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The Design: Eyebrow Piercings!

Eyebrow piercings have been around for longer than I have! These guys come into fashion every few years, although at Rogue we absolutely love them all the time. These are of course anatomy dependant piercings (like most piercings), and so are a lot of the styles we’re going to show you as there are a variety of different ways eyebrows can be pierced.

During the initial healing period, you may also notice some bruising around the eye/eyebrow. Some people bruise more than others, so the bruising can range in severity from person to person. You can read all about aftercare here!

Traditional Eyebrow Piercing:

Traditional eyebrow piercings are the most common variety of an eyebrow piercing you will see, they are typically pierced around the ‘arch’ of the eyebrow. When checking for suitable anatomy, your piercer is looking for a prominent ‘shelf’ of the eyebrow ridge, that would comfortably support the jewellery and heal well. We’re basically assessing wether or not you have enough tissue to safely and comfortably heal.

Pairs, Doubles and Racks:

People love symmetry, and just like any other piercing, eyebrows have seen to follow the trend of being matched up and we are absolutely here for it! Wether that be two piericngs on one side, or one on each, it is definitely the way to make a statement.

Brow racks are super cool, yet quite rare to come across. Not only are they super anatomy dependant, they’re unfortunately not insanely common. Eyebrow racks are made of of multiple piercings across the ridge of the eyebrow and they look incredible.

Centred/Inner Eyebrow Piercings:

Centred brow piercings are pierced across the centre of the brow ridge, typically pierced inline with the pupil. Inner brows are pierced around the start of the brow, often in line with the inner corner/tearduct of the eye.

These guys are super cool, but super anatomy dependant, as it requires you to have enough tissue across the central ridge of your brow bone. This is less common than traditional brow piercings.

Surface Eyebrow Piericngs:

Now talking about surface eyebrows might be considered a little bit of cheating for this blog, as they dont pass through the defined brow ridge we have spoken about, but rather they sit above or below the ‘tail’ of the brow. They are pierced with a internally threaded surface bar, and can be decorated with a range of jewellery!

These piercings are absolutely classic, and can be pierced in a a variety of ways. To start your own piercing projects, or even to discuss the possibilities before making any commitments, click here to book with any member of Rogue!

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2023 – Recap!

It is officially June, which means we are officially halfway through the year! It won’t be too long before halloween and Christmas come sneaking around that corner to suprise us. However, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, lets have a little look at some of the amazing things the members of Rogue have done this year.

Aiden, is of course, our Rogues longest standing member of staff, mainly becuase he is the owner and runs the show, and we wouldn’t be here without him. It’s been a busy year for him, between mentoring Jay and Gemma and teaching them all the new practices, aswell as running new events, travelling Europe and planning for this years confernces tto both attend and teach, I’m pretty sure he hasn’t stopped. However, during all of this time, he has produced some beautiful piercings.

Kat, our manager and jewellery specialist, has had a hard job this year. With BVLA’s wait times slowly reducing, and all of our jewellery orders arriving within such close proximity of each together, they have done nothing but work hard at fulfilling custom orders, and decorating our displays and cabinets, and keeping the studio as tidy and as spectacular as it is! They’re also planning to teach two classes this year at the UKAPP conference in September, alongside studying their masters and sitting exams. Kat also got the brilliant news that they were accepted for a scholarship by Lynn Loheide for the APP conference in Vegas, in which they will be travelling our and fulfilling in 2024! As always Kat has helped clients choose some of the most stunning pieces of jewellery for their custom set ups.

Breo has had such a fun year. From heavy genital work, to large gauge piercings, and all the fun and crazy custom scaffolds and anodising, Breo has truly been the wizard of Rogue in 2023. From piercing to piercing he has continued to surprise us and showcase his skills and knowledge. Breo has also got to do his own bit of travelling to Madrid for the Spanish APPE. He is also joining the teacher group this year at UKAPP as he is working on teaching his first ever class! We’re so excited.

Let’s talk about Gemma! The junior piercer of Rogue who joined us nearly 18 months ago, who has continued to prove her worth and skills to us time after time. Following in Aiden’s footsteps, she also is off on her travels next week, to Vegas! Gemma got awarded the legacy scholarship to the officicial APP conference in Las Vegas! During her time there she will help volunteer, attend parties, learn all the new things, and hopefully treat herself to something shiny. This year Gemma has been working on genital piercings, from the most common to some that we only see once a century (an exaggeration of course, but still incredibly rare to perform). She has done more and more large gauge work. Now while I can’t post a lot of Gemma’s incredible work here, I can showcase some!

And Jay, our apprentice, has been absolutely smashing her apprentice work this year. They are officially ticking off piercing ater piercing during their apprenticeship and producing some amazing work. They’ve also started working closely with clients to create long term projects and curations. Jay also got an exciting invitation from Claudia at Inari Organics, who offered Jay a temporary role to help assist as a jewellery vendor at the 2023 Manchester Trade Show. As Jay creeps closer to the final year of their apprenticeship, their skills only grow.

Theres only 6 more months left of 2023, including more conferences, more travelling, more piercings, and more opportunities. Follow along with us for another exciting and fun-filled 6 months!

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Apprentice Piercings!

