Popular Types of Piercings & Body Jewelry Styles

There are tons of body piercing types out there, but let’s be real, some styles are way more popular than others. Wondering which piercings are trending and what kind of jewelry works best in each? Let’s break down which piercings are trending, and what types of jewelry works best with each.

Ear Piercings

Ear piercings have been around forever, and they’re still the #1 go-to for both first-timers and piercing fanatics. In fact, 83% of people in the U.S. have pierced earlobes, and around 30% have gone beyond the lobes with other ear piercing styles like helix, tragus, daith, and industrial piercings.

Each ear has space for up to 13 unique piercing types (yep, 13!), and depending on the placement, certain jewelry styles just work better. For example, the most popular ear piercings are:

Earlobe
Industrial
Helix
Tragus
Daith
Rook

Jewelry choices also vary by style preferences. For instance, a lot of men go for stretched lobes with plugs or tunnels as opposed to stud earrings or other piercings. Women tend to lean toward stacked helix piercings for cartilage jewelry. But hey, these are just trends—you do you. No rules here when it comes to expressing your vibe through body jewelry.

Check out these different ear piercing jewelry examples below on which styles and piercings work best together.

Ear Piercing Jewelry Types:

Stud Earrings: Perfect for earlobes, and can work in healed helix or conch piercings.
French Hook Earrings: Usually worn only in earlobes; a more feminine, dangly style.
Fake Plugs: Meant for lobes, giving the look of stretched piercings without the stretch.
Circular Barbells: Very versatile! Great for lobes and many cartilage spots.
Spiral Cartilage Earrings: Designed for helix piercings, especially if you have multiples.
Captive Bead Rings: Super flexible; wear them in lobes, helix, rook, daith, tragus, and more.
Segment and Seamless Rings: Great for cartilage piercings, especially daith and tragus.
Industrial Barbells: Specifically for industrial piercings; some prefer captive rings during healing.

Stretched Earlobe Piercing Jewelry:

Ear Hangers, Plugs, and Tunnels: Ideal for stretched lobes or conch piercings. Tons of unique shapes and materials to choose from.

Nose Piercings

Nose piercings are wildly popular too—especially nostril and septum piercings. Around 19% of women and 15% of men in the U.S. have one. Of the several types of nose piercings, nostril and septum are the two most popular. Septums piercings can be broken down even further:

Circular barbells,
Captive rings (including segment, seamless and captive bead rings) and
Septum pinchers

Nose bones, nostril screws (which can be custom-bent to fit you perfectly using fishtail nose rings), nose hoops like segment or seamless rings, and labret studs are the most popular styles of nostril piercing jewelry. Check out examples of each nose piercing type below.

Nostril Piercings Jewelry Types:

Septum Piercing Jewelry Types:

Belly Button Piercings

With about 33% of American women (and some stylish men) sporting them, belly button piercings soar in the popularity department. Whether you like bold dangles or low-key rings, there’s a belly ring style for everyone. It’s no wonder so many people love belly button piercings, since they accentuate the sexy curves a woman’s midriff and look hot on guys, too, with the right jewelry (e.g. circular barbells or captive rings).

Take a look at the traditional belly ring styles below, or visit the Belly Button Rings section to see the full selection of navel jewelry.

Belly Button Ring Jewelry Types:

Nipple Piercings

Nipple piercings rank fourth in popularity, with 18% of American men and 9% of American women sporting them. Their aesthetic and sensory qualities make them a very attractive piercing option both sexes. Some of the most popular nipple piercings are:

Tongue Piercings & Eyebrow Piercings

Tongue and eyebrow piercings are neck-and-neck in popularity, especially among men. 17.5% of men have eyebrow piercings compared to 8% of women, and 16% of men having tongue piercings compared to 9.5% of women.

Straight barbells are the only practical type of tongue ring, but there are several jewelry styles you can wear in an eyebrow piercing. Micro bent barbells, circular barbells and captive rings are the three most popular types of eyebrow rings.

Other Popular Piercings

If you’re into dermal piercings, lip piercings and male and female genital piercings, visit the Piercing Information section of our Information Center. There are tons of FAQs, guides, and helpful tips to explore all your piercing options.

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