Ear weights are a popular type of jewelry for stretched lobes, and come in a wide variety of unique styles! These styles can include hoops, clicker weights, shield and spade weights, keyhole weights, and coils. They also come in a variety of materials, everything from brass and steel, handmade glass, and organic materials like stone and wood.

Weights are largely decorative pieces, and while historically people have used them to stretch, they are not recommended as a means of stretching today. This is because a weight will not stretch your ear evenly, and instead concentrate that stretching towards the bottom of your lobe, causing the skin there to grow thin.

When purchasing weights, consider what style and material is right for you. Clicker weights, shield and spade weights, and keyhole weights offer security and are less likely to fall out, due to their snap closures, or evenly weighted designs. Glass is a beautiful, low reaction material that is good for sensitive skin, but do remember to insert and remove glass jewelry over carpet or a padded surface, in case it’s dropped during the process.

Some jewelry has a more asymmetrical design. These pieces are beautiful, but may be better suited for bare lobes, rather than being worn through eyelets. This way, your lobe can better hug the jewelry and keep it in place.

Also, when purchasing a pair of weights, always be aware of how big your lobes must be to insert the piece. While some weights have an insertion size smaller or equal to the wearable, others - such as spade and shield weights - may have a portion of the jewelry much larger than the wearable that needs to be inserted to be worn.

As their name implies, ear weights can be heavy! At their lightest, they can be around 5 grams, and go upwards of 100 or even 200 grams for some exceptionally hefty ones. To give you an idea of how light or heavy any given piece might be, here are some comparisons:

We know that can sound a little intimidating, but wearing those heavier styles can be done, and the key is patience and training your lobes.

If you're brand new to wearing weights, start with something lighter and slowly move up to heavier ones as your ears adjust. Take them out when your ears get sore, and gradually you will be able to wear them for longer periods of time. Once you can wear them for about 8-10 hours without soreness, you're ready to move on to something heavier. 
Some weights can even be worn through eyelets, saddles, or earskins to help more evenly distribute the weight and alleviate some of the pull on your lobes.

When wearing ear weights, moderation is key. Make sure to take them out when your ears start to get sore, and have days throughout the week where you wear lighter plugs or eyelets instead.
 
The reason is twofold; First off, it's good to give your ears a rest. As we mentioned, weights can put uneven pressure on your lobes. Too heavy a weight worn for too long can thin the bottom part of your lobe, and in very extreme cases this could hinder further stretching, and in very extreme cases, even cut off blood circulation.

Secondly, because lighter weights are not likely to stretch your ears, your lobes could shrink a little over time. Rotate out weights with your size of plugs or eyelets throughout the week to ensure you stay at your ideal size.

As always, listen to your body. If anything hurts, stop and allow your lobes time to heal. Just like stretching, being able to wear heavier weights takes time and patience, but is worth it in the end!

We hope this was informative and helpful! As always, please remember to like and subscribe, and follow us on our socials @Bodyartforms!