It’s like applying to a university that doesn’t tell you what A levels or grades you need! However, you should not get discouraged from trying to enter the piercing industry. 

In order to secure an piercing apprenticeship, you must first find a piercing studio that is qualified to give you the valuable education that you need. The best way to do this is to find your local APP or UKAPP member studio. This proves that they are working to a high standard of safety and do not compromise their clients safety in order to increase their profits. Some studios are not members and yet exceed the standards set by the UKAPP, so do your own research if you cannot find an APP studio. An piercing apprenticeship from a low quality studio that is not willing to teach you to be a high quality piercer is no apprenticeship at all. Be careful of studios that simply want unpaid labour!

Once you have found a studio, it is important that you attend the studio and get pierced by them regularly. Studios are often overwhelmed by apprenticeship requests, often from total strangers, so it is important that you become a recognised and valuable client first. If you have the funds, purchasing high-end jewellery and showing you appreciate high-quality items is a very good way to set yourself above the competition. Becoming a known client is good in that even if that particular studio doesn’t take you on as an apprentice, they can often recommend you as an apprentice to a studio who is looking to take someone on. At this stage you should also be familiarising yourself with high-quality jewellery. Read up on internal threading or threadless jewellery and why external thread is dangerous. Learn about ASTM regulations and why ASTM F-136 Titanium is the safest metal! Find out why sterling silver is not a safe material, and why jewellery must be a certain gauge or thickness in order to be safe. If you really want to impress, memorise the conversions between gauges and inches and metric millimeters!

From becoming a valued client, the next step is to offer your services. This is not a guarantee of an apprenticeship! You can simply ask the piercer if you can help clean up at the end of the day, answer the phone and generally make yourself useful. Quite often as piercers work solo, they will appreciate your offer!

From here, you can ask about an apprenticeship. Taking on an apprentice is a huge financial burden to a studio as you often cost them more money than you make. It’s a big decision to make and your studio may have to think about it. If they offer you an apprenticeship- Congratulations! You are taking the first step to becoming a piercer. If they refuse your offer, don’t panic. They may not be in a position to offer one to you now, but they may reconsider in the future. If not, you can always ask them if they would recommend you to another studio who can take you on. 

As an aside, piercing is a very hard job both physically and mentally. Yes, you can look however you want and be the person you want to be but only to a point. Even within piercings there are limits to how extreme you can look and still maintain a strong client base. Piercing is a fairly unstable job, and the pandemic has only made this more obvious. You don’t become a piercer if you want to be rich! Piercing is also a hugely demanding full time job and a lifestyle. Burnout is very real and mental health issues are a topic of constant conversation within piercing. Make sure you are certain that you want this life before delving into an apprenticeship.

So there you have it! A pretty comprehensive review of what a piercing apprenticeship looks like, and why you should not fall into the trap of piercing schools and courses. Thank you all for taking the time to read this and we will see you again next Friday for a new blog!

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Keloids – An Overview

Hello, and welcome to another deep-dive scientific review into one of the most misunderstood and misdiagnosed issues that the piercing industry faces: Keloids. 

Some piercings will experience some kind of lump or bump in their healing process- It’s the body’s natural first response to any snag, knock or mistreatment. Irritation to the piercing can come from many sources such as incorrect or low quality jewellery, pressure, snags, or incorrect aftercare. If you want to read about lumps, bumps and how to solve them click here. However a keloid is a medical issue and won’t go away on it’s own. This review simply goes into specifically what a keloid is, and how they can be treated and managed by a medical practitioner such as your GP or a dermatologist. Your piercer is not the person to ask for true keloid treatment.

An irritation bump, normally caused by poor quality jewellery and incorrect aftercare. These bumps are more common, and easily sorted out by a high-quality piercer. They do go away!

The Keloid- A Clinical Diagnosis.

Keloids are large, firm, asymmetrical round lumps that will grow outside of the initial wound boundary. They are often slightly tender to the touch and will not go away on their own! Keloids do not stop growing, and do not shrink in size without medical treatment. Keloids, unfortunately, will often recur once surgically removed. 

A genuine Keloid diagnosed by a dermatologist. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Harris of Pictures of Lily, Biggleswade.