Learning how to pierce is definitely a key part of a piercing apprenticeship, but how do we ensure that these piercings are going to be safe and viable for the piercee, and why is it a good idea to trust an apprentice with your new piercing?

Learning the Basics

Lets discuss the lead up to the piercing first. When an apprentice does their first ever piercing on the public, they are not going into it blind. In Jay’s case, they spent a long time watching and learning how the studio runs. Talking through the different types of piercings, the anatomy of the body, the healing times. They became a shadow, watching their mentor (Aiden) and other members of the team pierce their clients. Jay was talked through different piercing methods, and how each one worked, and which ones would be the most suitable to start with.

They then had to practice getting hands-on with piercing foam, paper, and fruit such as oranges and bananas. This was all done to have a feel of how the needles worked, and talk through more technical ideas in a 3D space. The fruit also helped Jay get a ‘feel’ of what piercing skin would feel like. This was how the first 6 months of Jays apprenticeship ran!

Jay practicing needle work on an orange.

In February 2022, Jay got to pick up their first needle, and do their first piercing. They started with a mid helix on Aiden (their mentor), which came out pretty good. The entire process was watched and directed by Aiden. Jay then got to do a classic Helix on their manager, Kat, which was also directed and watched over by Aiden. This was then also followed by a conch piercing on Gemma. After a lot of hands-on practice, we then started opening Jays apprentice piercings to the public. We knew they were ready!

Why Choose an Apprentice Piercing?

Booking a piercing with an apprentice can be a little nerve wracking. You’re trusting a ‘trainee’ to alter your body. Its okay to be nervous or have questions! To say ‘thank you’ for your trust, we offer a 50% discount on the piercing fee.

We always have to expect minor flaws with first piercings, and that they might not always be 100% perfect, however no matter what, we will never let you leave the studio with a piercing that we are not 100% happy with.

It’s so important that people are willing to trust an apprentice with their body. Without you guys, they would never learn! Sure, they can definitely learn some skills piercing fruit and cardboard, or even sillicone, but it’s just not the same.

Every apprentice piercing done by Jay is directed by a head piercer. Aiden, as Jay’s mentor, has been present for most of these. Other piercers have kindly gifted their time to help Jay learn! Breo, Gemma, David Angeles, and Andre Nalin have all spent some of their time at Rogue helping Jay learn the skills they need. This means that every apprentice piercing Jay has completed, has been completely supervised by a well experienced piercer. This means there are always two piercers working together on your piercing, while also building up Jay’s skillset and confidence to be an excellent piercer when working independently.

If you’re questioning wether or not to trust an apprentice piercer, check out their portfolio! Have a look at the work they are already producing. Go in for a chat with them, and discuss their work. Ask questions. Get a piercing that they are already fully capable of performing independently. It’s important that you can establish a good relationship with your piercer, and that you can trust them.

If you wish to book in with Jay for any of their apprentice deals, you can book here. You can also contact Jay via email to discuss any ideas for piercings or discuss what they are currently offering, or are planning to learn.

jay@roguepiercing.co.uk

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Kat’s Three Year Anniversary

Well, well, well. Time absolutely flies.

Monday, March 20th marks my three year anniversary at Rogue! If you want to take a trip down memory lane with me, just scroll through the gallery above to see me go from a tiny baby punk to a grizzled, old manager! I’m allowed to indulge myself in some reminiscing, if you can keep your eyes open long enough to read it…

In the Beginning…

I first found Rogue after getting my conch pierced at another studio in Nottingham city center. Once I let it heal for a bit, I really wanted to find some new jewellery for it as they didn’t have anything on offer except plain ‘Titanium’ balls. A few months after getting it pierced, I went back to that studio and asked if they had anything nicer. The lovely lady behind the desk was really sweet (and honest!) and told me that a new studio had just opened a week or so earlier, and that I was best to check there for nice jewellery. I did a quick google, went down the wrong lane (as most people do!) and ended up walking through the doors at Rogue for the first time in September 2019!

It was very quiet. I think I might have been the first person through the door all day! The joys of opening a new business in a new city, I suppose. I immedietely knew I was in the right place. A couple of days later and I was booked in for a few new piercings, and the week after I had my first ever piece of BVLA for my conch piercing! That was quite possibly the upgrade of the century.

I found University quite a struggle. Being Autistic, I had a hard time connecting with my peers. Strangely though, being in Rogue felt like home. I was in and out of the studio a lot after my first visit, not necessarily being pierced but always asking questions. The jewellery really drew me in – I’ve always been a bit of a magpie! I already had an inkling that I’d be spending a lot of my free time here.

Suspension!

Just after that first Christmas at Uni, I popped into Rogue and Aiden mentioned that he was hosting a suspension event. I was quite frankly mind-blown. I’d only ever heard of suspension through the internet, (thank you, years of unsupervised internet access!) and I didn’t think people actually did it. I couldn’t say no!

So in March, I went down to the studio with a friend who had offered to take professional(ish) photos and had my mind officially melted. This was also my first time meeting quite a few people from the industry (shout out to everyone that I met!) and I had never felt so at home. I look back and realise I was the most awkward, uncomfortable looking creature on the planet, but it was absolutely worth it. Also a most excellent afterparty, where at one point I ended up having to scale a 12ft fence and emerge from some bushes to catch an uber. You clearly had to be there.

