If you just got your ears pierced, congratulations! It’s a big step, and now comes the fun part: picking out new earrings.
However, if you get this wrong it can result in a lot of pain.
The best earrings for newly pierced ears are small, lightweight, and made of hypoallergenic materials.
The main goal for the initial piercing is not one of aesthetics, but of prevention of infections while healing takes place.
Too often, when people go for initial piercings, they focus more on the style of the studs than on what the metal is made of resulting in alloy allergies and infections.
There are so many different styles and materials to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start.
That’s why we’ve put together this list of the best earrings for newly pierced ears. Read on for our top picks!
Table of Contents
What Materials Are Starter Piercings Are Made Of?
If you have never had your ears or any part of your body pierced before, then it is a good idea to not experiment with using different metals during the initial piercing and healing stage.
Once you have an infection setting in, it is going to be difficult to know if it is the result of an allergic reaction to the metal used in the starter earrings, or if it was due to not being diligent enough with the after piercing cleaning care.
Gone are the days, decades ago, when people used to get some ice, thread a sewing needle, and then twist and drive it through the earlobes.
Most people can afford to get their ears pierced nowadays and piercings are no longer limited to earlobes, but are found on many different areas of the body.
If you want to avoid infections and the ensuing doctor visits, and all that this will cost, you must choose the metal for your starter piercings that will be the least likely to cause a bad reaction.
After healing, which can take six months, you can then venture out and try out different materials to see how your body reacts.
Below are the materials that starter piercings are commonly made from:
Surgical-Grade Stainless Steel
This metal is found in surgery staples, implants and is commonly used in earrings that are inexpensive.
It is made of a combination of materials which have a low carbon content, but which also have nickel ions that have the potential for clinical toxicity.
Chromium and Molybdenum are also added to enhance pitting resistance and oxidation.
Surgical-Grade Titanium
Titanium is alloyed with aluminum and vanadium.
This has a high compatibility with the human body because of its strength to weight ratio, and its ability to resist corrosion.
It does not react with body acids or body fluids.
The most common use for titanium is for implants in the dental field and for prosthetics such as pins, plates, and rods that are inserted into the body.
14 Karat Gold
While this purity of gold is made up of 58% pure gold, it also has alloys that are mixed with it to make it strong for use in jewelry.
These alloys are copper, nickel, silver and zinc. The percentages of these different alloys used are determined by the color of gold that is desired such as rose, green white or yellow.
Gold has a low oxidation and corrosion rate, which is why it is often used in body piercings.
18 Karat Gold
Again, this purity of gold is simply higher than the 14k gold is, and therefore contains less alloys. However, it depends on what color of gold is desirable which means that it may also contain platinum, palladium and manganese, as in the case of white gold.
Niobium
Less known, this metal is mainly sourced from the elements of columbite and tantalum.
Some niobium is also produced as a byproduct of tin extraction.
This metal is heavier than titanium but has the same properties of strength and corrosion resistance.
It does not react with body acids or fluids.
There is jewelry made from niobium, but like all metals that are mixed with alloy, you must know what each alloy is in the mixture to avoid reactions.
Platinum
Platinum is used to make jewelry of all types, though not as often to make starter studs simply due to the cost. However, platinum is one of the least allergic metals and is alloyed with iridium, ruthenium and palladium which are usually non allergenic.
Best Earrings For Newly Pierced Ears
Unless you have already had piercings before and know if you are likely to react to alloys, such as nickel which is found in gold and surgical-grade stainless steel, then you will be better off buying the metal that causes the least amount of reaction, even if it costs you a bit more.
The cost of a trip to the clinic and antibiotic prescriptions should be factored into the cost of choosing the wrong studs.
Your mileage will vary regarding the costs of the different types of metals available in your search, simply because many of those who do piercings have already purchased an inventory of studs and most of those will not be the more expensive ones.
You may need to search for someone willing to order the studs that you want after doing your due diligence.
Sometimes, you may even have to pay a higher premium simply because they may not be able to just buy one set of studs, but may have to buy in quantity and this extra cost will trickle down to you.