Keloid Epidemiology

Keloids occur in all races, sexes and ages, but are most common in people between the ages of 20 and 30. Studies have shown that dark-skinned people usually of African descent are the most likely to get a keloid- 6-16% of these populations will experience a keloid in comparison to only 0.9% of White British people. This is not to say that you are guaranteed to get a keloid or are protected from them by your race!

Keloids are strongly linked to genetics- If you have a strong family history of keloid formation, you are much more likely to get keloids of your own. 

Keloids – Why do they form?

Keloids don’t just appear, they grow as an overly powerful response to trauma to the skin.

If you look back to my previous review on the wound healing process, you will remember that the Maturation or Remodelling phase is the third and final phase of healing. Collagen is grown and the skin slowly softens and returns to its normal state. In keloid formation, collagen is synthesised at up to 20x the normal rate. This overproduction of collagen can be a cause of the fast-growing nature of a keloid. In addition to this, fibroblasts that produce the scaffolding on which new skin is developed are upregulated- Fibronectin (the scaffolding protein) is produced at a rate of up to 4x greater than in normal scar healing. 

Growth factors are chemicals produced by immune cells within the healing tissue to promote wound repair. One in particular, TGF-beta, is really important for this process. In normal wound healing, this factor is carefully controlled and is turned off completely once the wound is healed. In keloid formation, TGF-beta is uncontrolled and is not turned off once the wound is healed and so is allowed to run riot within the tissue. In addition to this, the fibroblast cells found in keloids have many more receptors for TGF-beta and are therefore much more sensitive to it’s effects! 

Keloids- Treatment

Keloids will not go away on their own- If your ‘keloid’ went away with better aftercare, then it wasn’t a keloid! Unfortunately keloids often require surgical intervention. If you remember, keloids are caused by overreaction to a wound, so surgery alone will often result in recurrence of the keloid. Surgical removal is often part of a multi-angle response including steroid injections, pressure plates upon the area, and sometimes even laser or radiotherapy. If you think you have a keloid, we highly recommend getting it checked out by a doctor or dermatologist.

One interesting treatment which has very recently emerged is the use of Interferon injections. Interferons (IFNs) are chemicals naturally secreted by cells within the human body in response to viral infections. One happy side effect they have is that certain IFNs such as IFN-α2b decrease the surrounding tissues ability to produce collagen, and directly block the binding of TGF-beta to the fibroblast receptors in order to prevent them from producing excess scarring! This treatment type could be used more commonly in the future.

So there you have it, a good overview of what a keloid is, why we get them, and what can be done about it. Again if you think you have a keloid, it’s important to get it checked out by both your trusted piercer and a doctor or dermatologist. We see a genuine keloid perhaps once a year, but the vast majority of lumps are not keloids at all! Most bumps we see are simply due to irritation of some kind and can be treated simply and easily with quality jewellery and gentle aftercare.

References:

Berman B, Duncan MR. (1989) Short-term keloid treatment in vivo with human interferon alfa-2b results in a selective and persistent normalization of keloidal fibroblast collagen, glycosaminoglycan, and collagenase production in vitro. J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 21:694–702

Gauglitz, G.G., Korting, H.C., Pavicic, T., Ruzicka, T. and Jeschke, M.G., 2011. Hypertrophic scarring and keloids: pathomechanisms and current and emerging treatment strategies. Molecular medicine, 17(1), pp.113-125.

Murray CJ, Pinnel SR. (1992) Keloids and excessive dermal scarring. In: Woundhealing, Biochemical and Clinical Aspects. Cohen IK, Diegelmann RF, Lindblad WJ (eds.). Saunders Elsevier, Philadelphia, pp. 500–9

Niessen FB, Spauwen PH, Schalkwijk J, Kon M. (1999) On the nature of hypertrophic scars and keloids: a review. Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 104:1435–58

Wolfram, D., Tzankov, A., Pülzl, P. and PIZA‐KATZER, H.I.L.D.E.G.U.N.D.E., 2009. Hypertrophic scars and keloids—a review of their pathophysiology, risk factors, and therapeutic management. Dermatologic surgery, 35(2), pp.171-181.

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The Healing Piercing – The Cellular Level

Caring for a healing piercing is straightforward, but requires patience. I think one of the most common questions we get as a studio is, “Wait, it takes how long to heal??” There is a huge amount of misinformation around piercings that says you can heal and change piercings in as little as 3 weeks. As much as we all wish that was the case, it’s simply not true! I think the easiest way to dispel this myth is to educate our clients on the full healing process from a scientific point of view. We will be discussing fresh piercings, so be aware there will be photos of fresh piercings that contain small amounts of blood.

