*big, goofy-ass grin* been too long since i heard my theme song.

well, any piercer that tells you you can start at most any gauge you want is kiddin' him/herself. the starting gauge for nipples is almost always 14, with the possible exception of 12 in special cases. that way, you have a ring that's just heavy enough to sit comfortably, but not so heavy that the unnecessary extra weight hampers the healing process. after yer all healed-up, if it rubs yer fancy, you can up the gauge a little at a time, never more than in increments of one at a time with at least a month or so until the next stretch. on the flipside, if you don't care for the heftier steel, you can switch to titanium which is lighter, or even drop a gauge and wear 16-gauge barbells. with the baffling variety of after-market jewelry and accessories available for nipples, yer options are almost limitless.

if ya wanna know anything else, you know where to find me... orbiting Saturn with the other space-cowboys.