The Labret
This is another piercing with a mixed tribal heritage. In the Amazon Basin it is usually performed on men, who will stretch the piercing up to accept large plates or discs. The more impressive the stretched labret the higher the social standing or the person. In other tribes, labret piercings are called Jaguar's Whiskers and long spikes are worn in them to give this impression. In Africa by contrast, some tribes perform the Labret piercing on women and the subsequent stretching of the piercing makes it very difficult for them to talk. The plates are only allowed to be removed in the company of other women who presumably won't mind listening to them chatting! In some cultures the size of a stretched piercing will set the price to be paid for the bride.
This piercing is always performed with a post first as localised swelling can make a ring very uncomfortable for the first week or so. This can be changed for a ring free of charge once the piercing has settled. The post will also accept many different threaded items from our large range of jewellery.
Here are some pictures of labrets with rings and posts. Click to see bigger images.
These next ones don't click through