The skin is a complex net of cells all working together to provide protection, structure and nutrients to the surrounding tissue. When damaged by a procedure such as a piercing, it undergoes three sequential and gently overlapping stages of healing. Our bodies are fantastic healers, and when these stages are allowed to happen as normal we can be healing piercings with little to no problem.

Phase 1- The Inflammatory Phase.

Inflammation is the first phase of healing. It is technically made up of two seperate things that work side by side to help you heal quickly! The inflammatory phase begins almost immediately after your piercing and can last between 3-6 days.

The first thing that happens is ‘Platelet Hemostasis.’ This simply means that the fresh wound will begin to clot almost immediately! Platelets are the second most common cell type found in your blood. When activated by an injury, they stick together to form a plaster over your new piercing which stops contaminants from outside the body getting in, and your blood getting out. 

The other thing that happens is inflammation, hence the name! The first responder to a piercing is your peripheral nervous system, which gives you the sensation of pain and more importantly begins the process of inflammation! Stimulation of the peripheral nerves allows them to release specific neuropeptides (proteins specific to the nervous system) into the tissue surrounding your new piercing. These neuropeptides have three main targets of action. First, they act on your blood vessels to dilate them and stimulate better blood flow. Second, they target the cells in your blood capillary walls to make them more permeable- this lets important things like water and immune cells enter the area around the tissue more easily. Thirdly, they stimulate your Mast Cells to degranulate. Mast cells are immune cells that live in your connective tissue and are full of important chemicals like histamines and enzymes. When they are stimulated to ‘degranulate,’ they release all of these chemicals into their surrounding area to facilitate swelling and to attract other immune cells to the area from your bloodstream.

This triple helix project perfectly displays the inflammatory phase. This photo was taken about 30 minutes after piercing, and you can see mild redness and swelling beginning to form. Jewellery includes a BVLA Slasher, available to purchase here.

All of these things work together to bring about inflammation! “Inflammation” is thrown around as a scary word, but it is really important to the healing process! Without it, your immune cells wouldn’t be able to access the piercing site as quickly and the whole healing process would be slowed down. This is why we pierce with slightly longer labrets- To allow for this important inflammation.

Phase 2- The Proliferative Phase

The proliferative phase is the second thing that happens to a new healing piercing. This phase starts after about two days and lasts about 4-6 weeks. Proliferation is the phase in which the piercing truly begins to ‘heal.’ It has three parts. 

First, Fibroplasia begins. This simply means that Fibroblast cells found living in your connective tissue begin to work on the piercing site to produce a secure structure on which new cells can grow. Fibroblasts produce collagen, which is woven into a new matrix that supports the healing wound.

While this is happening, re-epithelialisation occurs and new skin cells begin to grow on the collagen matrix to surround and protect the fistula (internal hole) of your piercing. 

 As well as this, angiogenesis begins- This means that new blood vessels are grown to feed the cells working on healing your piercing! This is triggered by cells sensing the lack of oxygen surrounding them due to the minor damage to blood capillaries, which then release specific angiogenic growth factors to stimulate new blood vessel growth. Neat, right? Without this process, your piercing would be starved of oxygen and nutrients and would not heal very well.

This photo was taken immediately after piercing, and you can see we have given this client plenty of space to swell and heal properly without complications. You can’t easily heal a piercing with such a long labret though, which is why downsizing is so important!
Here you can see the same piercing downsized after 4 weeks. A snug fit reduces snags and knocks, and can be more comfortable slept on to avoid bumps. This is the best thing for a healing piercing!

This phase takes 4-6 weeks, and at the end of it your piercing has a fragile seal running through it. At this time, swelling has gone down and your jewellery may need a downsize. Experienced piercers can gently exchange your jewellery for shorter ones, but you’re definitely not healed enough to start changing the jewellery yourself! This is why any studio which claims to be able to produce healed piercings in 3 weeks is not telling the truth- Biologically speaking, they’re promising the impossible! We haven’t even gotten to the third and final stage of healing yet!

Phase 3- The Remodelling Phase

The third and final phase of healing is the remodelling phase, in which your fresh and fragile piercing gradually is remodelled into a sturdy piercing with functionally ‘normal’ tissue surrounding it. This phase starts at 4-6 weeks post-piercing and can last up to 2 years! 

