How to Curate the Perfect Ear Project for Clients with Unique Anatomy
The human ear is made up of a few main components. Oftentimes we can assume that most clients will have a lobe, helix, and conch area, but there really are no guarantees when it comes to what those areas may look like! Or if all those areas will exist on your client's ear at all, which is totally okay.
For example, some clients may have larger lobes, giving piercers more room to stack and stagger multiple piercings. Other clients may have minimal lobe space, but a beautiful snug area that can accommodate a great piercing!
Each ear you encounter as a piercer, or jewelry/counter staff will be different. And these differences are what allows us to get creative with placement, jewelry styles, and curating a cohesive look that is tailored to that client’s specific anatomy needs.
Something important to remember about curating an ear project, is that it is an opportunity to let your creativity lead. If you work in the body modification industry, you’re sure to have an artistic eye when it comes to juxtaposition. It’s time to tap into your creative side, with the help of a few quick tips!
1. Communication is key
Like most situations in life, having clear communication while working on a curation for your client is KEY. It is also a good idea to be mindful of what type of communication will be most helpful for your client.
For example, your client with multiple piercings who has been coming to you for years can easily imagine what a double tragus piercing may look like on themselves. But for a new client, with little to no piercings, this could be an incredible tough description to visualize!
That is where the Junipurr Virtual Curation tool comes in. Using a visual aid to show your clients what your piercing placement, or jewelry suggestions are will help to confirm that you’re both on the same page.
2. Use personal reference photos
Uploading personal photos has to be one of our favourite perks of using the Junipurr Virtual Curation tool. This allows piercers to have their clients send in photos (which is helpful if you’re currently under lockdown due to Covid-19) or take photos of their client’s in person!
Using personal reference photos vs. a model silicone ear will really help when it comes to planning projects for clients with more unique anatomy! This way you can see how certain jewelry may sit on/in their ear, and how much space they have in certain areas to accommodate new piercings.
This is also helpful if your client has existing piercings/jewelry that you should be mindful of when planning their ear project. Many clients will ask you to work around jewelry they have previously invested in. Having photos where current piercings and jewelry pieces are visible will allow you to work around existing pieces, and find new ones that will compliment their current look.
3. Be mindful of your client’s budget
For many client’s, budget can be a deciding factor when it comes to getting multiple piercings or pieces of jewelry. It's a good idea to let your client’s know ahead of time what a curation may cost them using the pieces they are interested in. This will help your clients to avoid buyers remorse, and will establish trust between yourself and your clients.
We do believe that you can curate a beautiful look at almost any price point. But the main factor when it comes to piercings and jewelry looking beautiful, is the quality and safety of the metal. We encourage you to educate your clients on the importance of wearing implant grade materials, and investing in the health of their piercings.
We have added a cart aspect to our Virtual Curation tool which makes it easy for piercers to order, and purchase the pieces they would like to use in future curations. This will save you the time of looking up each piece individually, and will allow you to swap out certain pieces to appease your client’s needs when it comes to budgeting.
4. Be open to making changes
The great part about utilizing our virtual curation tool is that nothing is permanent. You can try out different placements without prematurely marking up your client’s skin with violet skin markers. In addition to placements you can rotate and resize certain pieces to fit your clients unique ear. This is helpful when trying to find a piece that compliments natural curves in cartilage, or fits perfectly into crevices.
Being open to making changes and thinking outside the box is maybe the most enjoyable part of finding the perfect piece for your clients anatomy. Everyone loves having a look that feels custom to them, so run with that and try something new!
5. Explain why certain placements may work, and others may not
Nobody wants to hear what they can’t do or can’t have. But realistically, not every piercing is going to work, or be safe for every client!
Backing up decisions to go with one piece or placement over another will help your client understand your reasoning, and will make them feel better about making an educated decision when it comes to their ear project.
Junipurr Pro Team member Lola Slider put together an awesome series of videos for us where she explains different things she likes to keep in mind when curating an ear project.
In the following videos Lola touches on how to ensure jewelry profile, size, and shape is complimentary to your client's ear. Thank you to Lola for creating these videos and allowing us to share them on our social media!
You can access the Junipurr Virtual Curation Tool by downloading the Junipurr Jewelry App, available for IOS and Android.
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