The Evolution of Understanding...

Are there any fans out there of the TV Show Dexter? It wasn't until somewhat recently that I finally broke down and put the series in my cue. Now several seasons into the show, I've got to say I do often find myself not only empathizing with the lead character - a serial killer who works as a blood analyst for the Miami Metro Police during the day, and strikes with deadly force against those who slip through the cracks of the law by night - but I actually sometimes find myself trying to justify parts of my life by comparing my reality to Dexter's fictional existence. I catch myself almost performing a certain self diagnosis while watching the show thinking "Well I don't see the big deal here, so does that mean I'm a sociopath too. Does that mean I'm incapable of having genuine emotions. Does that mean I play by the rules in life simply because I feel the need to not stand out and be noticed for what I really am?" Of course the real answer is no.

I feel genuine true emotions, I feel empathy for those around me. I feel the need to reach out and try to make a positive change in whatever capacity possible in this world. The writers of the television show have done an excellent job (in no small part thanks to the actor that plays Dexter) of making this conflicted "good" bad guy seem understandable, approachable, worthy of our empathy. This is the power that the entertainment industry has over us.

It wasn't so long ago that people who chose to pierce or tattoo themselves were thought of as dirty sailors, outlaw bikers, whores, convicts, gang members, etc. We had a pretty bad rap for a while, and there was not just one single cause for this. Part of it was because the unsavory characters in society were quite often the ones that were getting visible tattoos and piercings. Part of it was because various religious beliefs viewed body adornment as body desecration. Part of it was because there were not many positive role models coming out to speak on behalf of the tattooed and pierced people of the world. Why should they, afterall it is your right to keep your body adornments private. Isn't that the beauty, you can choose who you share that special part of your life with, whether it is everyone or no one.

As time passes and our society sways towards a more liberal viewpoint, it became somewhat more acceptable for some figures to emerge and publicly display their accentuated skin. Sports figures and rock stars especially took a great lead in this movement. As our idols revealed themselves and their modifications, it not only made them more human and understandable to their audiences but it made those with more conservative views feel ok about relaxing some of their ideas. Movies like Dee Snyder's Strangeland, A Man Called Horse, The Cell, Ichi The Killer, and many others usually depicted body modifications as a form of torture and those choosing to get them as being deranged. These movies were important though to breaking through the barrier of disbelief and introducing the public to acts they may have never consciously acknowledged. Sure there were publications (National Geographic being one of the most well known) but movies seemed to appeal to the American mass at such a greater rate. There of course is also the burden of misinformation, realizing fictional movies cannot be taken completely at face value. Nevertheless our minds and perceptions are expanded, and we are free to ponder what such a thing would be like, and perhaps come to terms with some instinctual ancestral calling we couldn't quite pinpoint before.

Enter reality TV, now the freaks and the deranged become human to the viewer. We see their back stories, interviews with their family. We understand they aren't so different from us. We learn about all the good they are contributing to this world and we learn about how hard their lives have been. We feel a sympathy for them that we never thought we would have for someone so... unique. Movies begin depicting tattoos as a humorous right of passage (Dude, Where's My Car, etc.) and we start accepting those with piercings and tattoos into our lives. Shows like Inked, Miami Ink, LA Ink, and the like teach us that every tattoo has to have a back story. It has to have some deep meaning that is personal for the individual receiving it. And perhaps now we think we are ready to try it ourselves. Movies like Apocalyptica cast heavily modified characters (whether real or prosthetic doesn't matter) into the role of hero and lead. Everyone wants a tattoo or piercing....

Granted these are generalizations and opinions, but the thing we keep overlooking by viewing everything as a society of spectators instead of a society of participants, is that we are still adding a level of novelty to these acts. These modernized forms of ancient medicine, these important rites of passage. We fail to see the beauty in the inspiration and instead try to impose our own limited beliefs onto the bearer. We don't feel the years of anguish the victim of sexual assault/abuse went through before finally becoming comfortable enough with their genitalia to reclaim ownership and adorn it the way they felt inside that they needed to. We don't understand the heartache and confusion one may try to break through when those hooks are inserted into their back and they defy gravity for their first suspension. We don't completely see the beauty they might capture in that portrait tattoo, perhaps it is a lost relative or an important influential person in their life. We don't always realize that sometimes a cartoon of a penis with wings tattooed on someone chest has exactly the effect it should. It makes us laugh, it makes us relax, it makes us contemplate our lot in life and juxtapose it against all those others - brothers and sisters indeed - around the world. We need these acts, these adornments, these accents to get us through life. We need them to reaffirm who we are and what we believe, not because without them we are nothing... but because they have always been a part of us.

