The material, in full
Our titanium
One metal, chosen for one reason. It sits against the inside of your lip all day, so it has to be the kind professional studios trust. Here is exactly what your Ashley is made of, and what it is not.
Why this page exists
The easiest part of a lip piercing to fake. The most important to get right.
Almost every brand writes the word titanium and hopes you do not ask what grade, or whether it is solid metal or a coating over something cheaper. We would rather just show you.
Every piece, no exceptions
What it actually is
Every post and every top is solid implant grade titanium, the alloy known as ASTM F136, Grade 23, or Ti 6Al 4V ELI. It is the same material standard used for surgical implants, which is exactly why the piercing world adopted it. It is nickel free in composition, and it is solid metal the whole way through, not a shiny layer over a cheaper base.
Why it matters more on a lip
An Ashley is unusual. The flat disc sits against the inside of your lip, in contact with skin and saliva, all day and all night. On an ear you can get away with a lot. On a lip, a metal that reacts has nowhere to hide, and you will know within days. That is the entire reason we refuse to use anything but implant grade titanium.
What it is not
Solid ASTM F136 titanium, what we use
Nickel free, implant grade, solid all the way through. Chosen for skin that reacts to everything else.
Surgical steel
Often sold as safe, but most surgical steel contains nickel, the exact metal that makes so many people react.
Gold plated or titanium plated base metal
A thin coating over brass or steel. The coating wears, and once it does, your lip meets the cheap metal underneath.
Unnamed alloy
If a listing just says metal or titanium colour with no grade, that is usually the tell. We name ours because we can.
About the gold pieces
Our gold is a PVD coating over the same solid titanium, not gold plating over cheap metal. PVD is a far more durable finish, built to hold its colour through everyday wear. And if it ever does fade, our 2 year replacement warranty covers it and we send you a new one.
One honest note. We describe our material to the standard our manufacturer produces it to. If you have a diagnosed metal allergy, the right people to advise you are your piercer and your doctor. We make jewelry, not medical claims.