Good for healed piercings. Wood cannot be sterilized in an autoclave. Some woods can cause irritation for maybe 2-5% of wearers. Because there are so many species of wood it is hard to know which woods you may have a problem with. The woods most known to cause some issues are, teak, purpleheart (amaranth), greenheart or satinwood, and some species of rosewood.

Care for wood

Thinner sculpts should be handled with care as they can be somewhat fragile. Thicker pieces can be fairly stout, but all wood can scratch or gouge if dropped or mishandled. Wood that is not worn should be kept in a dry area and lightly rubbed with mineral or olive oil once a month to avoid cracking. Clean off dust or debris with a moist soft cloth. Do not soak wood in water or other sanitizing liquids.

Jewelry Types:
Rings, spirals, plugs, eyelets, endless carved designs for large and small gauge ear jewelry

About Wood

Wood is warm and comfortable, and each piece exudes a unique and wonderful variation of the woods natural grain. Wood is one of the most common materials used for making plugs and carved body jewelry. This is because it is plentiful and there are many variations that can create a variety of beautiful surfaces with natural designs and features. All wood body jewelry is made from various hardwoods. Hardwood comes from trees called angiosperms that are usually slower growing broad-leaved trees such as oak and maple trees. Although, hardwood is a misnomer since many “hardwoods” are soft like balsa wood. There are many varieties of woods, and they all can be treated with different coatings to change the color and enhance the natural grain found in all wood. Wood for body jewelry should be treated with natural waxes and oils so as not to take away from the wearing of the wood itself or its natural beauty. Below are some examples of different wood jewelry: Put Bamboo here

Good for healed piercings. Horn cannot be sterilized in an autoclave.

Care for Horn

You can lightly wash with soap and water and pat dry. Do not soak horn in water or sanitizing liquids. Horn can be oiled with jojoba or mineral oil every so often to keep it from drying out and to keep its luster.

Jewelry Types:
Rings, spirals, plugs, eyelets, endless carved designs for large and small gauge ear jewelry

About Horn

Horn is wonderful material that is usually black but may be creamy tan to an almost translucent brown. Varied colors are less common and often more expensive. Horn is polished to lustrous shine that dances with the light. Most horn comes from water buffalo that are never killed for their horn. Using the buffalo’s horn is wonderful to honor the animal. Horn is made primarily of keratin which is also found in mails, hooves, feathers and hair. Horn is semi porous, and while it is durable it can be broken if mishandled.

Good for healed piercings. Bone cannot be sterilized in an autoclave.

Care for Bone

Caring for bone is similar to horn. Lightly wash with soap and water and pat dry. Bone can be oiled with mineral oil or jojoba oil once a month. Do not soak bone in water or sanitizing liquids.

Jewelry Types:
Rings, spirals, plugs, eyelets, endless carved designs for large and small gauge ear jewelry

About Bone

Bone body jewelry is made from cow or water buffalo. Bone is polished to a shine and usually white. Although, there can be some yellowing with time. Bone can be carved into many beautiful shapes and designs. Its nice white glow makes for a more subdued look that is fantastic when worn.
Stone, Amber, and other Mineralized Jewelry (fossils)
Good for healed piercings. Stone cannot be sterilized in an autoclave.
Care for Stone, Amber, and other Mineralized Jewelry
Jewelry may be washed with soap and water and patted dry. While not as porous as wood or horn, soaking minerals could damage the surface.
Jewelry Types
Rings, spirals, plugs, eyelets, some carved designs for larger gauge piercings

The varied colors, inclusions and fractures of minerals make them some of the most beautiful and sought-after materials for jewelry. They can range from opaque to translucent in all colors with wonderful unique patterns. Most minerals used for jewelry are rather durable. Although, they can break or shatter if dropped onto a hard surface. Some stone like hematite is very prone to shattering, but if handled with care can last a life time. Amber is special kind of fossil made from mineralized tree sap. Natural amber is rare and expensive. Some amber is sold as reconstituted amber which is basically small pieces of amber heated and pressed into molds. You can always tell what reconstituted amber looks like by its very clear translucent uniform color. Natural amber is normally cloudy and has natural fissures and inclusions. Stone can be made of common minerals to extremely rare minerals. Obviously, the more exotic and rare minerals will always cost more. You can often find a variety of fossilized wood, coral, and different types of bones such as mammoth and walrus tusk. See below for some stone and mineralized examples.

Good for healed piercings. Shell Cannot be sterilized in an autoclave

Care for Shell

May washed with soap and water. Shell can be fragile especially with thinner designs. Dropping shell onto hard surfaces can easily break them. Inlays and thicker pieces are more durable.

