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In 2023 you can get almost every part of your ear pierced and fill it with a near endless array of jewelled plugs. But where do you go to get it done?
You’ve probably seen them ahead of you in line at the farmers market or out walking their rescue greyhounds: those cool girls with constellations of earrings climbing up the crest of their ears.
For the uninitiated, these piercing combinations are sometimes referred to as earring curations or ear stacks.
Typically, they feature a spread of piercings laid out across one’s ear scape, in locations such as the tragus, conch, upper lobe and daith and mix in varying earring sizes and styles too: a blend of dainty studs, close-fitting huggies, larger hoops and fine celestial themed charms are popular options.
Similar to the jumble of layered necklaces that celebrities and ‘It girls’ began wearing a few summers ago, these body adornments have become another canvas with which to express your personality and individual style. It ties in, contrarily neatly, to the wider maximalist fashion trend.
These stocks were popularised online and in fashion circles by New York jeweller Maria Tash, though she has previously said that inspiration for her styles came from “images of Indian weddings and their elaborate multiple lobe, cartilage, nostril, and septum jewellery.”
For someone with only single lobe punctures done at the local pharmacy on the auspicious occasion of their 10th birthday, it’s difficult to know how or where to start in the quest for alternative piercings like these.
Like a wearable passcode to an exclusive unmarked club, they seem like the type of thing that you have to be in the know to get. Perhaps punched in by a cool friend in the kitchen during a house party.
One person with a similarly surreal piercing experience is Jasmin Scott, founder of independent jewellery brand Jasmin Sparrow which is loved by many jewellery connoisseurs. She recalls one such memorable piercing experience that occurred “in a house bus at the fair, where the gun got stuck in my ear”.
Scott says she has had her fair share of dodgy piercings, some at local chemists, and has “learned the hard way that [nail guns] are not the way to go the further up the ear you get pierced.” A needle is a better route for such piercings on cartilage.
Both of Scott’s children have asked to pierce their ears over the last 18 months, and she took both to Charm Inc at the Bayfair mall in Mount Maunganui. She agreed to get her ears pierced (again) with both of them and says the team there did a great job.
Most importantly, she says, “my kids had no issues with their ears post piercing. They gave us salt water to spray them with each day, rather than the alcohol I remember as a child, and it seemed to work well.”
Pinch and Fold/Supplied
Pinch and Fold piercing studio in Auckland.
In Auckland, Pinch and Fold have been in the earring retail business for almost a decade and are in the process of adding a dedicated piercing studio to their showroom on Karangahape Road.
The brand’s director Gabriel Xie says that what sets business like his apart is the level of personalisation and curation offered by the experts who work there. “They’re not just pierces, they’re stylists too,” he says.
Because the multi-pierced landscape offers the opportunity for near endless combinations, seeking advice from people who deal with the procedure day in and out will lead to the best results in the long run.
Xie says no matter where you go under the needle, ask to see a portfolio of previous work first (Instagram can be a good way to get an idea of a piercer’s work). Check that they have a health and beauty licence and where possible, go in for a consult first.
“It really helps to just talk to the piercer beforehand. There’s a lot of advice that they can give in terms of if a piercing is suitable, because it’s a very personal service.”
Piercing pricing at Pinch and Fold will start from $45, with the earrings costing in the region of $50 – $250 depending on the style and material quality.
For new piercings Xie recommends initially using a straight titanium bar to aid proper healing and then switching to a more fashionable earring once fully healed.
For those who want to try the look before going under the needle, there are less committal ways to wear the trend. Many cuff styles, such as the $259 ‘Cosmo’ ear cuff from local jewellers Meadowlark, don’t require a piercing at all.
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