Jewelry Info

Threadless / Pressure-Fitted

At Lumen, we primarily use threadless (pressure-fitted) jewelry for piercings such as lobes, nostril, conch, helix, most lip piercings, and anything else with a flat-back post. This jewelry requires bending the pin that goes inside the post to secure it in place. We love threadless/pressure-fitted jewelry because it tends to have better retention with these styles, they're easier to change, and there's nothing to come unscrewed. The only downside is if you snag it hard enough it may come apart — but we'd much prefer your jewelry pops out than it causes you injury.

To adjust the tightness of threadless/pressure-fitted jewelry on a healed piercing, remove the jewelry, insert the pin about halfway, and make a small bend to tighten it — bend it straighter to loosen. Bending the pin too far can cause breakage, so don't hesitate to contact your piercer for assistance. To remove, grab the front and back and pull apart — a small twist while pulling may help release a tighter fit.

Internally Threaded

Piercings performed with curved or circular jewelry — such as septums, navels, eyebrows, and rooks — use internally threaded jewelry. It's a classic righty-tighty, lefty-loosey situation: hold the shaft/post with one hand and rotate the ball or gem end right to tighten, left to loosen. Tight-fitting gloves help with grip — remember, it's backwards in the mirror! Nipples and bridges can use either type, depending on the jewelry selected.

Rings & Clickers

Seam, captive bead, and fixed bead rings are removed by bending the ring into an S shape — push the ring on either side of the ball/attachment away from each other. To put it back together, bend it back the same way until the ends are parallel and slip the ends into the dimples of the bead. Clicker/segmented rings simply click open and closed, similarly to sleepers.

We strongly recommend laying a towel down over your sink and bathroom counter to prevent jewelry from being lost down the drain, or bouncing off the porcelain to a new secret land you don't have a passport for.

Please don't hesitate to sign up in our piercing queue for a jewelry change if you need assistance. We've got your back!