Lobe
The soft lower ear. The easiest placement to heal and the usual first piercing.
- Healing time
- 2–3
months
- Gauge
- 20g / 18g
- Post (healing / healed)
- 6mm / 5mm
- Ring diameter
- 6–12mm
Works with
Stud · Labret · Hoop · Huggie · Clicker · Chain · Charm
Fleshy and fast-healing, but the material still matters. Swelling is modest, so a 6mm post is usually enough.
Upper Lobe
Above the first lobe hole, still in soft tissue. Where a stack usually starts.
- Healing time
- 2–4
months
- Gauge
- 18g / 16g
- Post (healing / healed)
- 6mm / 5mm
- Ring diameter
- 6–10mm
Works with
Stud · Labret · Hoop · Huggie
Tissue thins toward the top of the lobe. Spacing matters more than gauge — too close to the first hole and neither heals well.
Auricle
The outer rim between lobe and helix. Cartilage, so a slower heal than it looks.
- Healing time
- 6–12
months
- Gauge
- 18g / 16g
- Post (healing / healed)
- 8mm / 6mm
- Ring diameter
- 8–10mm
Works with
Stud · Labret · Hoop · Huggie · Seamless ring
Often mistaken for a lobe piercing because of where it sits. It is cartilage and heals like cartilage — plan for months, not weeks.
Tragus
The small flap in front of the ear canal. Thick cartilage in a tight spot.
- Healing time
- 6–12
months
- Gauge
- 16g / 18g
- Post (healing / healed)
- 8mm / 6mm
- Ring diameter
- 6–8mm
Works with
Stud · Labret · Hoop · Huggie · Clicker
Tissue thickness varies a lot between people. A flat back is strongly preferred here — anything protruding catches on headphones and pillows.
Anti-Tragus
The ridge opposite the tragus, above the lobe. Dense cartilage, slow to settle.
- Healing time
- 8–12
months
- Gauge
- 16g
- Post (healing / healed)
- 8mm / 6mm
- Ring diameter
- 6–8mm
Works with
Stud · Labret · Clicker · Seamless ring
One of the slower cartilage placements. Not every ear has enough of a ridge to take it — anatomy decides, not preference.
Snug
Through the inner ridge. The most demanding ear placement to heal.
- Healing time
- 9–18
months
- Gauge
- 16g
- Post (healing / healed)
- 8mm / 6mm
- Ring diameter
- 6–8mm
Works with
Stud · Labret · Clicker
Genuinely difficult. Many ears cannot take it and a good piercer will say so. Traditionally done with a curved barbell; flat-back jewellery suits it once fully healed.
Inner Conch
The bowl of the ear, nearest the canal. Takes a stud or a large ring.
- Healing time
- 6–12
months
- Gauge
- 16g
- Post (healing / healed)
- 8mm / 6mm
- Ring diameter
- 8–12mm
Works with
Stud · Labret · Hoop · Clicker · Seamless ring
Thick cartilage. A ring here has to clear the whole outer ear, so diameters run larger than anywhere else — 10mm or 12mm, not 8mm.
Outer Conch
The flat outer part of the bowl, below the helix rim.
- Healing time
- 6–12
months
- Gauge
- 16g
- Post (healing / healed)
- 8mm / 6mm
- Ring diameter
- 8–12mm
Works with
Stud · Labret · Hoop · Clicker · Seamless ring
Sits flatter than the inner conch, so a flat-back stud lies well against the ear. A common anchor point in a curated stack.
Daith
The inner fold above the canal. A ring placement — studs do not sit right here.
- Healing time
- 6–12
months
- Gauge
- 16g
- Post (healing / healed)
- Ring only
- Ring diameter
- 8–10mm
Works with
Clicker · Seamless ring · Huggie
RING ONLY — the fold's geometry means a straight or flat-back post will not seat correctly. A hinged clicker is easiest to live with while healing.
Rook
The upper inner ridge. Thick tissue, and it needs room to swell.
- Healing time
- 6–12
months
- Gauge
- 16g
- Post (healing / healed)
- 8mm / 6mm
- Ring diameter
- 8mm
Works with
Stud · Labret · Clicker · Seamless ring
Thick fold of cartilage. Traditionally pierced with a curved barbell; flat backs and clickers work well once healed. Do not downsize early here.
Forward Helix
The small ridge at the front of the ear, by the temple. Tight — needs a shorter post.
- Healing time
- 6–12
months
- Gauge
- 16g / 18g
- Post (healing / healed)
- 6mm / 5mm
- Ring diameter
- 6–8mm
Works with
Stud · Labret · Seamless ring · Huggie
SHORTER POST THAN HELIX. The tissue here is thin and the area is tight against the head — an 8mm post that suits a helix will protrude and catch. This is the single most common sizing mistake on the ear.
Helix
The upper outer rim. The most common cartilage piercing and the backbone of most stacks.
- Healing time
- 6–12
months
- Gauge
- 16g / 18g
- Post (healing / healed)
- 8mm / 6mm
- Ring diameter
- 8–10mm
Works with
Stud · Labret · Hoop · Huggie · Clicker · Seamless ring
Swells more than people expect. Start at 8mm and downsize to 6mm once swelling settles — a post that is too short while healing causes embedding.
Flat
The flat plane inside the upper rim. Stud territory — rings do not work here.
- Healing time
- 6–12
months
- Gauge
- 16g
- Post (healing / healed)
- 8mm / 6mm
- Ring diameter
- Stud only
Works with
Stud · Labret
STUD ONLY — there is no rim for a ring to close around. Often pierced two or three at a time as a cluster, which is where the stack builder earns its keep.
Orbital
Two holes joined by a single ring. A technique more than a location.
- Healing time
- 6–12
months
- Gauge
- 16g / 18g
- Post (healing / healed)
- Ring only
- Ring diameter
- 8–10mm
Works with
Clicker · Seamless ring · Huggie
RING ONLY, by definition — one ring passes through two holes. Usually placed in the lobe or helix. Both holes must heal, so treat it as two piercings not one.