How To Choose The Best Metal For Your Belly Button Ring

There are a lot of weird sounding metals to choose from when deciding which belly button ring you want to wear. This will guide you through the different qualities of these metals, with particular attention paid to the best metals for new (unhealed) piercings (marked with *).

Nickel Free Surgical Steel* - this was especially made for initial piercings. It's safe and least likely to cause irritation.

Surgical Steel - (also known as 316L) is now most commonly used for belly button ring piercings, notably in the United States. Because it has a high nickel content (10-14%), there are regulations in some parts of the world that don't allow this metal for new piercings. The fear of the nickel content causing allergy for a belly button ring piercing however, is irrelevant, because the nickel is so tightly bound it is in fact allergy-free. The only minus about surgical steel though is its weight, so it's not the optimum choice for larger jewelry. Not a problem for belly button rings as they are so small and light anyway!

Anodized Surgical Steel - Because the surgical steel is treated, it creates an array of beautiful colors. It's great for belly button rings.

Sterling Silver - Sterling silver is a classically beautiful metal. The down side of sterling silver is that it commonly produces a nickel-allergy, as it can oxidize. Many people have an allergy to sterling silver. So, you will find most belly button ring jewelry now comes with only the decorative part of the ring in sterling silver (so you can still enjoy its luster), with the stem (that goes through the actual hole of the piercing) made of surgical steel.

Gold* - If you can afford it, this is a supreme choice for a new belly button ring piercing. Gold is the metal, lusted after for centuries! For your belly button ring, it needs to be at least 14 or 18 karat gold.

Gold Plated - This is the way to have a gold belly button ring on a budget! You need to be mindful though that the gold plating can wear off, and that can create an irritation from the metal underneath. Gold plating is best for fully healed belly button ring piercings.

Backline Titanium* - it is extremely uncommon that people develop reactions to this metal. So that's why they use it in delicate medical operations (pacemakers are made out of it). Not surprisingly, that makes this perfect for new piercings of the belly button! How do they make belly button ring jewelry out of it? The titanium core has a surface layer of black and durable titanium film added to it. It doesn't cause friction to body tissue, and it's lightweight. Perfect!

Titanium - This metal is most popular in the EU. It's accepted extremely well by the body, and for that reason is becoming more popular. Titanium is 60% lighter than surgical steel (a big bonus for body jewelry). There has been some controversy over its content of aluminum and vanadium but studies to date have found no side effects.

Anodized Titanium - Just like anodized surgical steel, anodized Titanium creates a similar and beautiful layer of colored oxide on the surface. Very pretty belly button rings. These colors come out in yellow, bright blue, blue, purple, bright purple, green, and a rainbow mix.

Rhodium Plated - How to have a white gold-looking belly button ring - without having to pay for the gold! Rhodium is used to plate other metals for its white gold appearance. Belly button ring stems will be surgical steel, with the ornate part of the belly button ring being rhodium plated.

Nickel - For reference, the chrome and cobalt found in much of costume jewelry can create allergic skin reactions.