Cannot believe this was the only photo taken that day!

Lockdowns.

And then, just a few days after the last suspension event… Some global calamity happened. I’m sure none of you remember it, it was super casual and only lasted two weeks…

My uni flatmate moved home and I was suddenly left on my own in Nottingham! No close family, no uni friends… But I did have Rogue. And Rogue became my reason to get up every morning! It was during this time that I learned a lot of what I know about piercing and jewellery. In that first few months, we recieved an influx of jewellery from another studio but none of it was labelled – It was up to us to inspect every single piece and decide what it was! This is kinda where I fell in love with BVLA as well. Not only is their jewellery beautiful, but it has real recogniseability! So I spent weeks and weeks with the macro lens, looking at the fine details of prong-set Swarovski crystals to try and determine whether they were manufactured by Industrial Strength, Neometal, or Anatometal. If that sounds like fun, then you definitely need to get out more! The hardest things were the labrets – It’s funny though, I can still tell an Anatometal threadless labret from a Neometal one, and a WBJ labret from an Anatometal threaded labret just by looking at the side profile of their disc. And who said piercing doesn’t give you transferrable skills!

The part that always makes me laugh is when I first started at Rogue, Aiden asked me if I was familiar with Excel and spreadsheets, because there was a LOT of spreadsheets involved. I said ‘Yes, I love spreadsheets! I am super good at them!’ Y’know. Like a liar. So I had to secretly give myself an aggressive crash-course in Excel/Google Sheets in order to maintain that lie for the first few weeks! In all fairness, I do now love spreadsheets.

Since I lived alone, I ended up in a bubble with Aiden and Anna, who graciously adopted me as a lightly feral nephew-type-deal. I’ll always be grateful for that. So I spent a lot of 2020 on a narrowboat, which was definitely not how I planned my year going.

I was clearly coping very well.

The best and strangest part of my start at Rogue was that I didn’t actually speak to or interact with an actual client until I had been working there for a good few months! Because we were classed as a close-contact service, we were very late to be allowed to reopen. The first time I actually had a client come through the door, it felt slightly illegal. Face-to-face interactions with customers are still my favourite moments though. As much as I enjoy being huddled behind a screen with my spreadsheets and order schedules, talking to real people is the highlight of my day.

At the time I didn’t really know how perilous things might have been, but looking back I am amazed that Rogue survived that time! Since reopening, it feels like Rogue has gone from strength to strength.

Raising the Baby.

Since reopening, it feels like the last few years have gone by in an absolute blur. I’m nearly in my mid-twenties now (I’m sure anyone 30+ is groaning – It feels old to me, ok!), and I’ve ended up as a manager (some may describe me as Supreme Overlord…) with 4-ish employees, a very large business to care for, and a never-ending headache of a jewellry collection! When did that happen?!

I don’t know the exact moment when Rogue became my baby, but it really has. I feel like I’ve definitely poured some of my cold, blackened soul into it and it has repayed me with a career that most people can only dream of (If they know it even exists!) I’ve watched it grow from a one-man show into one of the biggest UKAPP member studios in the country. I’ve been there for the good days and the bad – But I can say with certainty that there’s never a boring day at Rogue!

Since then, I twisted the UKAPPs arm to create a new membership category for non-piercer Associates (of which I was the first!), I’ve taught a fully-packed seminar at the annual UKAPP conference in Manchester, and I’ve won (and immedietely deferred) the Lynn Loheide Front of House scholarship for APP conference 2024 in Las Vegas. International travel may terrify me, but I will be getting on that plane even if someone has to hit me over the head with a rubber mallet first! I feel like I might need to take an actual holiday at some point…

Science!

Nose to the Grindstone

I remember very clearly the day I finished my last undergrad exam. I was sitting it at the front desk at Rogue on my laptop, since everything had moved online. I remember closing the laptop and saying, “Thank Christ it’s over. Never again.”

Famous last words…

So, after taking a year to forget how vaguely awful my undergrad was, I applied to and successfully got a place on my dream Masters! MSc Hons Microbiology and Immunology. A bit of a mouthful but incredibly interesting.

And that’s where I’m at now! Just trying to balance my baby with my degree, while still aiming for 6+ hours of sleep a night. It’s definitely hard work, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have my own little found family in the Rogues, and I get to wake up every morning and do something I love.

This blog has definitely just been me indulging myself in ramblings, but it’s been a whirlwind of a three years and I’m really looking forward to what the next three years looks like. If the last few years are anything to go by, it’ll be worth sticking around to find out!

Thank you everyone for coming to Rogue, letting me have fun and be creative with your jewellery, and just generally making my passion into something genuinely fulfilling, that can actually pay my bills at the same time!

Back to our regularly scheduled interesting blog posts next week…

-Kat < 3

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What to Expect at your Piercing!

So, you’ve either booked a piercing appointment with us, or you’re considering booking one. Either way, we’re super excited to have you on board! However, what should you expect at your appointment, and should you bring anything? There’s a lot of questions you might have. So, let’s discuss the process of getting pierced at Rogue.

