Labrets, barbells and studs hold their ends on in one of three ways. Knowing which one you have tells you which tops and balls will fit.
| Style | How the end attaches | Swapping the end |
|---|---|---|
| Externally threaded | The thread is on the outside of the bar, and the ball screws onto it. | Unscrew the ball, screw on the new one. |
| Internally threaded | The thread is inside the bar. The top has a short threaded post that screws in, so the bar is smooth. | Unscrew the top, screw in a new top of the same gauge. |
| Threadless (push-pin) | The top has a thin pin, bent slightly, that’s pushed into the hollow bar and held by tension. | Pull the top out and push a new one in; the bar can stay where it is. |
Threaded jewellery
Externally threaded jewellery is common and affordable. Internally threaded jewellery keeps the thread inside the bar, so the outside is smooth. Tops only fit bars with the same thread, and threads aren’t standard across every brand, so ends are safest matched with bars from the same range.
Threadless jewellery
With threadless jewellery you can change the look by changing only the top. Our titanium pin tops fit all of our threadless bases from 14G to 20G. See threadless jewellery.
Rings: clickers, hinged and captive
- Clicker and hinged rings have a section that swings open on a hinge and clicks shut.
- Captive bead rings hold a bead or segment in the gap by the ring’s tension.
- Seamless rings are one piece, bent open and closed.
Related: size guide and gauge chart and body jewellery materials.
We sell jewellery; we’re not piercers. This guide is about the jewellery itself. Which size, style or material suits your piercing, especially a new one, is a question for a professional piercer. For changing jewellery in a piercing, ask your piercer to show you how.