Weird Nose Ring Question

Angela Schoonen · #1 2006-12-08, 8:52pm

I have a friend who wears a nose ring and has a weird question that I don't know the answer to!
She has a nose ring stud that is made from either stainless steel or nickel and doesn't like the end on it that sits inside her nose. She wants to know if I can melt glass on the end that will sit inside her nose - she wants me to snip off the end of the post and add a drop of glass to it - then she would work it through her nose and it would sit there, being held in place by the glass blob.
So - can I add a drop of glass to the end? Would it be safe not to kiln anneal it? She really likes her nose ring, so I don't want to wreck it. Any ideas?

jhana · #2 2006-12-08, 8:56pm

I wouldn't put anything that could possibly crack off into my nose,
and I certainly wouldn't want to be liable for someone else.
But that's just me.

Leanne · #3 2006-12-08, 9:02pm

I dunno how you would fit the bit off glass through the piercing? Maybe tell her to use a tiny bit of wax, like the wax they give you at the orthodonist to put on your braces where they rub and hurt?

InspirationToolworks · #4 2006-12-08, 9:19pm

Well... here's my thoughts... you can't anneal it properly without hurting the metal finish. I wouldn't want un-annealed glass up my nose.

I do belive that there are other options to "the inside end". She really should go to a good body mod shop for a consultation.

-Jeff

Three Muses Glass · #5 2006-12-09, 5:47am

They (it's always they lol) make tiny plastic tubing to put over earring posts. My mom developed an allergy to metals but still insisted she wear earrings so she bought the plastic and was able to do so. Maybe that would make it more comfortable for your freind.
As far as adding glass to the post, if it were me? No way.

monarae · #6 2006-12-10, 12:39pm

I still wear the same nose ring I bought about 15 years ago. It was a baby earring in 14k gold. It has a threaded end onto which the back was to be screwed. I never put the back on; the threads keep it in place. Maybe she should bring it to a jeweler and have the end threaded?

If you use glass, it would certainly stick to the metal, however the difference in cooling between glass and metal, without annealing, is almost certainly to cause the glass to break before youget a chance to wear it. The ball would have to be SOOOOOO tiny, I doubt I'd worry about it being in my nose.

Mona

kbinkster · #7 2006-12-10, 5:13pm

The type of nose ring you are describing is called a "bone." If you read up on the piercing forums, they strongly recommend against wearing them. So, I would not even want to make someone something like that. Screws are much better. A screw is not threaded like a screw, but is shaped so that you have to turn it in kinda' like a screw (straight shaft and then a curved bend). Some people do not like them. But, if you get one fit to your nose, they can be very comfortable. That's what I wear.

As far as technically being able to put a glass ball on the end of something, I agree with what has already been said above.

As for putting earring backs and disks on the end - cold and flu season would be particularly nasty.

I wouldn't do it, but that's just me.

Heather/Ericaceae · #8 2006-12-11, 9:58am

I tried wearing a nosering that has a TINY blob of metal at the end, instead of glass as you were describing. I agree with Kimberly - it was uncomfortable. It was really hurty to force the blob through my tiny, cartiliginous piercing, and then it wouldn't stay flush on the outside but poked out a mm or two. Which meant that it always caught on facecloths! And the shaft wasn't quite long enough to bend.

Also like Kim, I've been much happier with "screw" or "twist" style nose-studs where the post spirals in and then lays flat against the inner side of the outer nostril. I can't feel it at all and can even pinch my nose without any discomfort, and the tiny blue gem lays totally flat. I've worn my current one for over 3 years now.

I agree with Mona, Jeff and JL - lampwork glass on a nosewire sounds too risky. If she's totally sold on a glass nosering, there is such a thing as quartz retainers, though! They're very strong, chemically inert and almost invisible. The disadvantage is that the post would be wider than most wires and of course it wouldn't be able to be adjusted by bending! Click the image for a link...

Angela Schoonen · #9 2006-12-11, 2:16pm

Thanks so much guys. I didn't think it was a good idea either, but I told her I would post the question here. I've forwarded all the replies to her and I'll let her make her decision that doesn't involve me adding glass to it!
Thanks again, very much