A Guide to What the Hell We are Talking About
I'm sure you have been looking at all of our amazing plugs, and maybe you wondered what all of the jargon means... Well here is a guide to help you with ear stretching terminology.
Stretching: This is the process of increasing the size of your ear hole
Gauge: The actual measurement of the hole in your ear. This can be in inches or millimeters.
Plug: Round jewelry that you put in your ear to keep it stretched. They are usually made from steel, titanium, silicone or organic materials such as glass, finished wood, polished stones or other non-artificial materials. Most plugs have a flare or small rubber band that goes on the plug to ensure that it stays in place.
Tunnel: This jewelry is similar to a plug, but there is a hole in the center so that you can see through the ear. Tunnels can be single or double flared and are made of a variety of materials.
Taper: Tools to aid in stretching ears and to assist in inserting jewelry (usually flare plugs or tunnels). It can be a common misconception to wear tapers as actual jewelry, but these are not meant to be worn for anything other than a short period of time.
Flare: Part of a plug or tunnel that does exactly what it says, flares out to help keep the jewelry in the ear. Some jewelry comes in a single flare, usually with a rubber band (commonly called an O-ring) on the back or a double flare which is of course where both ends are flared.
Ear Hangers: These are jewelry that hang from the holes in your ears. The top part is usually thick enough to stay in the ear with the gauge of the hanger varying to fit the hole. The remaining part of the hangers curve from the top part of the hanger to hang from the rest of the jewelry.
Ear Hoops: This is a simple circle with an opening in the circle to allow for you to insert the hoop through your ear hole.
Teardrop Plugs: These are plugs that are shaped like tear drops. They are sized with your regular gauge size in mind, so if you are a 00 in your regular plugs, you would order a 00 in the teardrop plugs also.
Ear Spirals: One side of these corkscrews is pointed to allow you to thread it through your ear hole, and at the end of the spiral is the widest part to secure the jewelry in your ear.
Blow Out: This typically happens when you stretch your ears too quickly. While trying to heal itself, the ear forms scar tissue which then makes the hole in the ear lobe turn inside out.
If we missed something or you have any questions, drop us a comment below.