For thousands of years, cultures around the world have used nasal piercings to symbolize betrothal, passage into adulthood, prowess in battle, fertility, or individuality. While they may have lost much of their symbolic meaning in modern western cultures, the unique beauty and prominence of nose piercings still make them one of the most popular and versatile types of piercings.
There are many different types of nose piercings, and each one can accommodate different types of nose rings. The right style for you will depend on how prominent you want your nose ring to be and what type of jewelry you feel most comfortable wearing.
Nostril Piercings
Nostril piercings are the most common nasal piercing due to their relatively easy aftercare and their versatility. They can be placed in either the left or right nostril (or both!) and accommodate many different types of nose rings, such as studded nose bones, nose screws, and fishtails, as well as seamless rings, circular barbells, and captive bead rings. It’s also possible to get a high nostril piercing, which sits further up the nasal passage, though they’re trickier for a piercer to reach and can’t accommodate as many types of nose rings as a lower nostril piercing.
Septum Piercings
Septum piercings have an ancient tribal history, but are also one of the most popular types of piercings today due to their alluring combination of edge and elegance. This piercing passes through the bottom of the nasal septum, which separates the two nostrils. With this piercing, you can wear many different types of septum jewelry, such as seamless or captive bead rings, bent or circular barbells, septum pinchers, septum clickers, and tribal-inspired jewelry. While septum piercings can certainly be eye-catching, they can also be easily concealed with a circular barbell by flipping your jewelry up into your nostrils.
Nasal Bridge Piercings
Bridge piercings are one of the bolder types of nose piercing. Technically a surface piercing, a bridge piercing passes through the skin over the nose bone between the eyes. Like all surface piercings, bridge piercings can be prone to rejection. The best type of jewelry for a bridge piercing is a short bent barbell, which curves with the bridge of the nose, relieving some pressure on the healing fistulas.
Nasallang Piercings
A nasallang is actually a triple nose piercing that combines two nostril piercings with a septum piercing, all united by a single straight barbell. Though a nasallang can be daunting to pierce initially, as it means getting three piercings all at once, it’s also versatile in its own way — after it’s healed you can wear either a single nasallang barbell, or multiple pieces of nasal and septum jewelry instead.
Rhinoceros (a.k.a. Vertical Tip) Piercings
Perhaps the rarest type of nose piercing, a rhinoceros piercing passes vertically behind the tip of your nose, so that one side of your jewelry sits on top of the tip of the nose and the other sits just underneath it. The best type of jewelry for a rhinoceros piercing is a bent barbell, though in some rare cases a straight barbell might also work.
Whatever type of nose piercing suits you, we’re sure to carry hundreds of high-quality nose rings to match your style.