Cartilage / Tragus

Cartilage covers most of the ear — helix, tragus, rook, conch, daith and flat. It is firmer than the lobe, slower to heal, and far less forgiving of the wrong jewelry.

This collection brings together everything we carry for cartilage: flat back labret studs, hinged hoops, clicker rings, seamless rings and threadless tops, almost all in 16G.

16G is the standard here. It is set by the piercing, not by preference, and a thinner 18G or 20G post is not a substitute — those gauges belong in nostrils and lobes. If a piece feels too tight, the fix is a longer post or a wider hoop diameter at the same gauge.

Cartilage takes 6 to 12 months to heal depending on placement — a helix around 6 to 9, a rook or daith closer to 9 to 12. It also has poor blood supply, which is why it takes so long and why material matters for the whole of that window. Everything here is implant-grade titanium, ASTM F-136, nickel-free.

During healing, a flat back stud beats a hoop. Hoops rotate and drag through a channel that is still forming, and that constant movement is one of the more common reasons a cartilage piercing stays angry. Switch to hoops once it has settled.

Browse by placement in conch and daith, by style in threadless and clicker rings, or see all 16G.