Threadless piercing jewellery is becoming increasingly popular due to the many benefits of this type of body jewellery. This includes easy inserting and removal, easy cleaning, smooth bars to cause less irritation to your piercing, and the ability to use multiple tops with one bar. Once you have gained confidence in bending your threadless jewellery top in order to create the tension fit that holds it in place, this jewellery type may become your top pick for a variety of piercing locations. Many piercing studios will offer a service to bend the push fit piercing tops for you, if you require assistance or advice, particularly if you have never used threadless jewellery before. Find the most frequently asked questions below to see if this could be the piercing jewellery for you.

What is threadless jewellery?

Threadless jewellery is a type of piercing jewellery that does not use a screw to fasten it in place. 

How do threadless earrings stay in? 

Threadless earrings stay in because a smooth top is fitted inside the bar and held together with tension by slightly bending the push-fit pin. 

How do I know if my jewellery is threadless?

Threadless jewellery has a distinctive smooth pin attached to the top that is usually longer than threaded jewellery. A threadless jewellery bar is hollowed out in the middle to allow you to insert the top and often has a flat back like a labret. Threadless labret studs come in two pieces that are attached together by carefully bending the top bar.

Is threadless jewellery better?

Threadless jewellery is thought to be beneficial to your piercings because the smooth bar does not trap debris, unlike threaded jewellery. It also passes smoothly through your piercing with no sharp edges to catch on your hole, causing less irritation to your piercing when you change your jewellery. Once you have correctly inserted it, threadless jewellery is very secure.

Is threadless better than threaded?

Threadless can be better than threaded, depending on your desired results. Once you have correctly inserted your threadless jewellery, it is held in place by tension so it is less likely to fall out or become loose over time. If you do not regularly change your jewellery then this is a great option. The threadless bar can be reused for all your threadless labret tops which may save you money. However, the same is true of threaded jewellery. If you find the correct size, you can switch between multiple add on tops using the same bar. The twist action is often easier to quickly grasp than the careful art of correctly bending your threadless labret to fit. Some piercing studios will offer a service to correctly bend and prepare the threadless top for you.

Does threadless jewellery fall out?

Once it is inserted, threadless jewellery is unlikely to fall out as the post is held together by tension. However, it is important to correctly fit your threadless earrings in order to ensure it is secure. Carefully bend the pin and insert it into the bar. Check if it is being held in place and gradually bend the bar further if it is needed. Make sure to only bend by small increments at a time to ensure you do not snap or weaken the material. 

Make sure your jewellery is fitting together correctly before attempting to insert it into your piercing to minimise the handling of your piercing hole. 

How do you get threadless jewellery off?

Securely hold the back of your piercing and slightly twist the front of the jewellery while gently pulling it out. The top should come out of the bar, allowing you to remove your threadless jewellery. Practice getting your threadless jewellery off before inserting it into your piercing as it is easier to practice beforehand and will prevent you from over-handling your piercing if you do encounter any problems.

How do you secure a threadless piercing? 

To secure your threadless piercing jewellery, create a small bend in the pin which causes a tension lock when inserted into the threadless bar. If your threadless jewellery is not pre-prepared, bend it slightly and test how it fits in the bar. Repeat this process until it stays securely in place. It is much easier to gradually increase the bend than to bend it back. Over-bending the push in labret can cause it to weaken and break so take your time or ask your piercer for assistance and advice.

Do threadless earrings fall out easily?

Threadless earrings do not fall out easily if they are being used correctly. The tension that holds it in place is usually more secure than the traditional screw-in method as it does not become loose over time. In fact, you may find it takes more effort to remove your jewellery than simply unscrewing the top of your threaded jewellery.

Can you put a regular earring in a threadless post?

Threadless tops should only be used with purpose-made threadless bars. Many people ask if they can use ordinary earrings with threadless bars or insert threadless tops into threaded bars. It is important not to do this as the jewellery is not designed for this purpose. Often the thin bars on earring studs are not made to withstand being bent and will therefore break. In contrast, inserting a threadless top into a threaded bar may cause it to come stuck or damaged on the ridges inside the bar, making it difficult to use and remove or permanently damaging the jewellery so it cannot be used again.

How to bend your threadless jewellery?

You won’t need any specialist tools to bend your threadless jewellery; just a gentle touch and patience. Place the threadless top slightly inside the threadless bar and push the top down to gently bend the top on the edge of the bar. Insert the top all the way in to check the fit and repeat the process if it isn’t as tight as you would like. When you push the top in to insert it, make sure to push it straight so you don’t break the pin or accidentally adjust your bend. You only need to bend the jewellery a small amount to get it to hold so start very small and adjust if necessary. Over-bending the push in labret stud can cause it to break when you push the top to insert it into the bar.

Threadless jewellery can be used in a range of external piercings but are most popular as threadless nose stud gold and cartilage studs. Threadless jewellery is becoming increasingly popular with many people, switching their conventional threaded jewellery to threadless options.