Cartilage ear piercings are one of the most fun things you can do with needles, second only to tattoos and cross stitch. And there are many types of ear piercings to choose from. Here's a look at some of them.
The rook piercing is located below the top part of the helix at the top of the inner curve of your ear. It hurts a bit more than a helix and has a healing time of four to six months.
An orbital is “like an industrial but instead of using a barbell that goes through the ear, you use a hoop,” according to Broseph, a professional piercer at Atomic Tattoo & Body Piercing in Los Angeles. Your piercer will pierce your lobe in two places and connect these with a ring.
A forward helix is similar to a helix in that it’s done in the cartilage at the top of the ear. But, it’s located in the very front (or forward part) of the ear and, once healed, most people insert studs instead of hoops or rings.
Follow the inner curve where the rook is located to the center of the ear and you get the snug. Think of it as a hug for the inner cartilage of your ear. Except a hug that hurts like the Dickens and takes four to six months to heal.
A daith piercing is located on the cartilage fold just below the forward helix. They hurt slightly more to get than a helix, and have the same healing time of four to six months.