Two barbells can look identical once they're in, but how they screw together makes a big difference to comfort, healing and safety. Here's what sets internally and externally threaded jewellery apart.
Externally Threaded: Threads on the Bar
With externally threaded jewellery, the screw threads are cut into the bar itself. The end (a ball, gem or spike) has a hole that twists onto those exposed threads.
- The catch: every time the jewellery goes in or comes out, those rough threads drag through the piercing channel. That can scratch, irritate and slow healing.
- The win: more economical, more widely available
Internally Threaded: Threads on the End
Internally threaded jewellery flips the design. The threads sit on a small post attached to the ball, and that post screws into a threaded hole inside the bar.
- The catch: cost more than the externally threaded jewellery, not as many options in design.
- The win: only a smooth, polished bar ever passes through the piercing. No threads, no scratching.
