Crystals, Gemstones, & Piercing

Discussion and questions about the magical properties and uses of crystals and stones.
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LoneWolf78
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Crystals, Gemstones, & Piercing

Post by LoneWolf78 »

When I first came across Magick in the mid 90's it was via a small shop that also did body piercing. So in many ways I have always associated the two.

Recently, I have begun taking an interest in gemstones. My ear lobes are currently stretched to 14mm. It dawned on me: What better of an intimate way to have stones with me to work with and carry on me whenever I want? Needless to say, I have now begun a collection of various gemstone flesh plugs and tunnels.
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SpiritTalker
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Re: Crystals, Gemstones, & Piercing

Post by SpiritTalker »

I'd had my ears pierced decades ago but I am curious what ear lobe stretching involves... Long ears like Buddha?
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Re: Crystals, Gemstones, & Piercing

Post by Firebird »

I had a friend in Jr HS (which I guess is now called middle school) who enlarged the hole of his one pierced ear gradually with threads. Nowadays they make a punch hole and you gradually enlarge with bigger gage plugs. I would say he was long before his time because this was in the very early 70's. This guy used to keep a small glass bottle in this hole that musta been the size around of a quarter and filled with weed. He was always getting into trouble and was eventually expelled from school. But I used to think Ouch that must hurt and what will you do when you are 80 and your lobes are hanging to your waist? Like us old ladies and our breasts ? will they get snagged on anything? LoL.
The only place I had ever seen this before was in the National Geographic magazine!
Anyway I wonder about putting a crystal point in the loop? are they too ragged in the edges to be comfortable?
BB, FF
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LoneWolf78
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Re: Crystals, Gemstones, & Piercing

Post by LoneWolf78 »

SpiritTalker wrote:I'd had my ears pierced decades ago but I am curious what ear lobe stretching involves... Long ears like Buddha?
It can, but it doesn't have to. :)

Here is a pretty thorough guide to how the stretching process is done:

https://www.urbanbodyjewelry.com/ear-stretching-guide

Though, if you have had your ears pierced for any length of time at all, I would say that most people could easily go from a "standard size" earring (16 gauge/1.2 mm) to a 14 gauge or 1.6 mm since the jump is only a .4 mm difference. You may be able to even get by with a 12 gauge or 2 mm with the jump being a .8 mm difference.The main thing is to never do it dry. With a bit of lube this should be able to be accomplished without a taper at all. This can be anything from one of those recommended on the above linked guide, but I have also done this with a good silicone lube such as Astroglide. Get a good set of surgical steel or titanium captive bead ring (which is a hoop with a bead) these are fairly inexpensive anywhere and you can replace the steel bead with that of a gemstone. For example a common stone for captive bead rings is hematite seen here, but I have seen everything from tigers eye to amethyst to black onyx. If you know small bead sizes at all or have a favorite bead shop that should help you a good deal. Here is an example of a set of 14 gauge captive bead rings (also cbr's) with a hematite stone bead. Image

Since for this small of a jump you should not have to use a taper, the ring should easily (maybe a slightly tight pinch) slide in without issue. Then once the ring is in, dry the lube off and insert the bead. Most beads are dimpled, so line the dimples up with the ring and push slightly. You will hear a click. As a tip, if you are doing this over a sink, put a towel down over the sink. Small beads are easy to drop and will go right down the drain. Ideally this should be done on carpet as even then f you drop a bead they will bounce but not as far.

If you have never had stretched ears before I would not go beyond the 12 gauge/2mm.

After wearing a 12 gauge/2mm for a while, again using nothing more than lube and a 10 gauge/2.4 mm CBR with lube.

When you jump from a 10 gauge/2.4 mm to an 8 gauge/3.2 mm is when you will likely use your first taper. The above link shows different styles of taper and it is a matter of choice. Although the above link does mention other methods, my preferred is the taper simply because most tapers/taper sets are relatively inexpensive and will provide the exact stretch instead of guessing around with tape and other methods.

Once you get to around whatever your goal for stretching is, would be the best time to start looking for plugs. The reason that I say this is because the CBR will assist with lending weight to the stretching process. Plus, from an economic stand point, while you can always go back down in size within reason, it is best to begin a collection when you are around the desired size. For example I am around where I want to be, I may go a size bigger but likely no more. I am currently at a 14mm or 9/16 of an inch. I may go to 16 mm or 5/8 of an inch, but I don't see myself going any bigger.

Some other tips: If, say you are wearing only an eight gauge plug it does not look much different in appearance than if you are wearing a regular flat back earring on the surface. The bigger you go, the more apparent that you have your ears stretched becomes. Also, there are some very beautiful wood plugs with designs on them. In order for the designs to really be readable it is best to at least shoot for a 00 gauge/10 mm at the very least.

Though the above may sound extreme, it is important to remember this: A plain old Bic pen is roughly around the size of a 0 gauge/8mm. Once you can really get your head around that, you can see that even a 0 gauge is not that terribly big. For example my current size of 9/16 of an inch or 14 mm is slightly bigger than a thick crayola marker.

I hope that this helps.

*One thing that I should edit in is that my friend only has her ears stretched to an 8 gauge/3.2mm and you can get many gemstone plugs in that size. When it comes to stretching, or for that matter any body modification it should be done for you. For what you are comfortable with and what it means to you. Not for how "hardcore" it will look to anyone else. There are no right or wrong answers as to what sizes of piercings, what piercings, or what tattoos are right for you. Only you can decide that. Sometimes they just feel right, other times they come to you in meditation or in a dream. But ultimately if they are right for you, you will know.
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LoneWolf78
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Re: Crystals, Gemstones, & Piercing

Post by LoneWolf78 »

firebirdflys wrote:I had a friend in Jr HS (which I guess is now called middle school) who enlarged the hole of his one pierced ear gradually with threads. Nowadays they make a punch hole and you gradually enlarge with bigger gage plugs. I would say he was long before his time because this was in the very early 70's. This guy used to keep a small glass bottle in this hole that musta been the size around of a quarter and filled with weed. He was always getting into trouble and was eventually expelled from school. But I used to think Ouch that must hurt and what will you do when you are 80 and your lobes are hanging to your waist? Like us old ladies and our breasts ? will they get snagged on anything? LoL.
The only place I had ever seen this before was in the National Geographic magazine!
Anyway I wonder about putting a crystal point in the loop? are they too ragged in the edges to be comfortable?
BB, FF
The stones are tumbled and not at all jagged on the edges. They are super smooth and have a nice cool feel when you put them in. If you do a quick google search of gemstone ear plugs you will see what I mean.

Lol on your friend!

I have always said, that when many members of my generation such as myself go to a nursing home we will either be the coolest nursing home for kids to go trick or treating in or the scariest depending on the kid. ::coolglasses::

Inronic that you mention National Geographic as one of the founding fathers of what was dubbed the Modern Primitive movement Fakir Musafar (I posted an interview with him here: http://everythingunderthemoon.net/forum ... 08-15.html) was largely inspired by his fascination with National Geographic along with his own interest in Native American culture and Shamanism.
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Re: Crystals, Gemstones, & Piercing

Post by SpiritTalker »

Thanks - that was very detailed & helpful.
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