When it comes to what people make body jewelry out of, there are Three broad categories, Metals, Plastics & Organics. and each of those are broken into sub categories. It all gets pretty confusing so here is a little more detail.
Metal Body Jewelry
Sterling Silver
Sterling silver is only recommended for well established piercings in the ear only, and short term wear at that. The reason for this is it is only .925% silver, the other metals can lead to irritation.
Gold
Solid gold is generally only recommended for well healed piercings as well as for people who have a history of wearing gold without irritation. This is because high quality gold is soft and can have tiny imperfections which may breed bacteria.
Surgical Stainless Steel (SSS)
There are only two types of SSS that are acceptable for body Jewelry, 316L or 316LVM. Simply put, 316L is implant grade – 316L is one of the most often used metals seen in body jewelry. For people with sensitivity to nickel, please note that surgical stainless steel does contain enough of this metal to cause problems Get Discounted Surgical Stainless Body Jewelry on our store!!
Niobium Body Jewelry
This is a step up from 316L SSS or surgical stainless steel. SSS is a tad lighter and weaker than Niobium. As a result Niobium costs a bit more but still less than titanium. It is usually highly colored and there are few if any sensitivity issues to the metal.
Titanium
Of all the metals this is the best due to its hardness. Titanium’s strength allows it to be almost completely resistant to imperfections and scratches. Of all the metals, titanium is by far the most expensive one used in body jewelry, however titanium is the best choice for anyone who has sensitivity to other metals containing nickel.
Plastics
There are a few different names used including – Nylon, Polymer, Resin, Polyester, Polyamide, Lucite,Teflon (PTFE), Acrylic, Silicone and Silicone Polyester. All this aside they generally fall into the following two categories
Nylon & Teflon
With regards to Acrylic, Teflon (PTFE) & Mono-filament Nylon are preferred material for body jewelry because they are more flexible and you can sterilize them in an autoclave. If you have a severe sensitivity to metal body jewelry, consider trying these types of plastic as an alternative.
Rubber & Silicone
Both of these are essentially a plastic with the same qualities and charastics. Either of these materials will work well for replacement jewlery but you should avoid using them in any unhealed piercing.
Organic Materials
Wood
As a material for jewelry, wood is very versatile. Wood is light making it work well in piercings that are stretched a lot. There are too many types of wood that can be used in jewelry to list, you can find jewelry made from cheap bamboo to lavish ebony.
Bone/Horn
Despite the fact there are different types of bone & horn used, most of them can be handled in a similar manner. All Bone Jewelry is porous and semi hard so you will find it in a shape for many different types of piercings. These kinds of jewelry should be avoided during certain activities such as bathing, sleeping or swimming as well as avoided in new or unhealed piercings.
Ivory (Tusk) Body Jewelry
Most people think Ivory is illegal because they think of elephant tusk. Despite this there are some forms of ivory that are still legal and are used for body jewelry. Like most other organic materials, ivory should not be worn in new piercings and is best saved for special occasions.
Rock/Stone
Semi Precious stone or rock can be used in many different ways to produce very beautiful jewelry. The main downside is that rock or stone is typically heavy and as a result only used for smaller jewelry. This weight issue often has the intended consequence of the jewelry falling out unannounced to the wearer. The main advantage of rock or stone jewelry is that despite the fact that it may be damaged if droped, it is generally the most durable of all the organic materials.
Follow the link to learn more on Styles of Body Jewelry.