Maria Tash Piercings - are they worth it

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I'm considering getting my rook done. I love the little Pearl and diamond hoops from Maria Tash. But I have 2 questions...

1. On their website it says that when you have a piercing by done they pay close attention to the shape of your ear and the final angle that the piercing will sit so the earring jewellery always looks nice.

Is it worth it to pay to get the piercing done there (I will probably just get a plain gold hoop first to start with and then switch to a more decorative hoop after it's healed). Or will any decent piercer consider the placement and angle of the piercing?

2. Their jewellery is gorgeous but very expensive. Is it worth it? Or are there cheaper alternatives that are still good quality? I'd prefer real gold or gold plated at least rather than cheaper costume jewellery just to avoid infection.

Has anyone had a piercing done at Maria Tash? Thoughts / experiences welcome

I am a total sucker for her stuff. However I showed the website and products to my local jeweller who laughed heartily at her prices. Those microscopic chips of diamond are very much not worth those prices but the marketing and sales sure is pretty.

Oh I know they're totally overpriced. I used to work in fine jewellery and I could buy an entire cultured Pearl necklace for the price of one of her tiny hoop. I guess what I'm wanting to know is - could I get the piercing done cheaper at a local place and will the results be the same (ie: not be at a wonky angle whereas MT say they consider the jewellery you want along with the place their piercing to ensure it looks it's best), and if I just got it done locally and wanted a small Pearl hoop I have no idea where to get one that's nice and good quality that looks similar to the MT ones. I've only seen them in cheap costume jewellery but don't want that for a newer piercing because of infection risks

I had a piercing at Maria Tash at Liberty and I can't say I was overly impressed - it's the only time I've had an infection. I've since had others done, once at Astrid and Miyu (much better experience but not as nice jewellery) and my local tattoo and piercing shop (after reading a Salli Hughes article on choosing similar) - and then I bought some really lovely earrings from Maria Black in the sale - much much nicer than Maria Tash, and slightly more reasonably priced, which I had the local place put in two months after the initial piercings. Maria Black also do piercing at Selfridges but you pay full price for the jewellery. Good luck!

As long as you go somewhere that uses a needle rather than a gun for piercings you're probably fine. I had mine done at the local tattoo place too and bought some tiny gold earrings on Etsy for about 20% of the price they charge in libertys.

I've got a couple of cartilage piercings, and I'm not convinced by some of what I've heard about Maria Tash. For a start, my piercer's said he'd only pierce a daith with a hoop - rooks are hard enough to heal without a hoop spinning inside healing tissue and potentially introducing bacteria, and they should be done with a curved barbell.

I'd also never get gold plated anything inside a healing piercing - titanium or solid gold only.
Finally, I'm just not convinced that the "curation" aspect is any better. Before I got my piercings done, in a standard studio, my piercer talked me through what I wanted it to look like, what jewellery I wanted then and a wee while down the road, what else I might add. For my conch, he talked me through the possible angles and positions that'd work with my particular ear if I wanted a ring in it at some point, etc., etc. I don't see that as some sort of add-on service, but the bare minimum a good piercer will talk you through.
The jewellery is gorgeous, but I agree it's way too expensive.
If you're starting by looking at jewellery though, remember a decent piercer won't let you bring in your own, so you'll need to find somewhere that has something you like. You'll be keeping that first piece in for the best part of a year, or at least that's what you should be told.
Hope you find something you love, and happy healing!

Oh thanks for your reply. I've not heard of Maria Black before so I'll take a look. I'm basically after the Maria Tash look but without the price tag because I know they're absurdly overpriced.

Yes I've already purchased a white tiny gold hoop for one of my other piercings from Etsy for about £25. So to have to pay £108 for a plain one not even any diamonds or pearls at Maria Tash is something I'd prefer to avoid. I'm happy to just get it done at a local piercing place and then get a good quality diamond or pear hoop form somewhere else

I'm very happy with the placement of my "Tash Rook", but not even slightly happy with the healing process. I've had it for 7mths now and having constant problems with it.

I'll stick to my local piercer who is genuinely brilliant. I just got sucked into the pretty Liberty store.

I paid for pretty much the cheapest piece of plain gold jewellery they had and when the woman realised she was dealing someone she couldn't upsell diamonds to, there was a noticeable cooling in the customer service.

Also, they give you an empty envelope to pay a cash tip personally to the piercer which I find very crass given the huge prices you pay for the jewellery and piercing. The piercer was lovely though.

Thank you! One of the things I've been trying to figure out is what type of jewellery is best to pierce the rook with. An endless hoop or a tiny barbel. I'd rather have a tiny hoop tbh, as I'm not keen on the look of barbells. But ultimately I'll do what's best for the piercing.