It cannot be emphasized enough that unless you are diligent in post piercing cleaning care, then none of the metals that you used will stop infections from setting in.
You will not know if the metals were the problem or if it was bacteria setting in due to your negligence. Be especially careful that you do not get the opinion of those who sell earrings to base your choice on.
They will all claim to have the best studs for piercing.
Below are our recommendations for newly pierced ears based on the lowest metal allergy rates although not based on costs:
Gold
The key is in the alloys.
Avoid white gold because it usually contains nickel.
Nickel is the most common allergic reactive metal used in jewelry.
If you do want white gold studs, make certain that they are at least 14k or 18k and that they are nickel free. Best bet to avoid metal toxicity is to go for high karat yellow gold for your initial piercings.
Follow that later with other non allergic metals once your piercings have had at least 6 months to completely heal.
We chose this metal because it is the easiest to find, but make sure of the alloy content before your piercings.
Platinum
People who cannot wear gold can wear platinum because the amount of added alloy is only 5%, and those alloys are still within the platinum family of metals.
Platinum positive allergy patch tests are rare.
Sometimes people think they might be allergic to a particular metal, but in fact, they simply are having a reaction to not rinsing their hands well enough or leaving soaps/other chemicals under the metal.
Surgical Grade Titanium
The human body seems to be fine with titanium if it is medical or surgical grade. This titanium will have alloys which comprises 5% aluminum and 4% vanadium.
This makes titanium not only light weight, but non-toxic and non-allergenic.
These suggestions above are not listed in the order of preferences. They are the ones best found to result in the least reactions.
- Our word of caution is to make certain that any piercing studs are not merely plated with the metal that you want. Too many earrings are merely plated to cut costs for the retailer, not for you!
FAQ’s About New Piercings
Are hypoallergenic earrings good for newly pierced ears?
Here is the thing to remember about newly pierced ears…they are raw puncture wounds!
Puncture wounds can and do easily create infections. The flesh that is in the hole is directly being exposed to the metal that you are leaving in contact for months on end.
You must use a hypoallergenic metal, and you must find out which one causes the least amount of problems or reactions for your body before you have your piercings, rather than finding out the hard way afterwards.
Can I put silver earrings in newly pierced ears?
You certainly can use sterling silver piercing studs.
However, we have found that too much of the sterling silver jewelry is mixed with nickel alloy rather than with copper. Copper is hypoallergenic, as is sterling silver. Nickel is probably the one metal alloy that is the most toxic for most people.
Are stainless steel earrings good for new piercings?
Stainless steel earrings are probably not the choice for being left in puncture wounds. While these can perhaps be worn long after complete healing has taken place, too many people are allergic to stainless steel which is why it is not used for implants.
Is gold or silver better for ear piercing?
Both gold and silver are great for ear piercing.
The key is to be certain that the gold does not have nickel, and that it is of high karat as opposed to lower karat. The lower the karat of gold, the higher the percentage of alloy that is mixed into it.
Ditto for sterling silver.
Make sure that the alloy in sterling silver that is mixed in it is copper, rather than nickel.
Is titanium or stainless steel better for piercings?
Titanium is far better than stainless steel provided that it is medical grade, such as what is used in implants. The body can reject implants, but would be more likely to reject stainless steel. Stainless steel can be fine for doing surgeries, but is not the best metal for long term contact with body acids and fluids.
Final Thoughts
Once your piercings have healed for 6 months to a year, then you can “experiment” with sensitivities to other metals if you like.
You will know within several hours if you are sensitive to a new metal because the skin will start turning reddish and becoming sensitive to the touch like a bruise would be.
You will see swelling, which means to stop wearing that particular metal or to find out if it had been mixed with an alloy that causes most people problems.
Do not be put off by having to choose piercing studs that are not the types of metals that you would want to wear because it is only temporary until you can heal.
If you choose a pair of piercing studs and find that you are allergic during this stage, you will always have that sensitivity to it going forward.