We already know that barbells come in different forms: straight, curved, spiral and circular barbells with either internal or external threading. In particular, the circular barbell is bent almost like a ring but with a little gap between its two ends.
So you get a ring that is as easy to wear as a barbell! These are also referred to as horseshoe barbells for their similarity in shape. They make a great choice for nipple piercings, ear piercings, septum piercings, and a lot more.
As with most body jewelry, circular barbells also come in different diameters – gauges – to suit different piercings. One or both the beads can be threaded, so that you can fix a variety of beads and ends to the same horseshoe bar. This barbell is also called a three quarter bar, which is obviously because it seems to cover three quarters of a circle.
Circular barbells are quite similar to the captive ball rings because you can wear them in practically any piercing, just like CBRs. Some people prefer circular barbells because it is more flexible, with the two balls that are threaded on to the bar.
Back in the 1990s they had barbells in the shape of the actual horseshoe with straight ends. Today, this shape is not as popular as the circular barbell, which is used in a variety of piercings like ear, navel, nipple, labret, eyebrow and genital piercings. The size ranges from 18 gauges to half an inch at the other extreme. You will find circular barbells in acrylic, titanium, surgical grade steel and white and yellow gold.
Embellishments on the circular barbells come in the form of pretty UV sensitive glow in the dark acrylic balls, cones, spikes, cubes, flowers, dangles, with gemstones embedded in different captivating colors and designs. They are also quite inexpensive, so you can easily build a collection of circular barbells that you can wear for various events. You can usually get different colors and styles of beads or other embellishments that you can use with the same bar by just threading it on to it! 😉