Why are there so many different threads? Which ones are best? What should I consider when choosing a threaded piece of jewelry? Here we explain the difference between the different types of threads on our piercing jewelry.
In the past, when the piercing industry was in its infancy and the range of jewelry was limited, it was simple, there were rods with threads on them and balls with holes in them, that's it. You screwed the rod into the hole and the jewelry was put together, this is called external threading (because the thread is on the outside of the rod). Easy peasy, but it's not like that anymore!
Developments in the piercing industry over the past 30 years have contributed to new approaches to how jewelry is designed. Some body piercers found that the external threads on the bar "torn up"/irritated the piercing, especially when getting a new piercing, so they thought we should do the opposite, move the threads to the ball/tip so that only the smooth bar goes through the piercing. The threads are on a small pin that you screw into the bar. This model, called internal thread, is often used in the US but has not been as common in Europe.
So now we have 2 different types of threads, two ways to screw the ball/tip onto your bar, but as the piercing industry grows and piercings become more common, the demand for more designs also grows, if you just want a small glittery stone or something flashier than a ball or spike, it is sometimes impossible to combine the design on the tip with a secure locking system. Threadless jewelry was invented by the company Neometal in 1997 to meet the increasing need for smaller tips for thinner bars. On Threadless piercing jewelry, no part of the jewelry has any threads. You push the small pin at the top into the bar about 1/3, angle it a little so that there is a small bend in the pin, and push it all the way into the bar so it stays in place. The bend in the pin ensures that the top is held together by the tension that occurs. Threadless jewelry has become very popular in recent years, there is a plethora of different tops in different models as it is basically only your imagination that sets the limits to how they can look with this system.
Which thread is best then? There is no answer to that question, all threads are tried and tested and good, choose the thread that you find easiest to use, the only important thing is that you choose the same thread on the rod and top/ball!
Push Fit jewelry is an alternative where it is like a small grooved "pin" on the top that fits into the hole in the rod itself.
You simply gently push the pin down into the hole and the top is secured.
This jewelry only fits with other Push Fit jewelry, it does not fit with Threadless, internally or externally threaded jewelry.