About the quality of our jewelry
Quality
Counts! How can you be an educated consumer without an education? If you value
your body, and your body piercings, read on:
You Get What
You Pay For
Rings of Desire sells ONLY the highest quality body jewelry available. Quality
jewelry DOES differ from the cheap stuff. But, of course, you need to know what
you are looking for and why you should be willing to pay more for it. You can
get cheaper jewelry than we provide, but you CAN’T find better jewelry,
anywhere.
Metals
First and foremost is that metal body jewelry (most especially any used for
an initial piercing) must be manufactured from inert, bio-compatible materials.
These include implant grade surgical stainless steel, implant grade titanium,
solid 14 or 18 karat nickel-free white or yellow gold, niobium, and platinum.
Other metals not meant for wear in the body (including sterling silver and any
gold plating) can result in a variety of adverse reactions including allergies,
infections, and rejected piercings.
Any retailer providing you with steel or titanium body jewelry should have access
to “Mill Certificates” or “Mill Certs” from the manufacturer
of the product. These detail the particular grade of the metal. If a body jewelry
supplier is not familiar with this, then they are not keeping up with important
information that is available in the piercing field. We have requested and received
Mill Certs from our suppliers, so we are ASSURED that our jewelry is made from
the proper grade of metal.
Much steel body jewelry is touted as “implant grade” but it is not
unless it is ASTM F-138 compliant. (Often described as 316L or 316LVM, but this
alone does not assure implant grade!) It MUST be F-138 grade to be
sure it is implant grade. Titanium should specifically be: Ti 6A4V F-136 grade.
These are the specific materials that we stock.
These are the same metals used in medical applications such as hip or knee replacements
and bone pins. It is frequently claimed that the cheaper jewelry is “implant
grade” but this is often not the case. If you are going to shop elsewhere,
ask if your supplier knows the grade of the metal and if he or she has copies
of the Mill Certs. Even if your eye can’t tell the difference between
good metal and bad, your body may find out the hard way if you gamble on cheap
jewelry.
Finish
Also vital is that the jewelry have a mirror finish; a high shine, super-smooth
surface. Body jewelry that has ANY nicks, burrs, tooling marks or scratches
can cause severe complications with healing. A poor finish can result in trauma
to the wound, delayed healing, and a build up of scar tissue. A rough or porous
surface can introduce bacteria into the wound and cause infection. Cheap jewelry
seldom has the same quality finish as well-made, more costly body jewelry. Even
on a healed piercing, jewelry with a rough finish can cause irritation, damage
and complications.
Much of the poor quality body jewelry is not annealed. This is a heat treatment
that makes jewelry pliable enough to work with easily, and it restores the metal
to it’s pre bending (in the case of a ring) molecular structure. If you
cannot relatively easily bend a ring (up to 14 gauge or so) with your fingers,
then it is not annealed. It is also significantly harder to take such jewelry
in and out, and to insert and remove beads from captive rings. This can necessitate
the use of tools, which could scratch and damage jewelry and unnecessarily complicate
jewelry insertion and removal.
Threading
Numerous popular styles have threaded ends that screw onto the body jewelry.
All of our high quality straight, bent and circular barbells are threaded internally
so that the post is smooth, and the threading is on the ball or other end, such
as a spike, gem, etc. This allows for the safe, easy and comfortable passage
of metal through your body when you take the jewelry in and out; you never need
to put threads through your piercing.
Externally threaded jewelry (which we do not sell or use) has the threads on
the post, and they must be passed through the piercing to insert and remove
the jewelry. You don’t have to be an expert to realize that internally
threaded jewelry is preferable. It is much more sophisticated and expensive
to manufacture internally tapped jewelry, therefore the end product does cost
more. But again, it is well worth the extra expense to avoid having to pass
threads through your body. Also, due to longer threading and a greater thread
count, internally threaded balls hold more securely.
Your Body Knows the Difference
You can find plenty of cheap jewelry, and some of it may be fashionable and
attractive; but once you know the difference, is that REALLY what you want for
your body? And remember, the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the
sweetness of low price is forgotten....
Customer Service
In addition to the high quality of the jewelry we offer, our extensive expertise
is yours for the asking. We are readily available by phone (504)524-6147 or
email to assist you in the selection
of the best size and style of jewelry for your individual needs. Don’t
hesitate to call upon us; we are more than happy to help you.
Our Guarantee
We have THE best body jewelry available, and we stand behind our products. Even
individuals who are “metal sensitive” or who have nickel allergies
can wear our jewelry! In my entire lengthy career I can recall seeing just ONE
individual who had sensitivity to our steel. But she did great with our niobium!
In the unlikely event that you are unable to wear our jewelry due to a metal
sensitivity* we will apply your purchase price to another material of jewelry
until we find something successful. If we cannot find jewelry that works for
you due to metal content, we will accept a return on your purchase and refund
your money.**
*We are not responsible for problems with a piercing that cannot withstand jewelry
due to inappropriate placement, improper care, or other piercing-related issues.
If you are a mail order customer, we may request a close up photo of your piercing
to assist you, evaluate your piercing, and/or determine the appropriateness
of your jewelry selection.
**Minus a 10% restocking fee. This offer does not include refund of any shipping
charges.
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