In this phase, your tissue is slowly changed from fragile collagen matrices to fully functioning normal tissue, with its own blood supply, nerves, epithelial tissue and dermal layer. During this time your piercing will slowly settle down into a comfortable, boring piercing which feels like you’ve had it forever! 

At Rogue we state it takes between 6 and 12 months for a full heal on any piercing, and this is why- You’ve given it time to settle and become more robust. However if you think of your healing piercing at age 6 months, and then compare it to a piercing you’ve had for over 2 years you can still notice a difference! Your 6 month old piercing may still have some redness and some discomfort when you manipulate it and it may be more prone to irritation than a really mature piercing. Your 2+ year old piercing is mature and durable, and so should have no redness, swelling, discomfort- It will just feel like normal skin! This is what we all aim for with our piercings and this is what can be achieved with proper aftercare following a good piercing.

This conch piercing is a perfect example of a well-healed and mature piercing! You can see no redness, puffiness or swelling. It just looks like skin.

I hope this clears up any misinformation about healing piercings. This is why we preach patience when it comes to your piercings- These things do take time! Interrupting this process by twisting your jewellery, changing jewellery too soon, using strong chemicals, or following improper aftercare will only extend your healing time. If you follow our aftercare well, you will have a well-healed piercing for life! If you have questions, DM us on instagram.

References:

Cañedo-Dorantes, L. and Cañedo-Ayala, M. (2019). Skin Acute Wound Healing: A Comprehensive Review. International Journal of Inflammation, [online] 2019, pp.1–15. Available at: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/iji/2019/3706315/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2021].

Enoch, S. and Leaper, D.J., 2005. Basic science of wound healing. Surgery (Oxford), 23(2), pp.37-42.

WoundSource. (2016). Phases of Wound Healing: The Breakdown. [online] Available at: https://www.woundsource.com/blog/phases-wound-healing-breakdown#:~:text=Remodeling%20or%20also%20known%20as,and%20fibers%20are%20being%20reorganized. [Accessed 20 Feb. 2021].

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Jewel School 3 – Purple Gemstones

BVLA Marquise Fan

Purple Gemstones- Why We Love Them!

If any of you have ever paid a visit to Rogue, you will know I’m obsessed with purple. Purple hair, purple nails and purple gemstones. This weeks blog is all about our top 4 purple gemstones that are available from high-end brands such as BVLA and Anatometal.

Howdy from the princess of Purple!

The biggest pro of ordering jewellery from BVLA or Anatometal is the huge range of natural gemstones they offer. BVLA in particular is famous for offering over 200 unique gemstones! There’s gotta be some beautiful purple options in there, right? Absolutely.

1) Amethyst

Purple Gemstones! BVLA Mini Kandy RG AA Amethyst
BVLA ‘Mini Kandy’ set with Genuine AA Amethyst. Purchase HERE.

The color in amethyst comes from colour centers in the quartz. These colour centers are created when trace amounts of iron are exposed to natural levels of radiation from the surrounding rock. Amethyst is probably my favourite gemstone currently. Although I do change my mind on that every 3-6 weeks! Personally I like the richness of Amethyst. In comparison to the other purples in this list, Amethyst is a warm, inviting purple with a surprising amount of clarity and sparkle for what some might consider a “dark” stone. When expertly cut and set, like these two examples from BVLA, Amethyst can’t be beat. Purple gemstones such as Amethyst are perfect if this is your first foray into colour!

BVLA Extra-Large Marquise Fan set with 3 purple gemstones in AA Amethysts.
I can’t write a blog about Amethyst without talking about my newest baby, this drop-dead gorgeous and very sexy Marquise Fan from our friends at BVLA! The two outer gems are sandblasted, to give more texture and interest to the piece. For custom order enquiries, email kat@roguepiercing.co.uk.

2) Purple Copper Turquoise

Purple Copper Turquoise Prong-Set Cabochon
Purple Copper Turquoise Cabochon set in 14k White Gold prongs. A pair are available to purchase HERE.

Purple Copper Turquoise is such a unique stone. It’s a stone made from the natural marriage of Purple Turquoise stones and rich copper veins. This opaque stone has a lovely grounding influence on any collection, especially if you don’t want too much sparkle and would much rather enjoy the pure colour you can get from this stone. I would personally love to see this pair of prong-set Cabochons adorning a pair of nostril piercings, or if a custom order was in the mix, have them threaded and worn in cheek piercings.

