It’s the most annoying and nerve racking moment in the life of a piercing. Maybe you haven’t checked to make sure your jewelry is screwed on tight in longer than you thought, or maybe your favorite five year old barbell has just finally had it, but whatever the reason, you just lost a body jewelry ball. On the floor, in the grass, down the drain. it’s gone. So how do you get a replacement for this one little ball without spending a fortune? Well, that’s where replacement parts come into the picture.
First, you need to know two things: the gauge size of your barbell, and the millimeter size of the ball that you lost.
For measuring the ball, you may have to measure the circumference with a string. Ball sizes are always in whole millimeter measurements that indicate diameter.
If the piece that came loose was a ball from a ball captive ring, sizing is still important, but you also want to make sure that you get a ball that’s made specifically to go back into a captive ring. Luckily, they’ll always be labeled as BCR replacement balls.
So now that we’ve got that down, it’s time to pick a match. This is where it’s beneficial to return to the same jewelry company that made the original item. If it’s been a while and you can’t remember, there’s two options: buy the two colors that look closest to yours and see which is a better match, or get a single matching ball in a coordinated solid color. If you generally wear stainless steel jewelry, this step is a breeze.
To avoid having to go through body jewelry ball withdrawal, bonus packs are a great option. You get a set of a few balls in the right size that will work with your jewelry, and this way you can either mix and match at will, or just rest easy knowing you have a backup.
See, that wasn’t so bad, right?
