Belly Button Piercing & Nickel Allergies: What You Need to Know

Question
I want my belly button pierced but I am allergic to stainless steel. Would this be a problem and cause my belly button to be infected? Do they make piercing tools that are sterling silver?

Answer
Hi Kayte,
Your question is really outside of my expertise and really not much to do with gemology, but I did find some information for you:
Stainless steel contains nickel, the most common metal to be allergic to. It also appears that navel piercing is done with a sterile needle followed by the barbell.  The challenge is that even if you found a barbell that didn't contain nickel, you would still be exposed to the surgical steel needle.  It is likely that you would suffer a reaction and be more prone to infection.  Your best bet here is to do some research with local piercing locations and ask about the procedure and tools they use.