3) Mystic Topaz

Anatometal Trio Mystic Topaz
Anatometal Mystic Topaz Trio set in 18k White Gold. Purchase here.

Mystic topaz might be seen as the dark horse of this list- It’s not really purple! But looking closely, mystic topaz is a beautiful purple-green duochrome. It flashes both purple and rich green in different lights. This is a favourite of our head piercer Aiden- He has a Mystic Topaz collection in his paired conch piercings. They’re utterly stunning, and have definitely earned their place in this Jewel School Purple Gemstone showdown! Mystic Topaz is an enhanced natural stone- A thin layer of Titanium only microns thick is layered onto the back of the stone to give it it’s duochrome appearance. This gemstone would look stunning alone or set alongside other purple or green stones, such as in a cluster or marquise fan.

4) Dark Purple Chalcedony

Dark Purple Chalcedony Gemstone
This Dark Purple Chalcedony image is courtesy of Luxe Piercing Boutique, IL.

I’ve never had the pleasure of working with Dark Purple Chalcedony. In fact until mere months ago I had no idea this stone even existed! As soon as I saw it though, I was hooked. It looks like someone has taken a droplet of warm summer sunset, and set it into Gold. Chalcedony is a type of Quartz and looks stunning paired with simple styles and White Gold. We would love to do some custom order work in this stone! As always, custom orders are very welcome as we get to explore much more unique and exciting styles! For more information, this blog post gives a run down of the entire process.

So, I hope this blog inspires you to delve into the sheer opulence of purple jewellery. It isn’t the colour of royalty for nothing! If you would like to discuss jewellery and the infinite options available to you here at Rogue, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you all for reading, and have a lovely weekend!

-Kat

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Custom Jewellery-The Custom Order Process

A suite of custom ordered jewellery from BVLA

Hi Folks! Today I am taking over the blog to demystify the process of ordering custom jewellery through Rogue Piercing.

Almost any piece of jewellery we sell can be ordered to your custom specifications. You need a Neometal threadless labret in a certain size we don’t normally carry? We can custom order one in for you. You need a full suite of BVLA jewellery for your wedding? We can custom order that for you. You can read a post about my favourite pieces of custom jewellery here.

Triple Flat inspiration using BVLA – White Gold, Black Diamonds.

Custom Jewellery- How the Process Works

  1. Making Contact

Let’s follow through and say you would like a full suite of BVLA items for your piercings in time for your wedding day in 2022. Your first port of call would be to email our jewellery manager Kat at kat@roguepiercing.co.uk or send us a DM through our instagram @roguepiercing. Note that all pricing enquiries and payments will be dealt with via email!

  1. Sharing Ideas

You may only have a rough idea of what you want- 18ct Yellow Gold and purple stones? White Gold? Not sure on any details at all? Kat will work with you and guide you through all the options for you. Do you want pieces that are large and in charge? Do you want a lot of solid metals or do you want the gems to do the talking? Once you have decided on a style, Kat will come back to you with a list of pieces she thinks you would love. If you need more inspiration, you would head to the companies website at BVLA, Anatometal or Industrial Strength and peruse their thousands of options.

We want to hear what you like, and what you don’t like! Reference ears, pieces, and reference photos in general are incredibly helpful! Even if you don’t know the names of the specific pieces.

  1. Deposits and Balances 

Once we have settled on some pieces, Kat will then give you a quote on the total cost of your order. Often we will take a 50% deposit upfront, but we can take as little as 25% if you are a regular client of ours. Usually if the order is under £100, we will take the full cost up front.

Once this deposit is paid, you have 6 months from the date of order to fully pay the rest of the balance.Most people will pay the other 50% of the balance once the jewellery has arrived with us prior to having it fitted. We know that custom-made jewellery can be a source of joy and so we are happy to extend the 6 month payment date for clients who need that extra time, as long as they get in touch in advance. 

A custom-ordered BVLA ‘Coffin’ in 14k Yellow Gold set with Genuine AA Garnet.
  1. Checking and Double-Checking!

From here, Kat will write up a custom order sheet that covers each item in detail to make sure every single piece is exact to your specifications.

