Tell me about jewelry for stretched ears...

[sefalik]

Probably not the best place to ask (in the threads I found about stretching earlobes, most of the feedback seemed negative), but what the heck... I'm currently size 4, looking to move up. I've been using captive bead rings up until this point (got pierced with a 12, moved on from there), but going bigger than size 4 with captive bead rings gets a) ridiculously expensive or b) ridiculously large. I can get the kind the special ones that have a bead that simply screws in which are really expensive, or I can get really obnoxiously large rings. Otherwise, bending the steel in a size 2 or larger ring is ridiculously hard, if not impossible to do safely. But, I don't want to pay a ton for temporary earrings (I'd like to stretch to 00, probably larger) and don't want ridiculously huge earrings either. So, do you guys have any suggestions for decent earrings to use for size 2, as well as 0 (and maybe 00, if I decide to go larger)? I'd like something fairly heavy, since if makes stretching easier.

[hermine_hesse]

I found several "stretching kits" on Amazon that go up to a size 00. The kit has a stainless steel taper and tunnel for each size. The kits are usually around $20-$30 and have at least a set of 10 tapers and tunnels over several sizes. I know you said you want something heavy, but I think the stainless steel taper is the best way to go. It lets you stretch gradually w/o damaging your ear, and is very sterile. I am currently a 14, stretching to an 8 right now. I eventually want to go to a 4 or maybe 2, and will probably end up buying one of these myself. If you do get one of these, just make sure to pace yourself. Go directly from one size to the next, where the tunnel for a week or two, then stretch to the next size. Once you get to the size you want, etsy.com has some pretty badass earrings of all sizes. That being said, I'm sure you know past 4 is pretty much the point of no return. Once you stretch beyond this point, your ears will never be able to close all the way again. (I'm not trying to talk you out of this - I personally love the way gauged ears look). Hope this helps!

[sefalik]

I stay clear of stuff like that... I go to a professional to get my stretching done. Doing it yourself isn't a good idea, in all honesty. It's not a good idea to leave tapers in your ear either. That's not really how they're supposed to be used. For example, I was pierced with a size 12. I let it heal and then started pulling them a bit to help loosen the hole up. After a month, I went to the piercer who slipped the taper through and squeezed in some 10g earrings. That's what the taper is for--to "jump" to the next size. If you wait till your ears are properly healed and have a good piercer, this is the way to go and is perfectly safe. Keeping tapers in your ear to gradually stretch isn't very sanitary nor safe. ANYWAY, I went with steel tunnels for my next two sizes (2g and 0g). Pretty small, and unfortunately they're too long to fit any of my old jewelry inside. At least the 2gs, which I have in now. The 0g tunnels should fit my old 6g rings, maybe even the 4g. That'll make jumping to 00 easier, but going from 2 to 0 will be rough.

[Cacophony]

I always made my own gauges out of sculpey. You can make awesome tapers/spirals and use any colors you want/make them look really cool for a minimum of $2. I've been doing it for years, tons of my friends use the jewelry I make, and there hasn't been a single infection. Also it's really light and your ears will stretch naturally as you play with them.