Body Jewellery Threading Guide: External, Internal and Threadless Explained!

When it comes to body piercing and body jewellery there is terminology that can be unfamiliar, such as types of piercings, like daith, medusa or snug and additionally in the anatomy of the jewellery itself with the differences in threaded body jewellery.

Only until recently there were two main types of threaded jewellery, internally threaded and externally threaded. Internal or external denotes on whether the threading for the attachment is inside or outside the main shaft of the body jewellery (i.e. barbell, banana, circular barbell or labret stud).

Confusing? Well our handy infographic below might help to clarify the difference and help highlight the importance of this particular part of the jewellery as it impacts on your piercing.

What is Threaded Body Jewellery?

Threaded body jewellery is your standard type of body jewellery products such as Barbells, Circular Barbells, Labrets and Bananabells where the balls (or other attachments - cones, jewelled tops etc) screw off the ends. Just like a bolt or screw, the "thread" on a piece of body jewellery is the spiral ridge that enables the ball to screw down onto the shaft and tighten, preventing it from coming loose.

Externally Threaded vs Internally Threaded Jewellery

Internally threaded jewellery is where the threads are on the attachment itself (ball, cone etc) which results in the threading going inside the barbell or shaft of the body jewellery.  One such way to look at it is when you remove the attachment, the shaft will have the female end while the attachment will have the male end. 

Externally threaded jewellery as the name suggests, has the threads on the ends of the barbell or shaft (male end) and therefore the ball has a female end.  Externally threaded body jewellery although readily available has the issue of having the exposed threads being pushed or pulled through the delicate tissue, damaging the tissue in some circumstances.

Benefits of Internally Threaded Jewellery:

• Smooth edges pass through the piercing avoiding any tissue being scraped by sharp edges
• Less chance of bacteria and germs being carried by the internal threads compared to external threads

Threadless Jewellery

Threadless body jewellery is the new kid on the block when it comes to threaded body jewellery. Strictly speaking, threadless body jewellery (as the "threadless" implies) does not have a thread and uses a slightly bent external pin (which is connected to the attachment) inserted into the hollow shaft of body jewellery.  The tension created by the bend in the external pin secures the attachment to the shaft.

Just like internally threaded body jewellery, the threadless system has a nice smooth surface on the shaft of the body jewellery that will pass through the piercing, so no damage to tissue and again less places for bacteria to flourish.

Head over to our guide on threadless body jewellery for a more in depth look!

Final Takeaways!

When it comes to threaded body jewellery, threadless and internally threaded body jewellery rule supreme! Not only are they better for your body piercings due to the nature of the lack of exposed threads, but both these types of jewellery generally are mainly available in high quality Titanium which again is better for your piercings.

Take a look at all our internally threaded jewellery or our threadless range for the best jewellery for your piercings!