You get to double check all the intricacies of each of your items. We then check again to make sure you are happy. Kat will send you a link to your custom order payment screen on our website.

Here is an example of what you would be looking at!

An example of your custom order payment screen!

Once you are happy, you can add this custom payment to your basket and check out as normal. You may need to book for piercings too. You can go to our booking screen and pay for everything all at once.

  1. Manufacture

Each company we work with has a different ‘lead time,’ or how long it takes to make your jewellery. Since each item is made to order, it can take a little bit of time.

Commonly orders from Titanium brands such as Neometal, Anatometal and Infinite Body Jewellery take about 12 weeks. Orders from BVLA are currently expected to take between 4 and 6 months, depending on the intricacy of the design. Each company is working hard to make sure that your jewellery gets out to you in a timely manner, and we thank them for that!

  1. Arrival!

The next step is the exciting day that your jewellery arrives with us. This is one of our favourite parts of the whole process- This is many months of work finally coming to fruition! First we check that everything has arrived safely and to our clients specification, and then we get in touch.

Normally we will send an email and give you a phone call to let you know it’s time to book in to get your jewellery fitted! After you have booked in, we take some of those stunning photos you are all used to seeing on our website and instagram. After we fit the jewellery for you, we take some more snazzy photos and you are ready to go!

BVLA ‘Single Swirl’ in 14k Yellow Gold and genuine London Blue Topaz

To conclude…

Our favourite part of the whole process is the happiness we see in your faces when you see your dream jewellery finally sitting prettily in your piercings. That moment makes all the work worthwhile for us.

I hope this has demystified the process of custom ordering jewellery for you all. As always, I am happy to respond to any queries you may have.

Yet again, BVLA pulled through with this Crown Marquise charm.
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Jewel School 2- Oregon Sunstone

Oregon Sunstone is a unique and often underrated stone when it comes to jewellery. Since being used by high end jewellery brands such as BVLA, it has become a favourite amongst piercers and piercing enthusiasts alike. So where does this stone originate, what is it’s history and what makes it so beautiful? I’m sure you can answer at least one of those questions!

This BVLA Mini Kandy really shows off the “champagne bubble” effect that copper inclusions can give to Oregon Sunstone. Shop here!

Oregon sunstone is a feldspar, or crystal-forming mineral, that is found in Oregon, USA. In fact, it was declared the official state stone of Oregon in 1987. It is produced from shallow mines in two counties and is hard enough to be carved, polished and faceted for jewellery. Historically, the local Native American Tribes have a legend describing its origins. In the legend, the blood of a great warrior –who is wounded by an arrow – spatters onto pieces of sunstone. The blood carried his warrior spirit into the stones, coloring them with shades of red and giving them sacred power. Native American tribes traded this stone across most of Western America and it can be found in many museum collections as a result.

This BVLA Beaded Pear in Yellow Gold really demonstrates the potential that this gem holds when it comes to statement jewellery.

Oregon Sunstone originally formed in Basalt lava flows in aggregations called “Phenocrysts,” which are large collections of a crystal surrounded by glassy igneous rock. It is in the same ‘family’ as Labradorite and is fast becoming a highly popular stone with jewellers. The Oregon Sunstone found in body jewellery is often transparent and can be cut into a multitude of different facet styles. Oregon Sunstone can be shades of pink, tan, orange, yellow, green, blue-green, red, and clear as well as bi-colors. This colour is caused by unique inclusions of copper within the crystal structure, which causes a visual effect called “Schiller,” which gives the stone an almost champagne bubble-like appearance. These copper inclusions are flat, plate-shaped, highly reflective, and precisely aligned along the crystallographic axis of the stone. The “shimmer” seen in Oregon Sunstone is called aventurescence by gemologists and jewellery experts. Traditionally in body jewellery, Oregon sunstone is selected in pink to tan-orange shades which complement Yellow and Rose Gold.

This bead of Oregon Sunstone displays highly visible copper inclusions.

At Rogue we currently have two pieces containing Oregon Sunstone as shown in the photos included in this article. Currently the only high-end body jewellery brand using this stone is BVLA, which is renowned for its highly customisable bespoke jewellery. If you have any ideas for how you would like to use this gem in a piece of jewellery, do get in contact with us and we would be happy to help you get your ideas set into gold.

