When ears are pierced with a gun, a smooth ear stud with a straight post and a fixed backing is used - in other words, a classic stud. It is the only type of earring an ear-piercing gun is built for, because the post has to be pushed straight through the earlobe in a single motion. Hoops, huggies, earrings with hooks and pendants therefore cannot be used for the piercing itself. They belong later, once the hole has healed and the ear can tolerate having its jewellery changed.

An ear stud for fresh holes has a simple construction with plenty of room behind the stone, so the earlobe can swell without pressing against the jewellery. That is precisely why an ordinary stud is the starting point, while larger and heavier models are better suited to the ear later on.

Why are only studs used for the piercing itself?

The ear-piercing gun holds a single ear stud inside it and presses the post through the earlobe with a short push. For this to work, the earring must have a straight, pointed post and a backing that clicks firmly into place immediately. Only studs have that shape.

A hoop or a dangling earring has either a curved post or a movable joint, and they cannot be loaded into the gun or pushed through the skin's tissue in the same controlled way. They would also hang and pull on a hole that has not yet grown into place. That is why the answer to which earrings you can get pierced with is always a variant of the straight ear stud - not a particular colour or a particular design.

Which stone and shape fit best in a new hole?

A small, flat-sitting stone is a calm choice in the beginning, because it does not catch on hair or clothing while the hole is still delicate. A prong stud, where the stone is held by claws, gives a classic look, and a bezel stud, where the stone is set with a rim of metal all the way around, sits extra protected without protruding edges. Both are available at Longvé with both lab-grown diamonds and natural diamonds in the same design.

If you want a completely simple look without a stone, there are also smooth stud 14K gold in solid metal.

The size does not have to be large. A discreet stone takes up the least space in everyday life and is easy to live with until the ear is ready to be changed to something else.

Which metal is suitable for earrings in fresh holes?

The metal matters more than the design when the hole is new. Precious metal such as gold tolerates skin contact well and is therefore widely used for jewellery that needs to sit close to the skin for a long time. At Longvé, 14K gold and 14K white gold are the core metals, and most ear studs are available in both colours, so you can choose the one that best suits your skin tone and other jewellery.

A diamond is the hardest naturally occurring material and ranks at 10 - the highest level - on the Mohs hardness scale. This makes the stone resistant to scratches in daily use, whether it is a lab-grown diamond or a natural diamond. The two types have the same physical and optical structure, so you cannot tell the difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds with the naked eye.

How long should the first earrings stay in?

A fresh hole in the earlobe needs time to heal from the inside before the jewellery is changed for the first time. As a rule of thumb, the first earrings should stay in for several weeks, being removed only when necessary and otherwise left undisturbed. If they are changed too early, the channel may not yet have finished forming, and the hole can close or become irritated when the stud is taken out and you try to put it back in again.

Keep the ear clean during this period, and turn the earring as little as possible. The feeling that the hole has settled down and is no longer sore is a good sign that the time for the first change is approaching - but if you are in doubt, it is better to wait a little longer than to change too early.

What can you change to once the hole has healed?

As soon as the ear is comfortable with studs and the channel has grown into place, the whole field of earrings opens up. Small, snug hoops in the form of huggies are a popular step away from the very simple stud, because they are light and sit close to the earlobe. If you have several piercings, you can also start building a composite look with matched jewellery, where several earrings work together.

From here, the choice is more a question of style than of consideration for the hole. But the ear jewellery you are pierced with will always be a stud - the rest comes afterwards.