So first things first, book your appointment! Rogue is an appointment only studio, we do not offer walk-ins. You can book via our website here, for any day or time that suits you! You can even choose which piercer you would like to book with if you have a preference! While you’re going through the booking system, make sure you read those pesky terms and conditions! Once you’re all booked, you may want to browse our online webstore too view the hundreds of jewellery options we have! This is definitely a choice though – Most of your appointment time is dedicated to guiding you to your perfect jewellery.

The Day of Your Appointment

Now, it’s the day of you’re appointment! Make sure you’ve had a good breakfast/lunch before your appointment , and avoid caffiene! Caffiene is a stimulant and increase your blood flow. It can also boost anxiety if you’re feeling quite nervous! You’ll need to bring your photographic ID, such as a passport, driving license, or citizen card. Also check your emails! In your confirmation email there will be a link to your consent form. Give it a read and sign it as long as you agree and understand each point. If there is anything you need to ask, or anything you need us to know, then wait to complete the form at your appointment.

Once you arrive we will confirm your appointment with you, check your ID and check your consent form. We only accept valid photo ID. This may be something like a passport, provisional/driving licence, or for the kiddo’s – a citizens card. If you are over the age of 16, you will need your own ID, and your parent cannot sign for you. If you are under the age of 16, you will need to bring your parent or legal guardian witrh you, and you will both be required to have photographic ID. We may also ask for a birth certificate. (Due to insurance, we can not accept copies, or photographs of your ID. It does need to be a physical copy!)

Once all the boring stuff is out of the way, we will then discuss jewellery choices with you. We will show you all our cabinets and discuss ideas on your goal! There are hundreds of pierces to choose from, and our staff will help narrow down the choices for you! Once your piece (or pieces!) have been chosen, we set them up to be sterilised. During this time, your piercer will set up what they require, such as gloves and tools, and our counter staff will talk you through your aftercare advice, and answer any questions you may have.

The Piercing

You then get to go through to the piercing room and do the exciting bit! Your piercing experience can change depending on who you book with – Everyone is different! All our piercers work quite similarly, and are equally skilled, but they all have their own unique way of piercing. This is where the magic lies. For example, Breo likes to really slow down and walk you through the entirety of his process. Aiden will show you his tools and jewellery, and will take time to chat and get to know you. Gemma is super friendly and is amazing at keeping you calm. Jay is super full of energy and makes the process super fun and bouncy!

As soon as your piercing has happened, and both you and your piercer are happy, you get to come back out to reception, where you’ll be met with smiling faces! We’ll go throught the checkout, give you some cool stickers, and if you allow us to, we might take some super cool macro photos for our social media!

And thats it, we’re done! The next stage is your checkup appointment, which is super important. If you do literally nothing else with your piercing, come back for your checkup to ensure a smooth healing process and a beautiful end result! The checkup date depends on your piercing – This could be anywhere from 7 days to 6 weeks. Check your aftercare leaflet and pay attention during your aftercare speech to make sure you are on time.

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Gemma – A Retrospective!

Today marks a special day here at Rogue. It’s Gemmas birthday! It’s also over a year since this legend joined the team here at Rogue, so we thought we’d take the time to look back at everything she has been able to achieve in such a short space of time.

Rogue wouldn’t be the same without her.

The Beginnings

Gemma joined Rogue on January 4th, 2021. Having been coming to get pierced by us for a while at that point, we could see it was her dream to take control of her career and join the team. Gemma had been piercing for a long time at another studio, but felt that she needed to move forward to a more experienced, high quality UKAPP member studio to really further her skills. So we took a small financial gamble and she became a Rogue!

Gemma’s first ever piercing at Rogue was this perfect septum piercing. No pressure!

From the first time we met Gemma, we could see her passion for piercing was so great. She had been doing a huge amount of online learning, absorbing everything she could from piercers choosing to share their knowledge. It was an honour on our part to be able to give her the space to spread her wings. It wasn’t long before she was flying!

Gemma’s first piece of BVLA! The ‘Afghan’ in this fresh helix piercing.

Gemma – Historian and Journalist Extraordinaire.

What we didn’t expect was Gemma’s true passion for history, and preserving the thoughts and stories of piercing in the UK. Whilst the USA has the Piercing Archive, there truly isn’t a huge amount of piercing history being preserved in the UK. Gemma has really taken to this challenge with her whole heart, and began the now extensive ‘Piercer Interview‘ series on our blog! Every time she has the opportunity, she loves to sit down with other piercers (some of whom have been seriously overlooked and underestimated!) and recorded their history – Who they are as people, how they came to be in the industry…

Gemma truly has a deep love for the weird and wonderful. As a suspension practicing studio, it’s been amazing to see Gemma take to the sky with her first body suspension only a few weeks ago. It was such a magical, transformative moment. It felt like a new era had begun, and it was an absolute privilege to be able to watch it.

This love for history is now extending into becoming a bit of a local historian for body piercing. Nottingham has a surprisingly long and colourful history with tattoo and piercing. Gemma is now working closely with the Nottingham Archives and Justice Museum to discover, and give context to, some of the piercings and tattoos recorded in their annals.

A little snippet of ‘The Incredible Til’ class, taught by Paul King at UKAPP 2022. History comes to life in these moments.

