Want to switch to new jewellery, but scared you’ll lose the ball down the drain, strip the thread or hurt your piercing? Totally get it. Good news: once you know the trick, it’s easy. And if you’d rather not do it yourself, we’ll happily do it for you in the studio.
We often get the question of how to change piercings. In order to do so, you will first have to open your piercing or loosen it. Opening or closing piercing jewelry may seem difficult, but it doesn't have to be! It can be a bit tricky at first, and although you might prefer to leave it to someone else, it’s easy once you find out how to do this yourself. We will explain and guide you through it below.
Before you start: is your piercing ready?
Worried you’re changing it too soon? A fresh piercing is always pierced with a slightly longer first bar to make room for swelling. Don’t swap that one yourself: come back to the studio and we’ll change it for a shorter bar and check straight away how your piercing is healing. Change your jewellery yourself only once your piercing is fully healed.
Tips
- Slippery jewelry? Clean them with some (piercing) soap and pat them dry with clean kitchen paper, so you have a better grip.
- Need even more grip? Wear nitrile gloves, so you have an even better grip on your jewelry.
- Do you change the jewelry above the sink? Then place a towel in it to prevent the ball or piece of jewelry from disappearing into the gutter or bouncing out of the sink and ending up on the floor.
- Changing bars with screw-on figures? Hold the accessory tightly and turn the rod to release your jewelry.
What you should not do
Do not use pliers to turn the ball on the rod. You might use too much force and twist the thread. This is certainly a risk with internally threaded jewelry.
Is your piercing irritated or not healed enough? In that case, changing your jewelry is rarely a good idea. Leave the jewelry on until your piercing is completely healed.
Good to know: our gold jewellery has a titanium internal thread, because a gold thread wears out quickly. So you can open and close it more often without worrying.
Labrets, barbells and other threaded rods
How do I change a labret bar or barbell?
Hold on to the piercing rod on one side between your thumb and forefinger. Then loosen the piercing ball and place it in a container. Now you can change your jewelry. Screw the ball back on after the switch and you're done! If you are wearing a different figure (such as a feather, flower or cluster) then twisting/turning the piercing rod instead of loosening the figure might work better. It is more difficult to hold onto a screw-on piece with an unusual shape, but by turning the rod instead of the figure, it usually works.
Which way do you have to unscrew to get your piercing loose? Seen from above, you tighten your piercing clockwise and loosen it again counterclockwise. In the mirror, it's reversed and that can be confusing! Try to think of it in the same way as when you tighten or unscrew the cap of a bottle.
Changing your piercing when the jewelry is still attached through the hole in your skin requires a little more practice. Take your time and wear rubber (cleaning) gloves. The gloves provide a better grip on the jewelry, which makes changing it a lot easier. Hold your piercing rod with one hand and loosen the ball with the other. You can now change your piercing jewelry. After the change, turn the ball back on and you're done!
Opening and closing rings
Segment rings
Afraid you’ll bend your ring out of shape? Segment rings are great piercing rings to wear if you don't change them too often. You can open a segment ring by bending the ends to the side. Make sure that the opening is big enough for your piercing, change your piercing and bend the ends back together. Never open a segment ring by pulling the ends apart, this way you will deform the ring and no longer be able to wear it.
Opening and closing click rings
A click ring makes it much easier to change your piercing jewelry. All you have to do is click open the ring, change it, and close it. The easiest way to open a click ring is to grab it by the side that clicks open. If you try to open the ring at the hinge, it will not work. Grab both ends of the click ring between your thumb and forefinger and gently pull the ring open. Closing the ring is done in the same way, only by pushing the ends together again until they click together. Use only your fingers! Click rings are a bit more flexible than other piercing rings and if you decide to get creative and use a pair of pliers you can damage your jewelry considerably.
Have you bent the jewelry too far open or too close?
Doesn't your click ring close (anymore) completely? Then your click ring will probably have to be reshaped again. You do this by bending the ring a little further open or closed. This is done in no time!
Rather have us do it?
If you have any more questions, we are more than happy to help!
Visit us in store, give us a call, or shoot us a message on WhatsApp!
- No time to wait? We’re open every day of the year from 10:30 to 22:00. Just walk in, no appointment needed, and we’ll change or check your jewellery.
- Worried about hygiene? We work with sterile, single-use tools.
- Questions in your own language? Our team speaks about six languages, including English and Dutch.
- Experience? We’ve been piercing since 1998, at Reguliersbreestraat 46 in Amsterdam.
Looking for something new? Browse our piercing jewellery and our first titanium & gold piercings (our webshop ships to the Netherlands and Belgium). Not sure about your size? Check our size guide.
If you want to get a new piercing, it is now possible to schedule your appointment with us! Get pierced when it suits you! You can pay right away, so you don't have to think about it during your appointment.
Worry-free healing, sorted in one go: your piercing, titanium jewellery, AphraHeals aftercare spray and later the shorter bar swap in the studio. (AphraHeals is meant for piercings only, not for tattoos.)
Aphraheals - Piercing Aftercare
From Ira, with love
Ira Lutvica is co-owner of Piercings Works, which she runs together with her husband Mensur Lutvica: since 1998, and 22 years at the same spot on Reguliersbreestraat 46. Ira writes the books herself and runs the piercing course (in Dutch), where she has trained 100+ piercers. Want to know more about this topic? Read her e-book (in Dutch) Sieraad laten verwisselen?. Also read Piercings Works in the media.
Walk in without an appointment at Reguliersbreestraat 46 and leave with fresh jewellery that fits just right.