I took my daughter to Maria Tash to have her helix pierced, wasn’t impressed with the overall service. We returned 6 months later as the piercing site developed a small bump and had bled. We were told, “ buy a travel pillow to sleep on.” We did as instructed and guess what, the travel pillow didn’t help! Back again last month, saw a more knowledgeable piercer who removed the hoop (it had been pierced with) and put in a tiny stud. Jewellery is very pretty, but way overpriced and the piercing experience isn’t great.

I brought the Maria Tash diamond white gold stud in the sale from Harrods at Christmas so bit of a discount. To say it's a tiny scrap of a diamond it is super sparkly and I am a bit of a magpie when it comes to diamonds!
I love the Lotus hoop but can't justify the price at the moment ……

Yes, I had a helix piercing with a diamond hoop at Maria Tash too and have been told since that a hoop which can move around is absolutely wrong for that. The piercings done locally (tragus and two upper lobe) used their own titanium jewellery (studs) which they swapped for my nice stuff after two months. the tragus has been completely pain free. I do make sure they all get cleaned twice a day and I never sleep on that side

I would go to an app piercer and get something like junipurr or neometal. But it’s personal preference I guess.

This whole "consultation for correct placement and angle for your ear" comes across as pure marketing fluff. As pp have said, at any reputable piercing studio (usually attached to a tattoo studio) will have this conversation as standard. They will carefully mark the ears to ensure the piercings are balanced, suit your ear shape, etc.

I've never heard of this jewelry before but I can already tell they spend more on their marketing department than any other area of the business!

I agree with most other PPs. I had my forward helix done in Liberty and I love it, but could have been done anywhere tbh.

I had a great experience. I had my navel pierced and I love my diamond bar. It was really expensive but a lovely treat. No infections, no issues. Really friendly and professional staff at the Harrods Maria Tash.

I had my helix done with a plain gold hoop at Maria tash in Liberty and they were great. But the jewellery is daft prices. I then lost it and had to replace it 2 years later - £120 each time

I just went to a regular but reputable piercer for all mine tbh and lived with the plain titanium jewellery until I could switch it. They were all under £20 to have done, but healed perfectly well ... a few (literal!) bumps along the way, nothing serious.

Maria Tash stuff is beautiful of course but the prices are indeed eye-watering. I'm not sure there will be much difference in piercing quality or 'look' between a reputable piercer who knows what they are doing and has plenty of experience and someone who works for Maria Tash.

I love how my ears look, but others may disagree. 😬 More Etsy than Tash, but I'm happy!

Had DD’s ears pierced at Maria Tash at Liberty and I had my helix done. Both times I was impressed with the time and care spent (especially for DD who has tiny
lobes- they spent lots of time getting it just right). Aftercare support was also good.

The prices are bonkers though!

I am coveting Maria Tash Jewellery, but it is very expensive as it's not plated, and uses real diamonds. Personally I think any good piercing place will be expert enough to do the exact same piercing with your personal best placement and how it sits etc, just avoid places like Claires or hairdressers where the training will have been minimal.

If you like Maria Tash but not the price tag, and don't mind fake diamonds, then Laura Bond does almost identical ones just much cheaper. Goldsmiths sell Maria Tash and there's usually a 20% off code floating around if you have your heart set.

Also bare in mind, that your piercing can take a long time to heal. I had my Daith done early March in a piercing studio that solely does piercings rather than tattoos to, and it'll probably take around 9 months to fully heal before I can have the earring changed for a Maria Tash hoop.

I have no experience with Maria Tash so can't comment on that. I do have a lot of piercings though and I would recommend you have a look at this website www.ukapp.org.uk/ to find your local studio. They will fully consider your anatomy and the type of jewellery you want. You will also be able to choice a range of high end jewellery- BVLA etc. I have my rook done and mine is done with a barbell.

I’ve been pierced at Maria Tash in Harrods. I felt the Liberty stylists and piercers are really, really rude and snooty, they completely ignored my preferences and tried to convince of styles and placements I wasn’t keen on. The people at the Harrods brunch are absolutely lovely. The jewellery are definitely way overpriced but I had wanted a couple earrings which at the time only MT did. Now I go to an amazing tattoo/piercing parlour instead.

I’ve heard great things about Sacred Gold in Kings Cross but the earrings they stock are quite expensive as well.

I’ve been very happy with Maria Tash at Liberty. I took my daughters to have their ears pierced there after horror stories from their friends who’d gone to high street stores, and even Selfridges - wonky placements, infections, one horrific experience of a piercing gun misfiring or something and leaving a notch. I also didn’t feel comfortable taking them to the piercing shops near us, they were a bit too “adult”, although I do appreciate that their target market wasn’t pre-teens. Yes, MT jewellery is expensive but my girls have now re-used the same, simple, first pair they got for their second and subsequent piercings and are super happy every time. It’s always a lovely experience to go there and one I’m happy to pay a bit extra for. It’s £20 with your own MT jewellery and you get the same excellent service and fastidious attention to detail. I honestly wouldn’t go anywhere else now.