Jewelry Types

Carved designs for medium gauge piercings (8 gauge to 4 gauge), carved designs attached to silver or other metals for regular sized pierced ears (20 gauge – 16 gauge), Also used as an inlay in wood, horn, or bone jewelry

Shell is made from mollusk shells commonly called sea shells. Some shells have a shiny coating made by nacre producing mollusks. Nacre is what makes pearls shiny. When making jewelry from nacre producing mollusks, we call this mother of pearl. Shells are mostly made of calcium and are hard like stone. They can be carved into a variety of designs and used as a stand alone piece or as an inlay. Abalone, a rock clinging mollusk, has a beautiful multicolored iridescent look that is commonly used in inlays.

Other metals are metals that are not considered for new piercing use. These other metals such as copper, brass, and silver can be cast and worked into an array of endless designs, colors, and finishes. With lustrous shines to warm dark tones these more malleable metals can make some of the most exotic and exquisite jewelry you will find.

Often these metals are included as organics since the underlying metal that is used to make each piece is technically a single naturally occurring element. However, all metals such as silver are combined to form alloys that are easier to work with. These combinations also supply us with the different hues and finishes. Like many things found in nature some metals can cause irritation for some people. Each person reacts differently to each metal. Most people never have issues with wearing metals. Unlike titanium and stainless steel which are great for new piercing, these alloys are only to be used in healed piercings. Below is a short list of some of the more common metals that you may find in our store.

Oxidation

Metals can oxidize. Oxidation is chemical reaction that occurs when the metal is exposed to air or other substances that causes the metal to lose one or more electrons. Most people have seen oxidation on steel which forms a reddish substance we call rust, but not all oxidation is destructive like rust. Oxidization presents in differing ways for different metals, but it usually presents as a surface coating that changes the color of the metal. The metals we use for piercing such as titanium are resistant to oxidation, or the oxidized layers help protect the metal. Some of these “other metal” alloys may oxidize more easily and present more dramatically. Silver tarnishes with a silver sulfide causing it to darken over time. Bronze is made with copper which oxidizes with a green patina. Some oxidation can be washed away. Other oxidized layers may need to be removed chemically and/or with a little physical scrubbing or buffing.

It should be noted that some of our manufacturers use clear ceramic coatings that are designed to keep the metals from oxidizing. The other advantage to this process is that the metal itself does not touch the skin which means people with allergies may not find these metals irritating. If we know the metal has this ceramic coating, we will list it as part of its properties.

Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals such as copper, nickel, or zinc. Silver when shined has a beautiful white glow to it. It is extremely common for jewelry making, but it can be expensive. Outside of gold or platinum, silver is going to be the most expensive metal for jewelry.

Care for Silver

Use a silver buffing cloth to remove tarnish. Wash with soap and water.

Copper has a natural orange earth tone that makes it a beautiful jewelry metal. Copper is also said to have healing properties. There is some evidence for this. Wearing copper can reduce the chances for copper deficiencies which can lead to fatigue, weakness, and pale skin.

Care for Copper

Copper can tarnish a light green color. That tarnish can rub off and stain your skin, but it is not permanent as it washes off. Clean your copper jewelry with warm water and soap. You can help prevent tarnishing by soaking the jewelry in lemon or vinegar for up to 20 minutes. Wash it off and its ready to wear. Metal jewelry with a ceramic coating should not oxidize and would not need to be protected in this way. Also, ceramically coating jewelry means you are no longer wearing the metal and its “healing” properties would be diminished. However, the coating keeps the jewelry looking like new for many years.

Bronze has a subdued darkened gold color. The draw to bronze is not dissimilar from why people like dark wood stains which can make for a very warming effect. Bronze is typically copper mixed with tin. Although, bronze can be mixed with other metals to produce a wide range of alloys with differing strengths and colors. Some of these are Aluminum Bronze, Nickel brass, and Copper Nickel.

Care for Bronze

Since the main ingredient in bronze is copper, it will be cared for just like copper jewelry. Wash with warm water and soap. If there is no ceramic coating soak in vinegar or lemon for up to 20 minutes if desired.

Brass is mainly Copper and Zinc with higher malleability than bronze. Brass will have a more rosy tone with more copper and a more silvery look with more zinc. You will often see white brass jewelry alongside regular reddish brass jewelry. Brass has a brighter finish than bronze which tends to jump out more against the skin. For people who like their jewelry to be shinier, brass is a great choice. Brass is also a nice substitute for gold as it has some of the same color range, but it is far less expensive.


Care for Brass

Like copper and bronze brass will tarnish with a light green patina. You might like the warmness and the protective layer the patina leaves on the brass, but if not, you can remove the tarnish. If the tarnish is light use 2 tablespoons of baking soda and a few drops of lemon juice to make a paste. The paste will fizz a bit. Take an old toothbrush and scrub the paste on the jewelry. Let the paste sit for about 20-30 minutes and rinse off. Brass may be washed with soap and water.