11 of the Best Rook Ear Piercings on Instagram

Nipple piercings may be the look du jour for supermodels like Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner, but it's far from your only option if you're wondering what to add to your collection. In fact, the most in-demand piercing in L.A. at the moment isn’t as unexpected as you’d initially imagine: the rook, a low-key piercing on the inner, upper cartilage that’ll take your ear candy to the next level. Brian Keith Thompson, a celeb piercer at L.A.’s Body Electric Tattoo, revealed to Refinery29 that while nose, nipple, and belly button piercings are wildly popular these days, he’s seen more customers clamoring for a rook piercing than ever before.

Whether you’re looking to add another dainty detail to a carefully curated constellation piercing, or you want to deck out an otherwise plain-looking earlobe, the rook is one of the easiest — and undoubtedly one of the coolest — ways to do so. According to Brian, it’s wise to start with a bar since it allows for a much quicker healing process than say, a curved barbell or a hoop. This way, you’ll be able to customize your piercing before you know it, without having to deal with the painful messiness of an infected piercing. Speaking of pain, since a rook piercing is basically inside of your ear and protected by overlapping cartilage, you won’t have to worry about it snagging on someone’s shirt after a hug (we've definitely been there before), or tangling in your hair.

Scroll through to see all the different ways you can possibly style an eye-catching new rook piercing.