Piercing Work

Gemma has absolutely blossomed in the last year under the guidance of Aiden and Breo. Moving from cannula piercing to blade needles, clamps to freehand, and moving into the wierd and wonderful world of intimate piercings… Gemma is truly in her element!

Gemma has that rare skill of being able to take a step back, take a deep breath, and allow her hands to do exactly what her brain imagines them to do. From super technical work, to move freely creative piercings… Gemma is becoming a truly amazing piercer.

We cannot wait to see where Gemma goes next with her work, both piercing and history. As a committee member for the UKAPP, she is also working with the industry to raise standards and bring the message of high quality to more piercers across the country.

UKAPP Member! Next step, take over the world…

Happy birthday Gemma! Hopefully we get to celebrate many more with you in the years to come. Thank you for becoming the mum of the studio that we didn’t know we needed.

Love from all the Rogues <3

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A very Rogue 2022

It’s that time of year where we’re all reflecting on the last 12 months. What a whirlwind! Coming out of the pandemic and navigating a post-Covid world has been interesting. This year, Rogue welcomed two more full-time piercers to the team – Breo and Gemma! Jay has excelled phenomenally through their apprenticeship under Aiden, from picking up a needle for the first time in February to piercing unaided and making amazing connections with clients – Jay is smashing it! Aiden and Breo had a busy 2022 too. Travelling to Berlin for the BMXnet conference in September, followed swiftly by the UKAPP conference where Aiden taught a class on surface finishing and Breo supported Inari Organics at the exposition. Kat also taught their first class this year! After graduating from Nottingham University with a Bsc in Zoology, Kat taught Piercing Wound Healing Dynamics at the UKAPP conference to a packed room of piercers!

We’ve had some amazingly talented guests visit us to pierce at Rogue this year too! Flavio stopped by this autumn, all the way from Brazil! It was such a pleasure to meet and work with him. Recently we’ve had our good friend Andre stay with us from Berlin, Andre brought a wealth of knowledge to the team as well as a cosy DVD evening at the studio and some amazing piercing work!

Who knows what next year holds in store for us, but as always we are eternally grateful to our clients for keeping us busy and for supporting us through all the changes 2022 has brought! (and thankyou from Gemma for welcoming me to the team!)

Let’s take a look at some highlights! Starting with the Head Rogue himself, Aiden! We celebrated 3 years since Aiden opened the doors to Rogue, from humble beginnings surviving on noodles and a small heater, to having a team of 5 operate 7 days a week to make Nottingham shine! Aiden has lots of plans for 2023 and we can’t wait to see what’s in the works.



Breo joined as a full-time, resident piercer in January this year and has been loving all the large gauge and complex projects you guys have trusted him to perform. Breo has had a busy year, flying to Berlin with Aiden for BMXnet, then back to the UK for UKAPP where he represented both Rogue and Inari Organics, bringing high quality, implant grade jewellery to the UK. Breo also took part in the Piercer Trade Show which was held in Ireland for the first time in 2022!

It’s been a whirlwind of a year for Gemma aswell. Joining the team in January, Gemma started as a Junior Piercer, working under Aiden and Breo to develop her skills and build on her experience. Gemma became a UKAPP member this year, attending her first conference where she met some amazing people. Gemma has been working on documenting the experiences of people in the industry and has interviewed several peers for the Rogue Blog. We hope there’s more to come!

Jay is piercing! As Aiden’s apprentice, they have been working incredibly hard and learning so much. Jay picked up a needle for the first time in February and pierced Aiden’s helix (no pressure!), now they’re signed off on several piercings and can confidently perform lip, helix, lobe, navel and nipple piercings without guidance. Jay has overcome a lot of challenges this year and we are all so, so proud of them for sticking around and working hard. Jay is going to take the world by storm. Keep your eyes peeled for more of their shenanigans in 2023!

Kat has had a year full of accomplishments. They have created so many beautiful and thoughtful curations with our clients and continued to design incredible custom pieces for both our customers and our cabinets. Kat celebrated their graduation from Nottingham University with a Bsc Hons in Zoology and is currently studying for their Masters degree in Immunology! It was a big year at UKAPP as Kat taught their first class, educating piercers on Wound Healing Dynamics. Expect more science and more sparkles from Kat in the upcoming year!

And last but certainly not least, our honorary Rogue and full time Revenant, Anna Garvey! Together Anna, Revenant, Rogue and Un1ty tattoo raised over £500 for the Mastectomy Tattoo Alliance this year by hosting a fund raising weekend. Anna has created some phenomenal artwork this year and it’s been amazing to see all of her stunning designs come to life. Anna spent the summer in Peru, riding horseback through the mountains and emerging herself in nature, ready to bring that inspiration into the new year! We love working so closely with Anna and Revenant and we’re so excited to see more creativity and beauty from them.

Thank you once again to everyone who has visited us this year, all our fantastic clients, our friends, family, piercers who have come to visit or guest with us, the continued support of our industry means the world to us. See you all in 2023!

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Apprenticeship – Year One!

It’s officially been a whole year since I started my apprenticeship at Rogue and 6 months since I last wrote about it. So much has happened since then! Let’s begin at the end of my last blog detailing my time and catch up to where I am now!

