Wicked Ink uses four different types of surgical steel for their body piercing products, these are:
Implant grade 316LVM Surgical Steel (SSS) material
Stainless Steels are categorised into four general classes, based on composition: 200 series steel contains chromium, nickel and maganese, 300 series contains chromium and nickel, 400 series contains chromium and 500 series contains low chromium. The most corrosion resistant are 300 series steels, hence their popularity for medical implants and body jewellery. However, not all 300 series steels are suitable for invasive body piercing applications.
Even these higher grade jewellery items still contain nickel, they do not release nickel salts into the body and do not induce contact nickel dermatitis.
Some of the applications where Surgical Stainless Steels (316L) have been used are bone fixation screws, body pins, bone plates, total joint prosthetics, bone nails, wires mandibular wire mesh, staples, inter-cranial drainage valves, amongst many other applications. Body jewellery listed here is manufactured from equivalent or higher standard material.
Titanium jewellery is lightweight (around 60% the weight of stainless steel given the same volume), it is highly corrosion resistant and less likely to react with body fluids, is not magnetic, it can be anodized to create a layer of colored oxide on the surface. Common colors are yellow, blue, purple, green, and rainbow.
Blackline jewelry is produced by adding a surface layer of black and highly durable titanium film to a titanium core.
The jewellery is resistant to wear and causes little friction to body tissue.
Allergic reactions to blackline are extremely uncommon, which is why it is often used in surgical equipment. Although the surface layer isn't classified as permanent, it is very durable and lasts longer than, for example, anodized titanium.
Blackline is suitable for piercings that are still healing, as it is lightweight, safe and durable. However if used where in contact with hard body parts, such as teeth, the surface layer can be scraped off.
Zircon Gold was developed as an alternative to gold jewelry. The method of production is similar to that of Blackline, but instead of titanium in the film, a material called zirconium nitride is used. The core of the material is most often a high grade titanium alloy.
Zircon Gold is better suited to a healing piercing than real gold, since it won't discolor as 18K (75%) gold often does. It is also more lightweight and has a smoother surface so it won't cause as much irritation. It is also significantly more durable.