Forget white gold, titanium and even onyx – the next big thing in engagement rings appears to be piercings.
Couples all over are forgoing the ring completely in favor of a piercing on their ring finger. The process, called dermal piercing, has been in use for ages. A dermal piercing is essentially a piercing that lies on a flat surface of the body and is held in place by an anchor. The process is also referred to as a microdermal piercing or a single-point piercing and has been seen most commonly in the form of chest piercings.
Still, trading in an engagement ring for a piercing is almost guaranteed to turn some heads.
The process is not without some drawbacks, however. Since the skin along the fingers isn’t exactly flat, the piercing will likely not remain flush with the skin. This leads to the potential for snagging and tearing – and, yes, I mean tearing of the skin – which no one wants.
Overall, most piercing and body mod experts appear to recommend that if a couple does choose to go the engagement piercing route, they should consider it a temporary piercing. Sporting an engagement piercing for a few months or even a year might not be a problem but anything longer than that could result in scarring. Basically – go ahead with a piercing if you must, but don’t pierce your forever wedding ring.
The trend, while enjoying some popularity at the moment, is unlikely to become the new normal. Considering how easy it is for these piercings to encounter problems like snagging, tearing and scarring, they will more than likely become popular in a small community of devoted body mod fans. But even then, people are likely to trade them for a real ring once they get married. But for a short engagement, these piercings are definitely something to consider for couples who want something truly different.
