Expanding the landscape of your ear piercings is an art form – especially if you don’t want it to look too cluttered or chaotic. Balance, symmetry, skin tone and natural ear anatomy are all important to consider when designing your dream stack. We’re here to offer insight, or to help you strategise before booking your next appointment with a Covetear piercing master.
Cartilage v's Non-Cartilage
To start with, there are two main categories of ear piercings – non-cartilage and cartilage. The most common example of the former is the lobe, which is often associated with less pain and shorter healing time. Cartilage refers to areas such as the Helix and Tragus, where the skin is thicker and harder and will take longer to heal.
A bespoke piercing experience.
At Covetear, you can sit down with a professional piercer to create a bespoke treatment plan to bring your dream look to life. The Ear Curation Experience allows you to get up to 3-4 piercings in one sitting, under the guise of one of our styling experts – who will work with you to choose the most complimentary placement and jewellery.
What to know before getting multiple piercings.
Although it can be tempting to deck out your lobes with all of your dream piercings at once, it can be wise to work on one ear at a time. This allows you to choose one side to sleep on, while your new piercings get the proper healing time without irritation.
At Covetear, we suggest grouping your piercings by healing time and complexity. If you are piercing your ears for the first time, we recommend beginning with the lobes, and then moving on to more complex placements, such as the Helix, Rook or Conch. If that doesn’t sound like your style, our piercing experts can provide you with the optimal treatment plan as well as a complimentary aftercare appointment to check in on the health of your new piercings.
'Balance, symmetry, skin tone and natural ear anatomy are all important to consider when designing your dream stack'
Different types of ear piercings.
Now, for the fun part: picking what best reflects your individual style. Below are some of the most popular piercing placements (as well as some of personal faves).
The Helix.
The Helix is a cartilage piercing that lives on the upper, curved part of the ear. It is incredibly versatile and can support a huge range of jewellery styles. We recommend 6-9 months healing time.
The Flat.
The Flat piercing is also a cartilage piercing that is on – you guessed it – the flat part of the ear. Like the helix, this also takes approximately 6-9 months to heal properly.
The Tragus.
The Tragus is on the innermost part of the ear where the appendage connects to the face. This little baby is higher on the pain scale, but offers beautiful results. Like the Helix and Flat, it can also take up to 6-9 months to completely heal – which is why piercing with Covetear jewellery allows you to pick and wear the design you want now, without having to wait to change it.
The Daith.
This piercing sits deep in your ear, a little bit above the ear canal and is typically done with a hoop or circular barbell. As with other cartilage piercings, it takes 9-12 months to heal.
The Conch.
The Conch is one of the less common ear piercings because its anatomy “varies vastly” from person to person. The piercing sits on the innermost part of the ear toward the centre and is done on a large cartilage surface area. Covetear piercers advise that the initial piercing should always be a flat back stud, although this can be changed to a hoop once its healed (which takes 6-9 months).
The Rook.
The Rook is one of the more complex piercing placements. It is done on the cartilage below a flat piercing but above the daith. It takes 6-12 months to heal.
The Lobe.
The Lobe – aka the lower part of your ear that is non-cartilage – is perhaps the most common spot for first-time ear piercings. You can opt for the standard lower-lobe placement, or work with one of our expert ear curators to choose a higher-lobe placement. You can also do both, and begin designing your dream stack. These have a relatively smaller healing period and take around 3-6 months.
The best jewellery to use.
It is critical to use hypoallergenic, non-oxidative metals with your initial piercing. All of our Covetear piercing jewellery is made from high-quality 14k gold and carefully crafted with specific hypoallergenic blends of nickel-free alloys. Our luxury designs allow you to create curated looks instantly. Meaning, you don’t have to wait until your piercing heals to wear something you like. When it comes to choosing your designs, a Covetear piercing master is here to offer guidance and support. It is all about balancing the placement of piercings on each ear to suit your personal style.