Jay and Coral being adorable

Previously, I was just opening up my calendar one day a week to pierce independently! I’m now piercing 3 days a week, doing some cool lobes, pretty nostrils, fun helix/flat piercings and conchs! I’m starting to develop my own piercing style, talking to clients, the preparation process and actually decorating and placing pieces! Working with clients and being given creative control to make beautiful results is definitely becoming one of my favourite areas of work. My favourite projects at the moment are definitely stacked lobes! Whether that’s piercing them or choosing the jewellery for them, they definitely have my heart.

I’m also just starting to come into my ‘intermediate’ piercings! I’m just finishing my apprentice navel piercing and am slowly being introduced to bridges, scaffolds, and tongues! However, bridges have been super popular recently and I did 5 in one week! I’m also super happy with how they’ve been turning out!

“One time Jay punched me in the face. It was awesome” – Gemma Suter, 2022
Gemma, Kat, Breo and Jay

The UKAPP 2022 conference was this year also! That was super exciting and I had such a great time! There was so many amazing classes! I focused a lot more on history classes this year, including a history class by Nahuel Burgos on Piercing Before the 21st Century, and Paul King’s XXX classes and The Incredible Til of Cardiff! And I also got to do an incredibly informative class on Health Considerations by Suzanne Wise, which surprisingly taught me a lot more about myself and my own experience with piercings.

I got to meet so many people, from fellow apprentices  to very experienced piercers who have been running the game for years, and it was super exciting to finally start talking to people! Rogue also explored Manchester a little bit and we ate out at some cool restaurants and cafes. Everything was honestly amazing! I also got to meet (and even get a selfie with) my piercing idol, Paul King! Apprentice of Elayne Angel at the Gauntlet, Paul King has been in the industry for many years and does masses of work regarding the history of piercing. He has taught at many conferences internationally. I even got a shiny new piece of jewellery while I was there! A stunning cluster curve for a new mid helix from Sebastienne Jewellery!

Aiden, Jay and Paul King

I’ve also done many things outside of the studio, such as camping to celebrate Anna’s birthday! And I braved a trip to Manchester by myself to go and see Harry Styles (which was my first big concert ever) and while I was there I also got my forehead pierced with a macrodermal by Kitty at Holier Than Thou, who did an excellent job! (And thankfully, it is still doing super well). I’ve also recently started reading again, which has been a pleasant surprise. It’s been a bit of a struggle over the years to indulge in a story like I once did, but here I am! Even sharing books out to people! 

So much has happened in the past 6 months, and even the year as a whole, but I wouldn’t change it at all! I’m extremely looking forward to year 2 of my apprenticeship and another conference, and more shiny piercings. I’m turning 21 after Christmas, so another huge milestone is right around the corner. 2023 is definitely going to be another big year for me again. But I think for now, I’m just going to take it day by day and keep looking forward to what’s ahead.

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Summer ends, and Autumn begins.

With the gradual end of Summer and the slow transition into Autumn, I thought it would be a nice time to appreciate some of the gorgeous piercings that have left Rogues door over the last few weeks.

From piercer favourites to stunning pieces of jewellery, in this blog I have assembled together some of the awe-inspiring faces and ears that we have had the privilege to work with recently!

Breo has had a fantastic few weeks, from custom scaffolds and large gauge piercings, we’ve really seen him do some impressive work. There’s no doubt about it that Breo is a piercing wizard. Between his imagination and his fingers, he blows us away every single time.

Breo adorned some empty space on this lobe, using a Dusk 18K white gold quad bead to create a stacked effect and it is honestly just stunning.
Both a custom designed scaffold and a large gauge conch. It was absolutely wonderful to watch Breo start a long term project for this ear.

An epic set of paired vertical labrets, decorated with Inari Royal Blue Opals.
Using 4 Inari Black Opals, Breo delivered an amazing pair of surface eyebrow piercings.

Aiden, as always, has produced some gorgeous work. Coming from the technical side of the field, Aiden uses more of a mechanical mind to create such fascinating results, and his efforts have not gone amiss so far!

Working with unique anatomy can sometimes be quite tricky, but Aiden did a beautiful job of decorating this split lobe with a London Blue Neometal Prong to distract the eye.
Simple, yet elegant. This 18K Yellow Gold Ball from Rebecca Winder is the start of a long term project of reopening and repiercing some long retired piercings.
Large gauge work is Aiden’s bread and butter, and this 6mm initial labret was an honour to add to the collection.
Aiden did such a fantastic job of placing this striking Swiss Blue Topaz Baguette in this conch.

It’s been an incredible few months for Gemma, as she has been learning new techniques for existing piercings, but has also just took her first steps into learning intimate piercings! Alongside this, she has produced some eye-catching work!

We couldn’t be more mesmerised with this single lobe piercing! Embellished with an Industrial Strength Paw Print, how could you not fall in love?
How could I not put Jay’s ear in here? Gemma did such a perfect job with this mid-helix using a Sebastien Cluster!
A 14g vertical labret, crowned with a Neometal White Opal for a subtle, yet glam look.
These two separate helix piercings, are the start of a long term project! The end goal is to eventually downsize to snug labrets, and join the two with a chain, for the custom look of an industrial!

