When independent jewellery store Lune announced on Instagram earlier this week that they held a piercing party, we stopped and read that again. Master piercer J’son D’souza would be taking care of the holes, we were told. Why would you need professional expertise to drill a hole through flesh? What does he teach across studios in Europe, and why does he say one must only use titanium to pierce.

The piercer’s studio. Pics/Sameer Markande