From the various grains of hardwood to the different shades of grey steel, the direction of body jewelry trends always point toward innovation. There are a lot of materials available for body jewelry today but for retailers and professional piercers so it is always best to provide the highest quality products to customers.

Metals have always been the preferred material when it comes to body jewelry, more so for primary or fresh piercings because of their great properties. Precious metals like fine gold and silver are great due to their biocompatibility and resistance to corrosion while those on a budget can opt for alternative metals like stainless steel. But at this category of body piercing materials, titanium ranks very high and can even be considered as the metal to beat.

What makes titanium so special? Well, not all titanium alloys are made equal and grade 23 titanium particularly stands out. Certain metal alloys used in crafting jewelry contains nickel which is usually added together with other metals to increase strength and durability. Also, nickel has been used as an agent to alter the base color of gold to produce white gold in the past. But due to allergic reactions that some people get when wearing jewelry containing nickel, most alloys today have limited nickel content but rarely nickel-free.

Grade 23 Titanium, also known as TiGAL4V ELI, is a great metal for body jewelry even for fresh piercings because it is virtually nickel-free and is suitable for people who suffer due to nickel contact dermatitis. Compared to other metals and alloys, grade 23 titanium has a high biocompatibility and less likely to react with body fluids that it is considered as the ultimate titanium grade for dental and medical applications.

Titanium has been used in crafting body jewelry in the past and many might think that all types are the same. Right now, grade 5 (TiGAL4V) and grade 23 (TiGAL4V ELI) are the two used titanium alloys in creating jewelry because they can be made without adding nickel. Other types of titanium used in body jewelry are grades 1 to 4 which are unalloyed and much more expensive.

The difference between the two alloys is that grade 23 has the ELI or Extra Low Interstitials designation which means the maximum oxygen content is reduced to 0.13%. This gives the alloy improved ductility to make it easier and cheaper to shape into desired jewelry designs. Though the reduction of oxygen content leads to minimal reduction in strength, this provides grade 23 titanium improved fracture toughness. Fracture toughness is the ability of a material to resist fracture (breaking) even when a crack is present.

Compared to other types of metal alloys, grade 23 titanium is lighter than stainless steel by 45% making even more comfortable to wear. And even though it is very unlikely to get nickel contact dermatitis using 316L stainless steel, people who want truly nickel-free body jewelry have grade 23 titanium as an option. Titanium can also be anodized which uniformly changes the surface color of the alloy to a desired hue which is better and last longer than normal metal deposition or plating.

Some may think that design and style are enough when it comes to buying or selling body jewelry. But consumers and piercers alike deserve the highest quality products available and that is where the importance of materials lie. When it comes to satisfying both worlds, grade 23 titanium body jewelry is truly an innovation pointed to the right direction.