Body modification has been a cultural part of many societies for thousands of years, but recently our own civilization has taking it on board and many people now have piercings in places that would make other’s eyes water. From a twentieth century perspective the revival began during the late 1970’s when punk rockers used safety pins and strange piercings to look scary and threatening. During the early part of the twenty-first century, the “gothic” crowd took piercings to another level and now they are extremely common and available for many parts of the body. Generally, people have always pierced their ears, but the cartilage area at the top of the lobe has now become another favorite, as have the nipples, the nose, the top lip, the bottom lip and even more sensitive parts in the lower extremities.
Different Types of Jewelry Choices
There are many kind of gold that can be alloyed to make colored gold. Rose gold, for instance is alloyed with copper to create the red tone in the metal. The percentage for eighteen karat gold alloyed with copper is seventy-five to twenty-five but there are variants on the percentage when it involves small levels of silver. Twenty-two karat “crown gold” is the highest level of rose gold available because of the percentage and quantity of other ingredients that “water down” the purity. The highest level of pure gold is twenty-four karat.
Facial Piercings
Aside from the nose piercings that go through the nostril, many people also choose to have their septum pierced. The common names for this type of piercing are “bull ring” and “bull nose” because they resemble the ring put through the nose of a bull. Septum jewelry can be purchased from a piercing shop or from a jewelry store. Generally, a piercing store will have a limited amount and not always carry twenty-two or eighteen karat gold, or colored gold, whereas a jewelry store would. The top lip is also pierced and this is known as a “Monroe” because of Marilyn Monroe’s beauty spot and the placement of the piercing. Others opt to have “snake eye” piercings on the bottom lip or “snake bite” piercings. Eye brows are also a popular area for piercing and usually a curved bar-bell is put through the eyebrow.