Remember to follow us on facebook and instagram for more information on piercing and the jewellery we have available! Don’t hesitate to message us any questions you may have.

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Jewel School 1- Cubic Zirconia vs Diamonds?

At Rogue we offer jewellery adorned with real Diamonds, and also pieces set with Cubic Zirconia. So what is Cubic Zirconia, and what is the difference between the two?

Cubic Zirconia, or CZ, is a man-made crystal structure that was first produced in 1976 as a more affordable alternative to Diamonds. CZ is not to be confused with Zirconium- This is a silvery metal used in the production of Cubic Zirconia. CZ is made from a specialist mixture of Zirconium and Zirconium Dioxide which is heated to 2750 celsius. Cubic Zirconia of varying colours are created by adding different coloured oxides to the molten CZ mixture during its firing process. Once the molten mixture begins to cool, crystals will form that are then cut and polished in the same way that Diamonds are. Diamonds are often naturally formed from Carbon deposits by intense heat and pressure in the Earth’s crust. They can also be formed synthetically in labs. There is almost no difference between naturally formed and synthetically made Diamonds.

This BVLA Snowflake is an example of a Diamond-set piece which is available on our website! How handy. Shop Here!

How does Cubic Zirconia differ from Diamonds? 

Well, because it is completely man-made, it can be made absolutely perfectly with no inclusions or imperfections. Almost all Diamonds will have minute inclusions in them. Hardly any Diamonds are completely perfect as they are naturally formed in imperfect conditions. Even professional Diamond jewellers may never see a completely perfect Diamond in their entire career.

Cubic Zirconia are slightly less hard than Diamonds- They are an 8.5 on the Mohs Hardness scale whereas Diamonds are a 10. One notable difference is that since CZ are slightly less hard than Diamonds, the facets of their cut are slightly softer and more rounded than a Diamond. Diamonds, being incredibly hard, can hold a significantly sharper facet. However to the naked eye looking at a CZ gem and Diamond of similar size and cut, it is often impossible to tell the two apart. CZ gems are also slightly heavier than Diamonds, being 1.7 times more dense. 

This Marquise Fan from BVLA is set with three Swarovski Cubic Zirconia gems. If you look closely at the far right gem, you can see the Swarovski logo laser-cut into the gem. Shop Here

How are CZ similar to Diamonds?

Cubic Zirconia can be coloured any colour a diamond can, and more. Diamonds can be steel gray, white, blue, yellow, orange, red, green, pink to purple, brown, or black. Cubic Zirconia offers a more affordable yet still visually impactful option. CZ shouldn’t be considered a “poor man’s Diamond” as it can offer intense colours and variety. 

This BVLA Marquise Fan is set with three Cubic Zirconia gems, but they have been created with an Aurora Borealis finish that simply cannot be recreated with genuine Diamonds.

To conclude, both Diamonds and Cubic Zirconia have their own merits. Diamonds are, of course, highly sought after and expensive for a reason. They can become family heirlooms and are often treasured for generations. Cubic Zirconia is often more perfected than Diamond simply due to its manufacturing process and can give a gorgeous sparkle without as much of a large price tag. Some people say that CZ is lower quality because it is placed into cheaper, less well-made settings and jewellery than Diamonds. This is simply untrue for any jewellery sold as Rogue. All of our jewellery is produced by brands at the forefront of jewellery quality. We simply do not sell low-quality jewellery so you can be confident that whichever gem you chose, you will be very happy with the results!

If you have enjoyed the photography shown off in this post, make sure to follow our Instagram for more stunning photos and more!

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Top 5 Pieces from the Restock (According to Kat)

You may have heard about the massive restock that Rogue has done! We’ve spent the last month or so updating the website so now you can have a look at all the new shinies we have. I thought I’d talk about my five favourite pieces. I might do this kind of post biannually to give you all a snapshot of what new stock we have come through our doors.

The first piece I’ve fallen in love with is this Green Paua Shell nipple bar from Industrial Strength. I just think it’s such a unique piece! Green Paua is a natural material collected from sea snails native to the ocean surrounding New Zealand. Since I used to live in NZ I feel a bit of a personal connection to this piece as I spent plenty of time as a kid picking up these shells from the beach near my house. I just think it would look gorgeous on deeper skin tones because of the contrast. Anodising the implant-grade Titanium to gold would also make the shell pop. Shop here.

