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Hi, we use dichro cabs in both types of "navel" piercing jewelry, bar (bananna) bells and the hoop type. We use very small cabs and have a body piercing store make them for us. They use very small stainless steel ball bearings and some how hollow them out and put the glass in. The ones for the bar bells are threaded and the ones for the hoops have little holes drilled in just like the beads.

Someone else suggested checking out the tatoo parlours, that is what we did and we make them together. We choose to make them with "body piercing quality stainless" because that is what they wanted to work with.

Katy

After reading all the above, all I can say is thank-the-goddess I have a boy and he's only 10 years old!

Piercings are not only for girls, Marty. And you think it's outrageous now, imagine what they will think of when your son in a teen?! hahahahaha

You can't stop them you can only delay as long as possible!

Amy

I think if someone came up with a great way to make the plugs (called gauges here in OH) they'd be hitting a gold mine. I can't tell you how many times I've been asked if I could make them. Even the junky material ones are very expensive, especially when you consider that you have to keep replacing them with larger sizes to stretch the skin...

BTW, I pierced my own navel and then got pregnant 3 weeks later,- not too attractive at 7 mos.

the guys have some pretty interesting ideas about areas that might be pierced, too. i leave it to your imagination.

Marty wrote:After reading all the above, all I can say is thank-the-goddess I have a boy and he's only 10 years old!

You've gotta be kidding Marty! Boys want all that stuff as much, if not more, than girls. StepBoy wasn't much older than that (13) when I agreed to bleach his hair streaky blonde while he was here for the weekend; then a few short years later, I went along as the "Grown-Up-In-Charge" when he wanted to get those thick hoop earings the guys wear now.

He wondered what his Mom would think when we brought him home.

(I refrained from telling him that her 1982 hairstyle led me to believe she wasn't exactly up on any recent trends )

Bert:
You may be happy to know it does come full circle. My daughter got her tongue ring at Columbia U her first year and kept it in for 4 years, until interviewing for a much wanted internship with NASA two weeks ago. Long hair got cut but not so short that it wouldn't still hide the stainless steel nape-of-neck bar. She had to buy a purse for the first time, ditch the back pack. reduce the size of the ear plugs (thank god the skin shrank back), and then find "business casual" clothes. Hidden piercings don't matter. Marty: boys are just as adverturous; her boyfriend still sports three big silver ear rings, but his tattoos don't show. And our parents complained about long hair!
Nikki

Reactive Metals Studio (http://www.reactivemetals.com or 520-634-3434) has titanium and niobium findings as well as other interesting metals and tools. They even carry anchor lube, which I suppose is naval-related, too.

Jerry..........there's always the flashing "there it is - there it isn't" tongue stud market.

It's such an interesting distraction to talk with my youngest who has this particular body adornment. I'm fascinated by her tongue - I rarely make eye contact with her anymore - LOL!

Also Kitty, since my girls have embraced the younger generation proclivity of tat's and piercings, I've tried to come round and think about all of this body art??? in a positive light.

There could be an real upside to having your nipples pierced. Especially when you reach that magic 45-50 age. Just throw a nice chain around the back of your neck - attach the ends of the chain to the nipple piercings and vall-aaaa .......you have the female body profile of an 18 year old again! Perky-perky-perky!! [-X

o! my area of special interest!

'body piercing quality' is usually 316-L stainless steel, for glass pyrex is usually used - both, from what i have gleaned, is because they're 'more' non porous than their alternatives. if a surface is porous, bacteria gets in, the jewelry gets smelly, infection could incur, blah blah blah....

if you wanted to make a ball for the steel barbel/navel ring to screw into, there's...hmm, what are they called...threaders, maybe...it's the threaded part a screw screws into. the ppl i talked to made it sound like if you walked into a hardware store and described it they'd know what you were talking about...drill a hole in the glass, glue that in, and now you can screw that onto the jewelry (or anything really). the vast vast majority of navel rings are 14g although there are some 16.......you can buy the navel rings in steel, gold, niobium from pretty much any body jewelry wholesaler from 30 cents - $5 usually, except gold which is more. i can point ppl in the direction of some good suppliers if interested....(i used to sell the stuff)

anyone wants to take a stab at makin me some plugs...let me know! i'm at 5/8" and 8g.... i had a whole elaborate inlay idea using exotic hardwoods and glass, but that would involve lathes and other crazy things that just hurt my brain thinkin about. but if anyone else is up to it...

here's a studio out in seattle that's gotten some cool stuff done with dichro plugs. simple, but they're fantastic looking. i'm partial to the encased opals (which i wanna know how they did but dont have the guts to ask), http://www.glasswearstudios.com/webpages/home.html excuse the crappy website.

peace
- l

Kitty wrote: you can't please every single person unless you go to gold, and that influences the price a lot.

Well, I can't wear gold, but surgical steel is fine. I can wear sterling silver for a few hours - but gold in my ears make them go putrid and intensely itchy after about 5 minutes.