Choosing a jewelry supplier is one of the few decisions a piercing studio makes that touches every client. The material goes into healing tissue, the sizing decides whether the piercing heals well, and the supplier's reliability decides whether you're pierced out on a Saturday afternoon. This guide walks through each part of that decision, with links to the detailed pages where they exist.
1. Material: what "implant grade" has to mean
For titanium, implant grade means a named standard: ASTM F136 (Ti-6Al-4V ELI), ASTM F67 (commercially pure), F1295 or ISO 5832-3. "G23" alone names the alloy chemistry, not the implant standard, and "surgical" or "medical grade" names nothing at all. Ask any supplier which standard, by number, and what test documentation backs it. Read ASTM F136 versus Grade 23.
Our position: everything we sell is ASTM F136 titanium, and our independent lab test results are published on the material testing page.
2. Connection: how the ends attach
Three designs exist. Threadless (press fit) holds by pin tension and changes without tools. Internally threaded has the threads inside a smooth post. Externally threaded has threads on the post surface and is not suitable for initial piercings. Professional studios run the first two. Read threadless versus threaded and internally versus externally threaded.
3. Sizing: the drawer that doesn't run out
Gauge, length and diameter by placement, initial versus healed, and how to build a stock order in pairs of lengths. Read the gauge and length reference. For a brand-new studio, the first order checklist gives quantities.
4. Rings
Hinged segment rings have become the core ring stock in most studios, with captive bead rings kept for big-gauge work. Read hinged versus captive bead rings.
5. Finishes: gold tone and colour
PVD gold is a bonded film on titanium, harder and longer-lived than plating, and not solid gold. Anodized colour is the titanium's own oxide layer and can fade and be refreshed. Both sit on the same implant-grade base. Read PVD gold safety and anodized titanium colour.
6. Sterilization
Titanium autoclaves without trouble; gems, adhesives and pouching discipline are what need attention. Some studios sterilize in-house, some buy core stock pre-sterilized, most do both. Read can you autoclave titanium jewelry and our own sterilization process.
7. The supplier itself
Beyond the jewelry, a few practical questions separate suppliers:
- Is pricing genuinely wholesale, and is it shown? We show wholesale prices once a studio account is approved, with no quantity tiers; the price you see is the price.
- How fast does it ship? Orders here are processed in one to two business days from stock in Squamish, BC.
- What happens when something is wrong? Published return and shipping policies, with 45-day windows.
- Can you reach a person? Email and phone are on every page.
8. Canadian studios: what the border costs
Most jewelry brands sit in the US or Europe. For a Canadian studio, ordering across the border means duty on non-CUSMA goods, GST at the border, courier brokerage fees, exchange-rate drift and customs holds. A domestic supplier in Canadian dollars removes all of it. Read what changes at the border. Studios in the US can order from us too; the customs notes simply apply in reverse.
About West Coast Body Jewelry
We're a wholesale-only supplier of ASTM F136 titanium body jewelry based in Squamish, British Columbia, supplying professional piercing studios across Canada and the United States since 2023, with more than 300 approved wholesale accounts. The catalog covers posts, ends, rings, barbells, navel, dermal and chains in polished, PVD gold and anodized finishes, with optional pouching and autoclave sterilization on every item.
Wholesale pricing is visible once your studio account is approved, and approved accounts receive a $50 credit. Apply for a wholesale account, or browse the catalog first.