The second piece that has my heart is this 18k yellow gold Mini Kandy set with a brilliant-cut Amethyst. Gold and purple are classic regal colours. Did you know that purple was reserved for royalty in the ancient world because it originated from a rare sea snail in the Phoenician empire? Bringing it back to mollusks again. I just think the Amethyst has such a gorgeous rich colour. Shop here.

These are interesting ones! These purple glass plugs from Gorilla Glass are such a gorgeous colour! I’m stretching my ears and if nobody takes them before I reach 6mm then they’re mine! These would look lovely in large gauge piercings such as a conch punch or large gauge lobe piercings. They look lovely and dark until the sun shines through them, when they light up a gorgeous ribena colour. Shop here.

This might just be my favourite Anatometal piece. If you look at the size of the thread (the post thing that the actual gem is connected to), you can see how tiny and delicate this piece actually is! We have two, and I think they’d look amazing in second lobe piercings. I love the symmetry that that would give. This lilac gem is like a pastel version of the Amethyst that I love so much in the Mini Kandy! Shop here.

These big and bold brass hangers from Buddha are genuinely so stunning. I love the modernistic texture on the plates; they remind me of sunshine! I like that they’re quite sizable yet still minimalistic. If I were to bring this post back to snails again, I might say that these hangers come in two sizes that roughly emulate the size of a normal snail and a slightly larger snail. Jokes aside, these brass hangers are absolutely gorgeous and in the coming months you might see me with a pair of my very own. Shop here.

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Meet the Rogue Team!

Even though the shop is shut, we are still busy behind the scenes. Our shop is filled with piercing enthusiasts and experts. We have recently expanded and hired a new counter staff member and jewellery lover to bring our total to three staff! Please appreciate our terrible avatars. We spent way too long on them.

Aiden – Big Boss

Aiden is the owner and head piercer at Rogue. Outside of work he enjoys DnD, crafting and general nerdery. And his bicycle, Trevor.

Where are you from?: Shropshire, but I’ve just returned from a long spell piercing and teaching abroad in Europe and the US.

How long have you been piercing? Around ten years!

Favourite part of the job?: Bringing customers visions to life.

What is your favourite piercing you have, and what is your favourite to pierce on others?: Probably my 25mm stretched lobes because I like the variety of jewellery I can wear, from weights to plugs and eyelets.

Favourite piece of jewellery you have?: My ‘Blessings to You’ Oregon bats. Unfortunately the company is no longer around so I don’t wear them as often as I’d like because I’m so nervous about losing them!

Dream piece of jewellery?: This changes quite a lot, but I’m currently loving a yellow Gold and London Blue Topaz set by BVLA that includes a Gemmed Gaia and Rose-cut cabochons.

Jess – Our Charming Apprentice

Jess is our lovely apprentice. She’s a bit of a hippie who loves cycling, and exploring nature and the city.

Where are you from?: I’m originally from a small village in rural Buckinghamshire. I’ve spent the last 5 years travelling through Europe, South/Central America and Asia. My favourite place that I passed through was Varanasi in Northern India.

How long have you been piercing?: I started my apprenticeship on the 25th of January, 2020.

What is your favourite piercing you have, and what is your favourite to pierce on others?: My favourite piercing is my philtrum (Thanks Aiden!) which has recently been upgraded to a solid yellow gold piece. I’m missing my retired VCH dearly and it will return some day! My favourite piercing to perform on others is the conch.

Favourite piece of jewellery you have?: I absolutely love my double-stacked septum because it is simple yet elegant, and handmade in-store by Aiden.

Dream piece of jewellery?: Wow, there are so many pieces that I want! My priority is a yellow Gold and Rutilated Quartz cabochon by BVLA for my philtrum, or the Diablo Organics Aurora weights in yellow Gold.

Kat – Counter Staff

Kat is a full-time Zoology BSc student at the University of Nottingham and part-time punk. She has a love for gold and unique piercings.

Where are you from: South Wales, from a little village by the ocean.

Favourite part of the job?: I love organising the spreadsheets because I’m a major excel nerd.

What is your favourite piercing you have?: I love my septum and I’m aiming to stretch it to 10g.

Favourite piece of jewellery you have?: My BVLA Mini Kandy end in yellow gold with white opal!

Dream piece of jewellery?: The BVLA Marquise fan in yellow gold, with a hammered center and two high polish fans on each side.