Daith piercing
Encyclopedia
A daith piercing (original pronunciation is "doth", although "day-th" is common as well) is a perforation of the ear cartilage for the purpose of inserting and wearing a piece of jewelry
. The daith is primarily placed on the outer rim of the ear cartilage
closest to the head. A variation often mistaken for the daith, known as the inner daith, forward helix, or inner helix, is placed in the horizontally-oriented piece of cartilage
directly above the ear canal
.
The piercing is often performed with either a curved needle
to avoid damaging the other parts of the ear, or by using a receiving tube, a hollow length of steel used to catch the needle when there is little or no room for a cork (a method invented by Jim Ward). A small-gauge
jewelry is usually inserted, as this part of the ear is difficult to stretch.
The jewelry most commonly worn in a daith piercing is a captive bead ring, though several other types of body jewelry are suitable.
Body piercing jewelry
Body piercing jewelery is jewelery manufactured specifically for use in body piercing.Originally, hardly any other jewellery than circular earrings were used in modern Western body piercing. As the body piercing became more of a fashion, a vast amount of specially crafted jewellery became available...
. The daith is primarily placed on the outer rim of the ear cartilage
Cartilage
Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...
closest to the head. A variation often mistaken for the daith, known as the inner daith, forward helix, or inner helix, is placed in the horizontally-oriented piece of cartilage
Cartilage
Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...
directly above the ear canal
Ear canal
The ear canal , is a tube running from the outer ear to the middle ear. The human ear canal extends from the pinna to the eardrum and is about 35 mm in length and 5 to 10 mm in diameter....
.
The piercing is often performed with either a curved needle
Body piercing
Body piercing, a form of body modification, is the practice of puncturing or cutting a part of the human body, creating an opening in which jewelry may be worn. The word piercing can refer to the act or practice of body piercing, or to an opening in the body created by this act or practice...
to avoid damaging the other parts of the ear, or by using a receiving tube, a hollow length of steel used to catch the needle when there is little or no room for a cork (a method invented by Jim Ward). A small-gauge
American wire gauge
American wire gauge , also known as the Brown & Sharpe wire gauge, is a standardized wire gauge system used since 1857 predominantly in the United States and Canada for the diameters of round, solid, nonferrous, electrically conducting wire...
jewelry is usually inserted, as this part of the ear is difficult to stretch.
The jewelry most commonly worn in a daith piercing is a captive bead ring, though several other types of body jewelry are suitable.