It is important when buying jewellery that you buy the correct gauge. If you buy too thick it won't fit your piercing and if you buy too thin, your pierced hole will shrink.
I make hoops ranging from 20g to 16g. I show you the visual difference between the gauges in this picture:
What is gauge? Gauge is the thickness of the wire or bar that goes through your piercing.
Gauge sizes go the opposite way to how you would normally think. By this I mean the smaller the number the thicker the wire and the higher the number the thinner the wire.
As you can see 16g is the thickest I make and 20g is the thinnest. In millimetre thickness these are the equivalent in gauge:
•16g - 1.2mm thick
•18g - 1mm thick
•20g - 0.8mm thick (standard lobe piercing size)
(You can get larger and smaller gauge sizes)
Back when I had my helix pierced (too long ago to mention!) I had it done with a gun (naughty!) with a standard earring stud which is 20g. Nowadays when going to a reputable piercer they will pierce with a needle as this is much safer and less likely to shatter the cartilage.
The most common sizes if having a barbell inserted is 16g or 18g although they will still insert a standard stud earring in 20g.
The best way to find out what size your piercing is, is to go to a reputable piercer and they will size it for you.
My hoops can also be worn in the nose. Nose piercing gauges vary as with helix piercings. The most common gauges for nose piercings are 20g and 18g. Personally I had mine pierced with an 18g hoop (again many years ago) although many people have it pierced with a 20g ring.
If you'd like to check out my hoop selection click here