Jay has also had a smashing couple of months, from nailing their apprentice piercings, to styling and designing, we can honestly say they are producing beautiful work.

This graceful Hammered Teardrop was the perfect life-long piece of jewellery for this nose piercing!
Single lobes are a classic and tasteful piercing! This one here is pierced with a Neometal Clear Swarovski Prong!
Bridges are new piercings for Jay’s menu, but we are incredibly proud of how they are turning out!
Stacked lobes have been a favourite of Jay’s recently, both designing and piercing, and we couldn’t be happier with the finished look of this one!

And of course, we can’t do a September and October roundup without looking at some of the stunning work produced by our guest artist, Flavio. Flavio guested with us for a week and his work is absolutely fantastic!

A super sweet Neometal Trinity, perfectly laid in a conch!
Rebecca Winders 18k White gold disks are such a simple way to make any lobe look sophisticated!
This might be the first daith of the blog to make an appearance, but with the subtle class of an Ocean Grey Swarovski Bezel, how could this one go amiss?
It would be an absolute shame to not flaunt Kat’s new tragus piercing, with a stunning Anatometal Hera!
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Conference Time!

Mirror, mirror on the ceiling

September has been a very busy month. The Rogues were very privileged to attend conferences in both Essen, Germany and Manchester, UK! Veteran conference attendees Aiden and Breo flew out to the annual BMXNet conference held in Essen to learn more about the fascinating world of body modifications, including suspension demonstrations and piercing technique workshops.

Almost as soon as they arrived back, the whole team drove to Manchester for the UKAPP conference. First time attendees, Jay, Kat and Gemma finished the Saturday shift and headed out – notebooks at the ready! A hectic month requires plenty of time to reflect, absorb and process and with so much learnt and so many new experiences shared, the team have taken a moment to jot down some thoughts about September’s conference season.

Jay


My first time away for a UKAPP conference was absolutely crazy, but in the best way imaginable! When we first arrived on Saturday night, I was super nervous and tired from a busy day at the studio, followed immediately by the 2.5 hour drive to Manchester. So I called it a night early and was tucked up in bed by 11pm (after a quick trip to Spar for some snacks)!

And then, it was Sunday morning! We got up, took Aiden’s dogs for a walk and headed to the venue for registration. I kicked off my first day with an amazing class by Edu Fernandez about the dark side of diamonds! I went off to Greggs, and this is where I started talking to people and making some friends. It really helped my confidence, and from there I introduced myself to as many people as possible!
The afternoon was kickstarted with another amazing class from Suzanne Wise, educating us all about health considerations with piercings – I got so many notes! This was followed by THE Paul King, talking to us about the history of pierced women in porn. This was a huge fan girl moment for me and I stayed behind afterwards to ask some questions! I nearly died when he shook my hand!

Aiden, Jay and Paul King


I couldn’t have asked for a better first start to the conference, which then got even better in the evening! After a lovely meal (thank you Aiden :)) we headed towards the Stiletto after party, where I got to talk to a few more piercers! And, HUGE FANGIRL MOMENT, I got to take a photo with AIDEN AND PAUL KING, on stage!! I was weak at the knees!
Day two, the excitement had definitely cooled down a little bit, however I got to do some more amazing classes! Huge thank you to Nahuel Burgos, Paul King, and Jess Sellars for their very informative classes.


And then before I knew it, it was already the final day! Started it off right with a trip to Starbucks and a great introduction to high-end jewellery class from Alex Wilkins! The afternoon was swiftly followed by a super educational class by the wonderful Helen Houghton, all about those lumps and bumps! And then we ended the day with another history lesson by Paul King, all about The Incredible Til of Cardiff! Afterwards, I got to talk a little more to him regarding how to start my own research projects and even got to give him some stickers! And that was it!
My highlights were definitely meeting Paul King, and making some incredible new piercer friends, as well as collecting loads of stickers! Huge shoutout to Lindsey at Neometal, and Damien at Neilmed! And the guys from People’s Jewelry! You were all so amazing, and lovely! I really wish I’d had more time to properly speak to everyone, but that’s what next year is for right?

Breo

It was my third time attending the BMXnet conference, my last one was back in 2016. There are a lot of friends that I only can see when meet up at this conference, so it was awesome to catch up with them after many years. It’s a huge event (this year we were around 470 participants).

The classes are more participative than other conferences, which is nice and the venue is just spectacular. We had free buffet (eat as much as you like), with plenty of vegan options. Classes start from 9am up to 8pm (around 2 hours each class), and with breaks in between so you can attend as many as you want. People come from all over the world to this annual gathering (we had a piercer that came all the way from Mumbai!). We met a lot of new faces indeed.

BMXNET 2022

Jewellery vendors were distributed over 2 floors (the building has 6 floors), because there was A LOT OF JEWELLERY BRANDS selling! We got a few treats for ourselves, loved ones and friends. I only have good memories from this conference, it’s one of my favourites by far.

Now onto UKAPP, what to say… playing at home is always awesome. This year was very special to me, because not only did I have my partner in crime assisting as a vendor (Claudia of Inari) but the whole Rogue team was there. It was the first time for Gemma, Jay and Kat (just the first of many to come), with a special mention to Kat, who attended as speaker. Words cannot tell how proud I was seeing them talking about wound healing dynamics. Thorough and technical, just the way we like it. 

