Piercings and tats aren't just restricted to us goths, of course. They've been a badge of rank or adulthood in many cultures throughout history. Despite this, in the West, it's only recently that being the proud wearer of a tattoo or body jewellery has been truly acceptable - well, you still get sour looks from some quarters even now.

So you have to be pretty sure you want to stick with this, and with the fallout that will happen because of it. OK, piercings will heal, usually, if you leave them. But a tattoo is for life. Even if you pay to have it removed (a painful and expensive process), it will leave a nasty scar for the rest of your life.

Please bear that in mind, and if you're like a friend of mine, who told me, "If I had a tattoo, I would end up cutting it out with a razor blade or something", forget the idea right now! If you do go for it, be extremely careful exactly who you choose to carry out the operation. Make sure they are licensed, and if you have any worries about their hygiene levels, find somewhere else! You don't want a nice little dose of hepatitis or worse along with your tat or your pierced belly-button.

OK, that's my little lecture over and done with (and kudos to you if you actually read it!) so let's get on with looking at some interesting items of body jewellery for you to cast your eyes over.

Proving tattoos have come a long way are the very upmarket tattoo artists, Hart and Huntington.

Tattoo flash

I just came across this great site which has thousands of great (and apparently award winning) designs. They've got goth designs, dragons, tribal designs, plus butterflies, stars and crosses if that's what floats your boat. Definitely worth looking at if you've decided to take the plunge and get yourself a tat - or another tat - whatever .

Earrings are on the Gleam page.