Rook

The rook passes through the upper ridge of the antihelix, above the daith. The jewellery goes through a fold, which means it is travelling through roughly twice the tissue of a flat placement.

That extra depth is why the rook swells more than people expect and why downsizing early is such a common mistake here. A post that fitted comfortably in week one will be too short in week three, and a too-short post embeds. Leave the longer bar in until your piercer says otherwise.

Do not downsize early. This is the placement where impatience most often causes the problem it was meant to avoid.

Expect it to stay tender under pressure for months longer than it looks like it should.