How to choose your ear piercings and earrings to create your perfect earring stack

Take the time to decide on your piercing placements, take photos of your ears, and study which piercings would suit your anatomy using our handy guide. We suggest visiting a specialist local piercer - who will be able to advise you further based on your preferred piercings and your personal ear anatomy.

Types of Ear Piercing Placements

Standard Lobe Ear Piercing

Standard first lobe piercings are performed in the center on the fleshy part at the bottom of the ear known as the Lobule. This is generally where most people start their piercing obsession.

Your lobe piercings are perfect for many styles of earrings; Charm hoops, Huggies, Studs, Hoops, climbers and crawlers - making it the most versatile piercing you will ever have. These are the piercing placement you will swap earrings in and out of the most - to give you an instant refresh - so be playful with your earring choices.

Many people opt for second, third and even fourth lobe piercings that extend up the ear before you reach the cartilage. The size and shape of your ear and lobe may limit the number of piercings you can fit on your lobe.

Shop Lobe Earrings

Shop The Look:

Clear Stone Curated Ear Stack with Flat Back Earrings and Huggie

1ST LOBE: - Huggie Earrings with Clear Stones
2ND LOBE: - Crescent Moon Flat back
3RD LOBE: - Teeny Clear stone flat back
HELIX: - Jessica flat back

Upper Lobe Ear Piercings

You can also align your lobe piercings vertically or in a triangular placement - known as either an upper lobe or stacked lobe piercing. This is a very modern, pretty way of extending your ear stack.

Dainty small flat back studs work well here.

Shop Lobe Earrings

Shop The Look:

Silver Curated Ear with Studs, Flat Backs & Huggies

1ST LOBE: - Bow Charm Hoops
UPPER LOBE: - Sparkling Star Flat Back stud
2ND LOBE: - Clear stone Huggie
CONCH: - Slim Ear Cuff
TRAGUS: - Mini Huggie
TRAGUS: - Teeny clear stone flat back

Helix Ear Piercing

Your helix is the cartilage that curves from the outer edge of your ear to the top of your ear.

You can have fun with these piercings, and experiment with earrings styles - but for everyday, leave in comfort (we know you sleep in your earrings!). We recommend huggies and flat back cartilage studs.

The helix can be pierced once or multiple times to get your desired look.

Shop Helix Earrings

Shop The Look:

Silver Curated Ear with Huggies, Flat Backs and Charm Hoop

HELIX: - Chain linked mismatched huggie
FORWARD HELIX: - Mini Huggie
TRAGUS: - Faceted Star Flat Back
TRAGUS: - Crescent moon flat back
UPPER LOBE: - Jessica Flat back
2ND LOBE: - Large sparkling huggie

Conch and Contraconch Ear Piercing

Conch & Contraconch Ear Piercing Placement

Mid ear Cartilage Piercing is called the conch, this is the cartilage that creates the inner curve and back of your ear. If this is pierced on the outer curve,you can wear larger huggies, or conch hoops. For inner conch piercings closer to the middle of the ear - we would recommend flat back cartilage studs.

We have also added climber earrings to outer conch piercing - which looks edgy. LOVE.

This is also the position for ear cuffs - which give you the same look as a conch hoop without the pain of piercings. Yes, piercing causes a little discomfort while healing - but it's worth it.

Shop conch Earrings

Shop The Look:

Silver Curated Ear with Daith, Lobe & Conch Ear Piercings

1ST & 2ND LOBE: - Droplet Double Stud with Chain Connector
CONCH: - Large Sparkling Huggie
DAITH: - Princess Daith

Daith Ear Piercing

The Daith piercing is through the cartilage that makes the inner most fold of your ear. Not all ears are made the same, so take advice from a piercing expert, to see if your earscape can accommodate this stunning piercing, which sits flat and facing forward.

Shop Daith Earrings

Shop The Look:

Silver Curated Ear with Daith and Lobe Ear Piercings

DAITH: - Princess Sparkle Daith piercing
1ST LOBE: - Crystal Droplet threader
2ND LOBE: - Huggie earrings with clear stones

Septum (nose) Piercing

Nose Piercing and Septum Piercing Placement

The septum piercing is a piercing that is made through the cartilage in the middle of the nose. Although this part is not on the ear, it really does add another dimension that can tie in well with a curated ear look, and what’s more our selection of Daith piercings can also be used in the septum piercing of the nose, giving you more options in your curated ear styling.

Shop Nose Earrings

Shop The Look:

SEPTUM PIERCING: - Daith Ring
NOSE PIERCING: - Huggie Earrings with Clear Stones
NOSE PIERCING: - Flat Back Studs with Clear Stones

Tragus Ear Piercing

The tragus piercing sits in the tiny protruding section of cartilage in front of your ear canal. It’s a great spot for dainty flat back studs - do NOT wear butterfly back studs in this position as the butterfly back could drop into the ear canal!