Cultures have lived for generations with supposedly little to no contact between them, yet some piercings and tattoos are found in indigenous people all over the world. What is it that drives us to do these things to our bodies, it is indeed different for each modification enthusiast, but one constant is for sure: "It Cannot Be Explained, It Must Be Experienced."

-Brett Perkins

ANOMALY

Differences in Initial Jewelry Materials and Design

Most body piercing studios worth mentioning use similar materials for initial piercings, some are more exclusive than others limiting their initial use to titanium rather than steel, or only materials with implantation standards excluding niobium and glass. We will attempt to explain the differences in these materials and some ways consumers can make sure they are buying only the best quality and safest jewelry.

Implantation Standards vs. "Surgical" Steel

The most common jewelry material for body piercing is a steel alloy. You may be familiar with phrases like "surgical steel" or even possibly "316L" or "316LVM", none of these catchy little phrases mean the jewelry is safe for your body. Surgical steel in fact is not even a technical classification. The steel used for surgical implements and implants varies greatly and covers many different "recipes" for the steel alloy. The alloy we use in the body jewelry industry is 316LVM (the LVM means the mixture has a low carbon content and has been vacuum melted to form a consistent molecular grain pattern). The important thing to know as a consumer is that the recipe for 316 steel does not mean the alloy itself is safe for your body. In order to make sure the metal mixture is safe for piercing needs, we look for a scientific basis to compare it to for consistency and safety. Enter the American Society for Testing and Materials (astm.org). The ASTM is a volunteer organization that establishes standards and practices for all types of products. If you have a child safety seat or a bucket of house paint, they will more than likely have a tag somewhere that reads "Conforms to ASTM...", this is also true for metal alloys used for surgical implantation. We of course are not trying to suggest body piercing is on the same level as a surgical implant, but we want to use material that meet similar bio-compatibility standards to ensure their safety in the human body. The ASTM standard for implantation grade steel is F-138. If body jewelry conforms to the implantation standard, the manufacturer will be able to gladly provide a mill certificate that states on it ASTM F-138. Implantation grade steel may still be 316LVM, but the standard F-138 will be more specific as to the amount of each ingredient in the alloy. Similarly, Implant Grade Titanium has an ASTM standard it conforms to. Titanium's implantation standard is F-136 for the alloy (which contains low levels of aluminum and vanadium), and F-67 for commercially pure titanium (which is over 99% solely titanium). Many shops prefer titanium jewelry because it is strong and light, it does not contain any nickel and it has the ability to represent colored metal via a process known as anodizing. ANOMALY primarily stocks Titanium over Steel whenever possible, at no additional cost to the client despite the higher wholesale cost of the material, all of these materials meet implantation standards and we have the mill certificates to prove it.

The Importance of a Pretty Polish

Another important thing to look for as a jewelry consumer besides an implantation standard on a mill certificate is a mirror finish on the actual jewelry you plan to purchase. The mirror finish will be a good indicator that the jewelry has a sufficient oxide layer (Chromium Oxide for Steel and Titanium Oxide for Titanium) to help protect you from any possible impurities within the jewelry. A very simple test is to compare a cheap piece of jewelry purchased at a mall kiosk or beach boardwalk shop (not to suggest all of these places carry inferior jewelry, but most of them do) to a finely polished piece from a respected shop in your area. The quality jewelry should be significantly more shiny and reflective, while the cheaper piece will be a dull gray color. The dull gray is a significant indicator that the jewelry should not be worn in a fresh piercing. It means the oxide layer may be lacking or depleted and your body will be exposed to any impurities within the jewelry's metal composition. Gray dull finishes also often suggest inconsistent grain patterns on a molecular level, the boundaries where two different grain patterns meet are often the site of corrosion and impurities within the alloy. ANOMALY only carries jewelry by the finest companies on the market who use the best manufacturing and polishing practices to create the most consistently great jewelry on the planet.