Claudia & Breo at UKAPP

Conference was at the Radisson Hotel, which is located in central Manchester. It’s smaller than BMXNet, but cosier. It was incredibly awesome seeing how the conference grew through the years, despite a global pandemic. There is nothing bad to say about the UKAPP Conference, maybe that it is just 3 days long. 3 days that, if you blink, you definitely will miss something! Usually there is so much going on at the same time at conferences, that it is hard to do everything you planned, but the UKAPP Conference is one of those that is structured in a way that  all the classes don’t overlap with other activities on the schedule, which is great.

Gemma

Like many people, I’ve struggled with social anxiety for over a decade and attending my first large conference was a really big achievement both professionally and personally. I cannot thank everyone enough for being so supportive and understanding. It’s been years since I’ve visited Manchester and it was great to return to the city (under wildly different circumstances).

Filling our tummies!

Every class I attended was eye opening. From learning how to better identify the causes and preventions for piercing lumps and bumps thanks to Helen, seeing different techniques and approaches to nostril piercings from Stray, all the way through the three history classes presented by Paul King – every class I attended was full of fascinating information and helpful knowledge that I can’t wait to bring to my piercing. I particularly enjoyed Nahuel’s class on piercing before the 20th century and can’t wait to do some further reading on our worldwide history!

I met so many amazing people, from all over the world and it was great to hear their stories, opinions and accents. I’ve missed the North! It was overwhelming at first to meet so many industry professionals that I have admired, some from even before I picked up a needle. Everyone who took the time to chat with me was so lovely and I’m very grateful to work in an industry with such interesting people. I really loved spending time with Andre (@andrenalinbodyart) and Loreia (@unknownpleasurespiercing) and I can’t wait to see you both again soon (BMXNET 2023?).

Dusk Body Jewellery has made some absolutely breathtaking pieces. Purchase this rose-cut Peridot piece here!

Kat

This year was my first year attending the UKAPP conference. Although we were members last year, I was unable to attend due to covid restrictions so it was super exciting to be able to go this year! Although I was pretty nervous, I was also incredibly thrilled to be teaching a class this year. My class was ‘Immunology and Wound Healing Dynamics,’ which went down very well! The class actually topped out in attendance so I hope to be able to offer it again next year so that more people can attend that want to learn about science and piercing.

Kat’s class was jam packed!

Aside from being a speaker, I also had the pleasure of being the chief purchaser of jewellery from the extensive jewellery expo! We have new stock from Dusk Body Jewellery, Sebastienne Jewellery, Industrial Strength and Anatometal which is all available in store and on the webstore as well. I really hope you all like what I’ve chosen! The classes were also awesome this year. I made a point to attend as many as my schedule would allow, so I attended classes covering Professional Boundaries (David Angeles), Jewellery Handling and Manipulation (Stray and Aiden Johnson), Better Basics (Stray Johnson and David Angeles), Initial Jewellery Standards (Brian Skellie), Ethical Gold (Edu Fernandez), and a history of the Incredible Till of Cardiff (Paul King).

Each class was incredibly valuable in their own right – I couldn’t pick a favourite! It was insightful to meet some of the names I had until now only seen and talked to over the internet. Brian Skellie was just as calm, well-spoken and intelligent as he is online! It was also very cool to meet some fellow members of the industry and get talking. Thank you to everyone who came up and said hi! My favourite moment was definitely the Themed Ball, where David Angeles attended dressed as a mermaid – David Clam-geles. I am very proud of that pun, just so you know!

New jewellery from Sebastienne! Purchase this exact piece here!

Aiden

Conference season came and went in a blur this year. Breo and myself headed to BMXNet first, where we got to spend time with some old friends as well as make some new friends. We took classes and waxed lyrical into the night with our European and international peers and it felt like returning home after all the lockdowns. Before we knew it we were making our way back to the UK for a quick intermission.

Our boys at breakfast!

I did my CBT and motorbike theory tests (passed both!) and then it was time to pack the car and head to UKAPP. I couldn’t be more proud of how the Rogues handled themselves this year. Breo and myself are veteran conference attendees but the rest of the team were first timers. I was the AV volunteer for UKAPP conference again this year so I was generally busy setting up classes and making the tech work but every time I saw a Rogue, they were asking questions and introducing themselves to people as well as asking for interviews (well done Gemma!). Seeing Jay become a fan girl and go up on stage to get a photo with Paul King is one of my top two highlights of UKAPP. The other would be seeing Kat teach their first class and blow the minds of piercers. I was nervous taking such a large team but they all did perfectly and I look forward to them all returning next year!

Thank you!

To all the volunteers, vendors, board members and attendees at both BMXnet and UKAPP conference this year for making it a great experience for everyone. And thank you to our clients and industry peers, as without all of your support we wouldn’t have the opportunity to travel, learn and continue providing high quality and high standard professional piercing in the heart of Nottinghamshire. It means the absolute world to us to be able to continue to be at the forefront of safe piercing practices in the UK and across the world. See you all again next year!