Navel jewelry can usually break in just three ways. Here’s how and what steps to take.

1) Defective upon receipt
Sometimes, packages endure significant pressure during shipping, which can cause rare cases of jewelry breaking. If this happens, don’t open the sealed bag. Instead, take a clear photo showing the entire unopened bag and the visible damage. Email the picture and your order number to info@igotpiercing.com, and we’ll assist you.

2) Pendant has fallen off. 
The small ring that holds the pendant is designed to bend if your jewelry catches on something (like clothing, bedding, or jeans). This safety feature prevents the entire piece from pulling through your navel, avoiding potential injury. Since this is intentional, it’s not covered by warranty. We recommend taking extra care with pendant jewelry to avoid it catching on anything.

3) Bottom ball detached and won’t screw back on. 
If your navel jewelry has a stone or a special design at the bottom, it’s often attached with glue. Glued pieces are delicate and can break or detach if exposed to pressure, moisture, high heat, or chemicals, as these weaken the adhesive.

Jewelry can get caught in belts or waistbands, causing the glue to loosen. Remember to treat your navel jewelry carefully, just as you would any other jewelry. We recommend removing it before showering, much like you would with necklaces, large earrings, or bracelets.

If you’ve lost a stone or ball without other damage, read more about how to handle it [here].

Around 80% of all piercing bars feature two balls that can be unscrewed, each with a threaded attachment.

To unscrew a ball, twist it counter-clockwise with gentle pressure. If it feels too tight, try wearing rubber gloves to improve your grip.

If rubber gloves don’t help, you can try the “freezer trick”: place the jewelry in your freezer for about 20 minutes. Once removed, immediately try unscrewing the ball again with rubber gloves. The cold shock typically loosens the ball just enough to help you unscrew it.

Some jewelry, like those used for nipples or industrial piercings, have only one removable ball; the other side is glued in place. Avoid trying to unscrew both, as forcing the glued end can damage the attachment, making it impossible to reattach.

Similarly, ear studs—especially those for tragus and helix piercings—usually have only one removable ball. The back end, typically a smooth ball, is the part that can be unscrewed, while the front design is glued. Avoid holding the glued front when loosening the back, as this can risk breaking the glued attachment.

In the case of a navel piercing with a pendant, you’ll notice that the pendant is held by two rings below the bottom ball of the bar.

One ring is fixed and welded to the base ball, while the other is a connecting ring that attaches the pendant to the navel jewelry. This design is typical for navel piercings with pendants. The smaller connecting ring is intentionally flexible—it’s designed to bend if the pendant gets pulled. This feature protects your navel by allowing the pendant to detach rather than having the entire piece forcefully pulled through your skin. Without this safety ring, you’d risk severe pain and a large wound that could leave permanent scarring.

This is why navel piercings with pendants include a protective ring. If the ring is bent, it’s usually because the pendant has been tugged. This can easily happen, especially when you’re asleep, as the pendant may catch on clothing, bedding, or other items. The same risk applies when drying off with a towel, wearing high-waisted pants, or tight-fitting tops.

If your pendant has detached, there’s no need to worry; it can be reattached easily. As long as the fixed ring remains on the bottom of the jewelry, you can hook the pendant back on and gently reshape the flexible ring with a small pair of pliers.

It’s worth noting that the ring won’t bend on its own—it’s made of metal. If it’s bent or if your pendant has fallen off, it’s almost certainly due to a pull on the ring.

If you have a threaded ball that won’t fasten properly onto a bar, first ensure that the thread types are compatible. One should have an external thread and the other an internal thread.

Additionally, make sure both parts have the same thread gauge. For example, if you have a 1.2 mm (16g) bar, the balls should also be 1.2 mm.

Be aware that components from different manufacturers may not always fit together, so it’s best to buy spare parts from the same place you purchased the original jewellery.

To help identify where the issue lies, try swapping the parts around. Test the potentially faulty ball on multiple pieces of jewellery. This will help determine if the issue is with the ball’s thread or the bar’s thread. If your bar has two ends, test both ends as well. Systematically eliminate possibilities one at a time.

If the problem persists after checking everything, please send us a video showing the issue. Email it to our support team at info@igotpiercing.com. We need to see the problem to assist you. Be sure to include the video in your initial email, along with a description of what you’ve tested, your order number, and details about the specific item causing the issue.