Faking It - The New Jewellery Trend

Few can have failed to notice the huge growth in recent years of body piercing. It is more or less the norm now to have a belly piercing and even tongue piercings and the more unusual facial piercings are a common site. But what happens if you really don't want to have holes made in your skin? Or perhaps you have a small piercing but like the looks of the large ear plugs but don't want the huge holes, what then?

Enter onto the scene 'fake-it' body jewellery. 'Fake' body jewellery, i.e. jewellery that doesn't require a piercing, is not a new concept. For example, clip on earrings have existed for literally 100's of years. However, it is only recently that similar products for other parts of the body have been available.

Perhaps the first 'fake' body jewellery to become available was the emergence of clip-on nipple jewellery. For several reasons, many people do not like the idea of having a nipple pierced, not least of which is because of the possible pain involved in puncturing a rather sensitive part of the anatomy. Clip-on nipple jewellery resolved this problem. Usually made from sterling silver to make it both affordable and pliant enough to be adjusted for the individual, a wide range of styles now exists. The mechanics are simple - a u-shaped adjustable clip slides over the nipple, squeezing just enough to stay in place without causing discomfort. Although this type of jewellery is unsuitable for continuous wear, it's great for an evening out in revealing or tight fitting clothing or simply for bedroom fun.

More recently we have seen the release of 'fake' jewellery for existing piercings. Although a hole is still required for this type of jewellery, it is designed to make the piercing look far bigger than it actually is. By far the most popular jewellery of this kind are the fake-it ear plugs. The size of the bar that passes through the piercing is the standard 1.6mm gauge. However, the bar is capped on both ends with much larger gauge steel, either decorated or plain, that gives the impression of much larger gauge jewellery. Fake rubber sealing rings complete the look and help to disguise the fact that this isn't real large gauge jewellery. Ideal for people who love the look of large ear jewellery but don't want the huge holes in their ears.

About the Author

Elizabeth Brodie owns and runs Body Jewellery Direct, a UK site specialising in body jewellery and belly bars that also carries a large range of quality 'fake' body jewellery.