Civières d'oreille

Stretching with one, or wearing one

This is the distinction that catches most people out, so it's worth getting straight before anything else.

A taper you stretch with is a smooth, non-porous tool. It goes in at your current size, comes out at the next one, and gets replaced by a plug or tunnel straight away. It's not jewellery and it isn't meant to be left in.

A stretcher you wear is jewellery. It sits at one fixed size and stays in. The spirals, hooks, spikes and carved tapers in this collection are all this kind. Some are shaped like a taper, but the shape is the design, not an instruction to push it through a smaller lobe.

Organic materials are the reason the difference matters. Horn, bone and wood are porous. They're excellent to wear in a settled, fully healed lobe and they're lighter than metal at large sizes, which is why stretched ears end up full of them. They are not the right material to force through a lobe that isn't ready. Size up with your piercer's advice and the right tool, then wear these.

Our guide to ear stretching covers the process properly, including how long to sit at each size.

The shapes

Spirals. A coiled piece that threads through the lobe and curls around it. The most visible thing in this collection and the reason people buy more than one. Worn at a fixed size.

Hooks. A curved piece that hangs through the lobe rather than filling it. Lighter than it looks, and it moves.

Spikes. Straight or tapered, sitting flush at the front and projecting behind. The Camden extra-long spikes are the ones people come to the market stall for.

Carved tapers and stretchers. A cone shape, wider at one end. Worn at the size marked, with the narrow end as the design rather than as a working tip.

Expanders. Straight-sided, plain, and the quietest option here.

Getting the size right

Work in millimetres. Gauge numbers run out of usefulness above 00g, so every listing leads with the millimetre measurement. The ladder: 2mm (12g), 3mm (8g), 4mm (6g), 5mm (4g), 6mm (2g), 7mm, 8mm (0g), 10mm (00g), then straight millimetres up to 22mm.

Buy the size you are, not the size you want. If you're between sizes, go down rather than up. The gauge-to-millimetre conversion chart converts both ways, and a piercer will measure you in seconds if you're not certain.

Sold singly or in pairs depending on the piece, so check before you order, because hand-carved designs are frequently sold one at a time.

The materials

Horn and buffalo horn. Dense, smooth once polished, and warm against the skin almost immediately. Every piece carries different marbling.

Bone. Pale, light and the most likely to be carved in fine detail.

Wood. Rosewood and blackwood mostly, occasionally coconut. The lightest material here and the usual recommendation at large sizes where metal starts to pull.

Stone and silver accents. Turquoise, malachite and green stone inlays, and silver tips and spirals on selected designs.

All three organic materials are porous. Keep them out of the shower, out of the sea and away from soaking, and wipe them occasionally with a little jojoba or coconut oil to stop them drying out. Wood especially will tell you when it's thirsty.

Once you're at your size, the plugs and tunnels range covers the everyday end of the same sizes.

Common questions

Can I stretch my ears with these?

No. These are made to be worn at a fixed size, not to size up with. Horn, bone and wood are porous and aren't the right material to push through a lobe. Speak to a professional piercer about sizing up, then wear these at the size you reach.

What size ear stretchers should I buy?

Buy the millimetre size you currently wear. Ours run from 2mm (12g) to 22mm, and 4mm, 6mm, 8mm and 10mm are the sizes we stock most deeply. If you're unsure, a piercer can measure you.

How do I look after horn, bone and wood?

Keep them dry, with no showers, swimming or soaking, and oil them occasionally with jojoba or coconut oil. Store them somewhere that isn't a hot windowsill.

Are they sold as a pair?

It varies by design. Hand-carved pieces are often sold singly because no two are identical, so check the listing before you order.