What's That Ear Piercing Called?

Tragus, Helix, Daith, Rook - honestly they could probably pass as Star Wars character names...but these are in fact different types of piercings you can have in your ear...

Let's break them down, so when you go into store, you can tell your piercer exactly what you want!

Starting from the top and working clockwise...

FORWARD HELIX

A forward helix piercing is on the upper, forward curve of the ear, near where the ear attaches to the head. It's a subtle choice for those seeking a stylish and chic piercing, often adorned with small studs or hoops.
Pain Rating: 4 out of 10
Healing Time: 5-10 Months

FLAT

Your cartilage's flat area is where this piercing is placed, offering ample space for creative piercing ideas. Depending on your ear shape and size, opt for a single cartilage piercing or go for a double or even triple piercing. Though you can create the illusion of multiple piercings here with just one by choosing the right piece of jewellery.
Pain Rating: 4-5 out of 10
Healing Time: 6-12 Months

HELIX

The Helix is the cartilage on the curved outer rim of your ear. Right at the very front is your Forward Helix, and the whole curve/rim moving down to your earlobe. You can have your piercing placed anywhere along here, some people opting for multiple stacked piercings for a bolder look.
Pain Rating: 6 out of 10
Healing Time: 6-12 Months

CONCH

A conch piercing is in the central 'bowl' part of the ear - the large, shell-shaped area which is where it gets it's name, like a conch shell! You can get an inner conch which sits on the slightly flatter part and is mostly for studs. An outer conch which sits a little further in the crease and is often teamed with a hoop, or an orbital conch - which actually requires a double piercing site. We will deep dive into orbital piercings in another post, so make sure to sign up and be notified!
Pain Rating: 7 out of 10
Healing Time: 6-12 Months

LOW HELIX

This is the same as the other Helix piercings along that outer rim - just in a very low position as you start getting towards the lobe.
Pain Rating: 5 out of 10
Healing Time: 6-12 Months

UPPER LOBE

As the name suggests, this is higher on the earlobe than a traditional piercing, often close to the cartilage fold. This is perfect for those wanting a bit more edge and drama in addition to a regular lobe piercing.
Pain Rating: 3 out of 10
Healing Time: 4-6 Months

LOBE

Ahhh the old traditional! Most people's first exploration into piercing. Chic, timeless, and a quicker healing time!
Pain Rating: 2 out of 10
Healing Time: 3-6 Months

TRAGUS

This piercing passes through the small, rounded triangular cartilage piece in front of the ear known as the tragus. This is a really pretty piercing when paired with a dainty stud, or adds edge with a hoop.
Pain Rating: 4 out of 10
Healing Time: 6-12 Months

DAITH

This type of ear piercing is in the innermost cartilage fold of the ear, where the outer ridge (the helix) meets the inner ear. Not only does this look really cool, but it might just have a hidden health benefit! As the Daith piercing site is close to an acupuncture pressure point for migraines, it may offer migraine sufferers some relief. There is no concrete evidence of this, but two nurses I quizzed recently both have had this done and report good results! It might not work for everyone, but at least you'll get a cool new piercing out of it hey?!
Pain Rating: 7 out of 10
Healing Time: 6-12 Months


Yes, there's even more.......

INDUSTRIAL/SCAFFOLD

Typically involves connecting a front helix piercing to one further around with, well...what looks like scaffolding! This is typically a bar, or decorative bar, which makes it one of the most dramatic-looking ear piercings. You can get different bar lengths to suit your piercing size.
Pain Rating: 7 out of 10
Healing Time: 6-12 Months

SNUG

This runs horizontally across the anti-helix. So remember the helix is the curved part of the outer ear rim? The anti helix is the part next to it, which sticks up a little before the ear goes in towards the conch/bowl/deeper part of the ear! The snug piercing is known for its unique placement and is considered a more alternative/advanced style due to the thicker cartilage it passes through - yep, not for the faint-hearted this one!
Pain Rating: 9 out of 10
Healing Time: 6-12 Months

ORBITAL CONCH

We have chatted about the conch piercing already, so what is an oribital conch?
This actually requires two piercings, which the hoop with pass through - thus 'orbiting' a part of the ear. Just like the scaffold/industrial bar passing though two parts of the ear, this is the same, but with a hoop. You can actually have an orbital piercing in a lobe, or helix too. We will dive more into this in another blog post.
Pain Rating: 7 out of 10
Healing Time: 6-12 Months

TRANSVERSE LOBE

This unusual lobe piercing is a horizontal piercing through the earlobe, instead of the usual vertical front-to-back style. It's a distinctive ear piercing often done with a curved or straight barbell, inserted horizontally across the lobe. Certainly different! Although it's still in the lobe, the healing time is longer due to the nature of the piercing.
Pain Rating: 4 out of 10
Healing Time: 6-12 Months

ANTI TRAGUS

Remember our regular tragus piercing? The soft little sticky-out flap bit before you head down the ear canal? Well meet the anti-tragus! This is another slightly smaller but firmer sticky out hump shape underneath it running along the top of the lobe.
Pain Rating: 6-7 out of 10
Healing Time: 6-12 Months

ROOK

This ear piercing goes through the antihelix, the next ridge of cartilage above the daith in the inner ear. It's a vertical piercing using a curved barbell or ring. As this is super close to the daith piercing, it often gets confused for helping with migraines - you want the daith piercing for that.
Pain Rating: 8 out of 10
Healing Time: 6-12 Months

Who knew there were so many places to prod a needle just in the ear! But whatever your piercing of choice - whether traditional, subtle, chic and timeless or bold, edgy, loud and fun we have the jewellery to match!

TAKE A LOOK AT OUR EAR JEWELLERY