The measurement that you need is the distance from the piercing hole to the edge of your ear. Take this measurement in a straight line, because if you measure at a diagonal angle you will end up with a hoop that fits larger than you anticipated.
Thereof, which is smaller 16g or 14g?
The 14g is a larger barbell than the 16g by a fraction of an inch (0.013). Most piercers will have a preference between 14 and 16g for industrial piercings and while having a 14g means you can swap out for 16g jewelry you cannot do it the other way around without pain.
An 18 gauge earring measures approximately 1.0 mm and a 16 gauge earring measures approximately 1.2 mm, for a difference of 0.2 mm.
In this way, what is bigger 16 gauge or 14 gauge?
16ga steel is . 065” inches thick, that is about 1/16th of an inch thick. 14 gauge in comparison is . 083 inches thick which doesn’t sound like much except it is almost 30% thicker (27.6% to be exact).