This is a wide section of cartilage, when it heals you will want to replace the piercing earring, which will have a longer than usual post to accommodate the swelling.

Replace with a shorter post flat back earring for a snug and attractive fit.

We also have customers who love to wear huggies in their tragus piercing - so experiment with what works for you.

Shop Tragus Earrings

Shop The Look:

Gold Celestial Curated Ear with Flat Backs, Huggies, Charm Hoops & Ear Cuff

TRAGUS: - Crescent Moon Flat Back
1ST LOBE: - Starburst Charm Hoops
2ND LOBE: - Sparkling Star Ear Jacket
3RD LOBE: - Sparkling single star Huggie
CONCH: - Slim Sparkling ear cuff
HELIX: - Mini Sparkling Huggie
FLAT HELIX: - Teeny Sparkling Star Flat Back
ROOK: - Mini plain Huggie

Forward Helix Ear Piercing

The piercings on a forward helix are those that follow the curve from the top of your ear, forward and along the cartilage towards your face, above the tragus. This is a popular piercing that gives you a gorgeous ear, especially if you add multiple piercings to this area.

Dainty flat back studs are comfortable here, but you could also experiment with standard or small huggies. These can be dainty and stunning.

Shop Helix Earrings

Shop The Look:

Silver Curated Ear with Huggies, Flat Backs and Charm Hoops

FORWARD HELIX: - Mini Sparkling Huggie
HELIX: - Chained Mismatch Huggies
2ND LOBE: - Large Sparkling Huggie
UPPER LOBE: - Jessica Flat Back
TRAGUS: - Faceted Star Flat Back
TRAGUS: - Crecent Moon Flat Back

Flat Helix Ear Piercing

Located on the flat section of the ear between the cartilage, between the helix and the forward helix. A great piercing placement as the earring(s) are ‘framed’ by the ear.

Flat back studs are the way to go for this piercing. Go dainty or statement depending on your curated ear styling.

Shop Helix Earrings

Shop The Look:

Gold Curated Ear with Hoops, Huggies and Flat Backs

UPPER HELIX: - Mini Plain Single Huggie
ROOK: - Mini Sparkling Single Huggie
TAGUS: - Teardrop Flat Back
FLAT HELIX: - Helix Curve Flat Back
HELIX: - Rebel Charm Hoops
3RD LOBE: - Diamond Drop Flat Back
2ND LOBE: - Celestial Chunky Huggie
1ST LOBE: - Rebel Illusion Hoops

Rook Ear Piercing

The rook is located in the uppermost ridge of your inner ear, just above the tragus and Daith. Check with your local expert piercer to see if this is appropriate for your earscape. You may be able to have either a Daith or a Rook - possibly not both, depending on the anatomy of your ears.

Rook piercings are the perfect placement for super comfortable mini huggies for a dainty snug fit, or our standard huggies depending on the inner diameter you require.

Shop Rook Earrings

Shop The Look:

Gold & Green Stone Curated Ear with Snake Ear Cuff, Huggie & Studs

ROOK: - Mini Plain Huggies
FLAT HELIX: - Snake Studs
HELIX & 1ST LOBE: - Green Baguette Charm Hoop
CONCH: - Snake ear cuff
3RD LOBE: - Sparkling Snake Huggie
2ND LOBE: - Green Stone Huggie
TRAGUS: - Teeny green stone flat back

Nose / Nostril Piercings

Scream Pretty has not (yet) designed Jewelry specifically for nose piercings, however our fabulous Scream Team often style our earrings in these piercings! So why not try it for yourself.

Shop The Look:

Huggie Earrings with Black Stones
Flat Back Studs with Clear Stones

The Ear Piercing Pain Guide - time to Scream Pretty

Lobe Ear Piercings

A small ‘pinch’ of pain when you get it pierced (go and get it done with a needle - not a gun!) then a few days feeling tender - but nothing you can't handle!

A standard lobe piercing should heal within 6-8 weeks, avoid changing your earrings during this time. Keep it clean. Don't go swimming in the first few weeks.

It will look awesome once it's healed.

Keep earrings in these piercings for at least a year so they don't heal up.

Cartilage Ear Piercings

Using a needle, this piercing is a little more painful than a lobe piercing but it's so brief in the scheme of things - that you will be shrugging your shoulders 5 minutes later saying ‘that wasn't so bad!’. Good piercers wont pierce more than 3 cartilage piercings at the same time - giving your body time to focus on healing.

Healing times are longer 4-12 months, so this is a commitment to an awesome eardrobe. The skin heals first, but the cartilage within takes longer - WAIT - until your piercer says you are ready to remove your piercing Jewelry before you update your look.

Initially you might want to use a U shaped travel pillow to sleep - so your ear can sit in the hole.

All Scream Pretty earrings are for fully healed ear piercings.

Step 1 - Get your ear piercings

Step 2 - Heal those ear piercings

Step 3 - Refresh your curated ear with Scream Pretty earrings