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Jewelry that Rotates and Piercer Disclosure

Writer's picture: Laura Rein, AJPLaura Rein, AJP

Updated: 2 days ago

There are so many amazing pieces of jewelry these days. With the prevalence of gold and beautiful intricate ends coming to a head in the fine body jewelry world, almost everything is possible. I've seen piercers use flowers paired with leaves on either side, perfectly paired nostrils with crescent moons, and decorative fixed rings with big sparkly design embellishments. The internet is bursting at the seams with beautifully made ear and nose piercing curations with jewelry sitting perfectly. But what happens to those beautifully pierced ears and noses after they leave the shop?


Showers nose wiping, facial expressions, sleeping, and even tucking hair behind and ear causes jewelry to rotate.



A yellow gold and black diamond ear styling by Laura Rein of Luna Piercing and Fine Jewelry, Connecticut
A curation designed by Laura at Luna Piercing in yellow gold and black gemstones

We're often given the opportunity to curate. Some of those piercings are fresh, and some are well healed and decades old. When making decisions on what to put in new piercings, many quality piercers are looking for jewelry that will not spin and move excessively, causing irritation. While that's awesome, rotating jewelry can result in mental aggravation. When clients spend hundreds of dollars on a design they expect to look one way only for it to not be what they had hoped for much of the time, it can be frustrating. Let's talk about the symmetry in the way it matters to piercings, and why some jewelry spins off kilter and some doesn't.




BVLA Afghan threadless ends for nose piercings, lip piercings, helix piercings, cartilage piercings and earlobe piercings
Afghan ends by BVLA in black diamond, mercury mist topaz and white diamond

This is a threadless end with radial symmetry. Overall for the context of what we're talking about, if this end turns it will look exactly the same because it has a central point to rotate on. Its' design doesn't have more weight on one side than the other, and it could be split in half anywhere in the design and be equal.







Mini Kandy threadless ends from BVLA for nostril piercings, lip piercings, helix piercings. Ocean blue diamond, moonstone and white diamond options in 14k gold
Mini Kandy ends from BVLA in blue diamond, moonstone and white diamond

This end has mirrored symmetry with central weight. If split in half, it's the same on both sides (in this case, that statement is true in many directions). This piece will spin, but not in a way that makes any difference.












The placement of the pin attachment or threads matters, and having a long piece with those placed north of center means more weight towards the bottom, meaning that gravity does a bit to help it stay facing the right way. That being said, jewelry isn't very heavy, and many outside forces can cause it to turn in a way that isn't ideal for the wearer.




Slick Snake threadless end from Pupil Hall. Black and gold snake-shaped earring on white textured surface, with a minimalist background.
Slick Snake end from Pupil Hall in black enamel

This end has zero symmetry. It has a pin thats visually centered, but uneven weight around the piece means that it can turn any which way. Not all pieces with no symmetry are bad. In fact depending on what the piece is, it may not matter that it rotates at all if it doesn't cause major disruptions in aesthetics, readability, or comfort of the wearer.








So when should the piercer take the responsibility in letting a client know that a piece of jewelry will rotate? This isn't a stright-forward question, and I believe that it is not a straight-forward answer. Clustered curations of multiple pieces that all go together should be warned of. If we're aligning three piercings with a chevron (think < O > in the flat of an ear for example) I believe it's imperative to let a client know that those chevron ends are going. to spin, especially with the pin or threads sitting where the point is. Gravity also works against this piece.


I don't necessarily think its of the utmost importance to tell a client that a snake used in a single stand alone lobe piercing will rotate (unless the rotation causes the end to hang off of the ear). No matter the direction it doesn't interfere with its readability or the overall expression of the piece's place in the setup. If I'm using a large curved gem cluster in the middle of the flat of an ear, I am absolutely going to let the client know that it will rotate. If they don't like that we can problem solve from there - either move the jewelry up to another area of the ear where structure such as the curl of the helix will hold it in place, or find another piece of jewelry that will stay more stationary. This might mean something with more symmetry, or something with two connections that requires two piercings to anchor it in place.


There have been instances where I've seen piercings online where I start to really wonder what the piercer disclosed to the client. Big flashy philtrum pieces are super in right now, and the amount I see wearing pear shaped ends, ovals, and big expensive BVLA pieces like the half Supernova make me wonder if the larger sale got the best of those piercers, or if the client really didn't mind their potential to turn. Anything that's in a place that requires symmetry to look correct to the client such as a centered lip piercing or paired facial piercings should come with a warning. Not all clients mind the rotation and find that the benefits overshine the risk of rotation.


Yellow gold and black gemstone ear curation featuring BVLA, Pupil Hall, Sun Piercer and Eclipse Body Jewelry. Designed at Luna Piercing in Vernon Rockville, Connecticut. Mock-up of an ear with various symmetrical earrings. Text labels symmetry types against a dark teal background.


The best thing I can tell clients is to think critically about piercing jewelry rotation, and don't believe the perfection you see on the internet. Gravitate towards what you like, find a quality piercer, and ask if there are any downsides to what you're looking for. And to piercers - you're far more respectable to your clients and peers when giving your client the full opportunity of informed decision-making, and when you say "no" to pieces of jewelry that will not work.




Laura




  1. The first photo shows a piece of jewelry with central weight but no radial symmetry. I would not warn the client that this piece has the potential to spin.

  2. The second photo has technical mirror symmetry to the design, however the pin that attaches to the post is located under the far left gem. Because of this, the piece will almost always turn to a vertical orientation.

  3. The piece worn has mirror symmetry and central weight. Used in a conch, we are able to use the shape of the anatomy to keep it propped in place so it won't turn.

  4. The piece in this flat also has mirror symmetry. We don't have any anatomical peaks or valleys to hold it in place, however with the attachment point being centered at the top stone with the most. ofthe weight remaining underneath, the likelihood of this piece turning is very minimal.



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