Precious Metals

Gold and Platinum are both materials that have a long history of use as body jewelry. Gold also has bio-compatibility requirements. While we don't necessarily have ASTM standards to follow for these materials there are other bio-compatibility related precedents. Gold must be 14 to 18 karat solid yellow gold or white gold based in palladium (rather than nickel). Gold higher in karat is usually too soft to be used as body jewelry, and lower in karat it has too many other ingredients in the alloy. Gold plating is never appropriate for initial jewelry as it can wear or chip off easily. Platinum is extremely inert, but is rarely used due to its high cost and difficulty to work with. ANOMALY carries an excellent selection of appropriate white and yellow gold jewelry, we also offer the option to custom order specific pieces and platinum as you desire. We highly recommend making the investment in gold or platinum and commit to helping you find the perfect piece of jewelry for your piercing.

Glass

Although it has been used for generations as jewelry in indigenous peoples, glass has only more recently been accepted as initial piercing jewelry by the body piercing community. Soda Lime and Borosilicate Glasses are excellent for jewelry due to their ability to be autoclave sterilized and due to the fact that they are nonporous. Clear glasses make excellent retainers to keep your piercings from being a distraction during work or school, and colored glasses can be used to manufacture unique patterns of beauty within the jewelry. It is important to purchase glass from reputable manufacturers and to make sure the jewelry is made with consistency as a test of the manufacturer's understanding of the material and commitment to quality. Glass is handmade and may vary slightly from piece to piece, but typically the quality is pretty self-evident. Glass plugs are also an affordable alternative to stretching with substandard jewelry like plastics or natural materials. ANOMALY carries glass jewelry from the finest manufacturers the world over and we have the ability to custom order many exciting and different pieces as well.

Plastics

Many plastics are not suitable for initial jewelry use. Some of them start to deteriorate at temperatures lower than the body's own normal temperature, potentially leaching toxins into the body. They are also often unable to be sterilized in an autoclave. For these reasons it is suggested to avoid plastics as initial jewelry unless they meet some form of bio-compatibility testing. A prime example would be PTFE, a white bio-compatible polymer that meets the ASTM implantation standard F-754. While ANOMALY rarely uses these materials, PTFE can be effective for use as a somewhat flexible navel retainer during pregnancy, or for those who seem to display extreme sensitivities to other more traditional bio-compatible materials.

Niobium

The final material we would like to discuss is Niobium. Niobium is a reactive metal that can be anodized, similar to Titanium. Niobium does not have an implantation standard but it does have a long track record of being used in the body. One advantage Niobium has over Titanium is the ability to be anodized black (more like a dark charcoal color than true black). Titanium and Niobium both may lose their coloring depending on body chemistry and amount of friction in the area the jewelry is worn, but this is not harmful to the wearer and often can be remedied by re-anodizing every so often. ANOMALY carries a large selection of Titanium and Niobium for your jewelry needs, and we offer anodizing services for a mild fee.

Design Considerations

It is also important to recognize that appropriate materials are not enough, the design of the jewelry must also be appropriate so as to not hinder proper healing. Threaded barbells should be internally threaded having the male end of the screw protruding from the ball and the female end tapped into the actual shaft of the barbell post. This internal design helps to eliminate possible trauma to the healing tissue during insertion and removal of jewelry. Other benefits of properly made internally threaded jewelry include the ability to easily find replacement ends across the country, and it also helps the customer identify the possibility of quality jewelry as most externally threaded pieces are not manufactured or polished properly. A newer design in body jewelry is the threadless barbell, using a press fit design to eliminate the need for the barbell pieces to be screwed together. They literally attached like a push-pin. This also creates the possibility for much smaller gauge barbells and opens multiple possibilities for ear lobes, nostrils, cartilage and other piercings that typically benefit from small gauge sizes. Rings or hoops should be annealed, a heat process during manufacturing that keeps the metal pliable. Properly annealed rings are often opened or closed by a trained piercer without the use of pliers, thus limiting the potential damage sometimes caused by these tools. All gemstones should be set into the metal in a traditional method like a prong or bezel setting. Gemstones should not require the use of adhesives to keep them in place.

We hope this information is useful to you as a consumer, should you have questions feel free to email us at anomalyart@gmail.com or stop by and visit us in person.

-ANOMALY-