 |
|
A standard sized belly button ring is 1/16" (1.6mm) thick and 3/8" (9.5mm) or 7/16" (11mm) long and the ball sizes are 5mm and 8mm with the largest ball at the bottom of the belly ring.
In fact, this is the difference between bananabells and common curved barbells - the last ones have balls of one size, but bananabells or belly button rings are specially designed for wearing in navels. The biggest ball sits in the middle of the navel and looks spot on!
When you visit body jewelry stores, you'll see that every store offers different options for choosing the size of navel jewelry you want to buy. Some only indicate the thickness of the shaft in gauges, some will let you choose the length of it, but some allow you to choose the best combo of gauge and length from the drop-down menu. Some won't say any sizes at all and in that case you have to presume that it's a standard sized belly ring.
Having checked body jewelry stores I found out that the size range is quite big for needs of everyone. Belly ring sizes vary from 16ga to 10ga in diameter and from tiny 1/4" to 5/8" in length. If you need even a longer belly ring (say, in case of pregnancy), you should consider buying a PTFE or bioplast belly ring.
Below are the belly button ring sizes - you can see what a certain piercing gauge number means.
| Gauge | Fraction | Inches | Millimetres |
| 16 | 0.051" | 1.291mm | |
| 14 | 1/16" | 0.064" | 1.628mm |
| 12 | 5/64" | 0.081" | 2.053mm |
| 10 | 1/10" | 0.102" | 2.588mm |
They insert standard belly rings at piercing studios and your piercing size is most likely to fit a 14ga thick and 3/8" long shaft. Just to make yourself sure, measure your navel ring and see if it isn't longer than 3/8". The widest belly button ring sizes range offer TheChainGang online jewelry store - see it yourself.
You're about getting pierced and can't decide what size piercing to buy? You can buy a navel ring of any gauge and length! Maybe you want the shaft be a bit thicker. Or you want the top end of the ring to emerge out of your skin a bit higher than usually. Piercer will use the piercing needle of the same gauge and you'll get the piercing you want.
Only thing I'd suggest and I think many piercers would agree - don't go for extra short shafts. The skin fold might be too thin to fit 1/4" long belly ring and the piercing can migrate out of the skin - as they sometimes do.
Go from Belly Button Ring Sizes to Home Page or to Belly Button Piercing
