Fake plugs
Fake plugs — the tunnel look on an ordinary lobe piercing, with nothing stretched. 18 models in stock.
Other fakes
Not a plug, and that is the point
A real plug goes into a channel stretched over months, and stretching is hard to undo. A fake plug has a 1–1.2 mm post that goes into a normal lobe piercing; the front looks like a tunnel, the back is a plain fixing.
Choosing one
The visible face runs 8–12 mm: the wider it is, the more convincing the imitation and the more the ear reads as stretched. All of them here are 316L steel; some carry cubic zirconia or glow inserts.
Size and material
| Material | 316L steel — 18 models. Cheaper, corrosion-resistant, suitable for a healed piercing. For the first jewellery titanium is the better choice. |
|---|---|
| Thickness | 1.2 mm — 17 models, 1 mm — 2 models. The thickness must match the one the piercing was made with. |
| Bar length | 6 mm — 16 models. A longer bar is needed while the swelling lasts, a shorter one — for a healed piercing. |
| Ring diameter | 8 mm — 2 models, 10 mm — 1 model, 12 mm — 1 model. A smaller diameter sits tighter, a bigger one — looser and more visible. |
| Insert | Cubic zirconia — 2 models. |
FAQ
Does a fake plug need a stretched piercing?
No. A fake plug goes into an ordinary 1 mm lobe piercing or is worn on a clamp with no piercing at all. That is the point: the look of a tunnel without years of stretching.
Will a fake plug get lost?
The halves clamp the lobe on a thread and hold as long as the thread is tightened — so check them after a jumper or a hat, because that is where the jewellery gets caught. The model for a piercing is held by a screw-on top, like an ordinary labret. A fake plug is not put into a fresh piercing: the wide front lies on the skin and gets in the way of rinsing the channel.
Is this the same «surgical steel»?
Yes, 316L is surgical steel. But it contains nickel in bound form, so with a pronounced nickel sensitivity titanium is the better choice.
Will the steel rust from water and sweat?
No. The chromium in the alloy forms a thin oxide film on the surface, and that is what withstands water, sweat and chlorine. 316L additionally contains molybdenum — it is the grade used for marine equipment. The grey film sometimes noticed on jewellery is not rust but residue of lymph and cosmetics: it washes off with soap.
