Just down the road from the Wallace Collection in elegant Marylebone, Lark & Berry is as far removed from a stereotypical piercing parlour as you could imagine. The jewellery brand’s shop is a light, bright space with royal blue accents and clean glass cases scattered with shiny rings and necklaces.
The company specialises in sustainable women’s trinkets using precious metals. They’re also set with cultured diamonds - that’s stones which are laboratory-grown and don’t carry the environmental, political and societal problems associated with diamond mines.
You won’t find any chunky ball rings usually associated with first piercings here. Pick from their 14K gold piercing collection, which they say has been developed with an expert body piercer to minimise scarring. There’s a pretty array of hoops and labrets to choose from all in deep golds and glistening silvers and encrusted with diamonds in different colours, shapes and sizes.
The in-store piercing studio is hidden away at the back of the shop. At the moment it’s just open on Saturdays and manned by experienced piercers from well-known parlours across London. Don’t expect the breadth of piercings usually available in dedicated parlours. My request for an orbital is denied, however, there are still a nice number of cartilage and lobe options. I settle for a conch instead with a dainty gold band lined with tiny, sparkling gems.
If heading to a tattoo parlour feels intimidating, or you want to wear pretty jewellery rather than ugly starter sets from the get-go, this spot is a winner.