What is BVLA jewellery? New Zealand's complete guide

BVLA stands for Body Vision Los Angeles. It is the most sought-after fine body jewellery brand in the world and, by a significant margin, the most ambitious — in materials, in design, and in the standard of finishing applied to every piece. If you have spent time in serious piercing circles, you will have encountered BVLA. If you haven't, this guide covers everything worth knowing before you consider your first piece.

Platinum Point is New Zealand's only exclusive BVLA studio. We carry nothing else. Here is why that matters, and what it means for clients across Auckland.

What is BVLA?

Body Vision Los Angeles was founded by Daran Bhatt and is based and manufactured in Los Angeles, California. Every piece is handcrafted in the United States — not outsourced, not mass-produced. BVLA makes fine jewellery for body piercings: threadless flat-backs, seam rings, hinged segment rings, cluster ends, chain pieces, shaped ends, and an enormous range of gem-set designs in solid gold and 950 platinum.

The brand sits at the intersection of fine jewellery and body modification — a category that barely existed before BVLA helped define it. The standard of craftsmanship is comparable to high-end fine jewellery rather than anything in the conventional piercing industry.

BVLA is sold exclusively through authorised studio partners. It is not available through retail jewellers, online marketplaces, or general jewellery stores. The distribution model is deliberate: BVLA pieces must be properly sized, selected, and fitted by a qualified piercer. The brand is protective of that requirement.

What makes BVLA different

The materials are the starting point. BVLA produces in:

• 14k solid gold: yellow, white, and rose. 58.3% pure gold throughout — not plated, not filled. ASTM F136-compliant gold alloys.
• 18k solid gold: 75% pure gold. Richer colour, softer, and the preferred option for clients with high metal sensitivity.
• 950 platinum: 95% pure platinum. Exceptionally inert and dense — the most biocompatible metal option available in fine jewellery.

The stones are genuine. BVLA uses genuine diamonds, sapphires, opals, tourmalines, and other natural and laboratory stones depending on the piece — not synthetic simulants where the material is specified as genuine. The stone settings are hand-set by skilled craftspeople in the same Los Angeles facility where the metal work is completed.

The surface finishing meets implant-grade standards. The threading system used by BVLA is threadless — the post and end connect via a slight bend in the pin that creates tension against the post. This system is safer and more secure for body jewellery than externally threaded designs, and it is the current standard in professional piercing.

Every piece is individually made. BVLA does not produce jewellery on a factory line. Custom orders are made to specification; stocked pieces have been finished to the same standard. The production volume is deliberately limited to maintain that standard.

The BVLA range

BVLA's catalogue is extensive. The major product families:

• Threadless flat-backs (labrets): A post with a flat disc backing and a press-fit end. The most versatile format — suits lobes, helices, conches, nostrils, and most other placements.
• Seam rings: A continuous ring with a seamless join. Available in plain gold and gem-set versions. Suits healed cartilage placements and lobes.
• Hinged segment rings: A ring with a hinged segment that opens for insertion. More secure than a seam ring for long-term wear.
• Cluster ends: Multi-stone threadless ends with complex arrangements of small gems. Among the most recognisable BVLA designs.
• Chain pieces: Connecting elements that create movement between adjacent piercings. Particularly effective in ear curation contexts.
• Shaped ends: BVLA produces an exceptionally wide range of sculptural ends — botanical forms, geometric shapes, crescent and moon shapes, leaf and branch designs. These are the pieces most identifiable as distinctly BVLA.
• Opal ends: Single or multi-stone opal flat-backs. The play of colour in solid opal makes these among the most requested pieces in the studio.
• Diamond ends: From single-stone solitaires to pavé-set designs. BVLA diamond pieces use genuine stones throughout.

The range evolves. New designs are released regularly. The studio's collection at any given time reflects current stock alongside custom-order options. Browsing the BVLA section of our site gives a starting point, and The Vault at Platinum Point holds our full in-studio collection.

Who is BVLA for?

BVLA is for anyone who wants fine jewellery — properly fitted, correctly sized, and placed by a qualified piercer. In practice, most BVLA clients fall into one of three groups:

• Upgrading from titanium: Clients whose piercings are fully healed and who want to move from starter implant-grade titanium to solid gold or platinum. This is the most common entry point. The minimum requirement is a fully healed piercing — cartilage generally at 9–12 months, lobes at 3–6 months.
• Ear curation clients: Clients building a considered ear composition over time. For these clients, BVLA is planned from the beginning — the jewellery direction is decided alongside the placement sequence. The curation consultation at Platinum Point includes jewellery concepts rendered against your actual ear anatomy.
• Fine jewellery collectors: Clients who approach piercing jewellery as they would approach any fine jewellery purchase — with attention to materials, design, and the investment value of what they are wearing. BVLA holds its value well and is sought after in secondary markets.

BVLA is an investment. A single piece ranges from a few hundred dollars to several thousand, depending on metal, stone type, and design complexity. That investment is proportionate to what the piece is: solid gold, genuine stones, handcrafted in Los Angeles to implant-grade standards.

Platinum Point — New Zealand's only exclusive BVLA studio

Exclusive means exactly that: Platinum Point carries only BVLA. There is no secondary brand, no budget alternative, no mix of brands on the display. Every piece of jewellery available at our Parnell studio is BVLA.

This is a deliberate position. We do not carry other brands alongside BVLA. The reasoning is straightforward: offering a mixed selection creates compromise. It puts clients in the position of comparing items that are not comparable. BVLA is the standard we hold. Everything else is below it.

We hold the largest stock of BVLA in New Zealand. The Vault — our in-studio BVLA collection — includes current and archival pieces, custom order options, and pieces across all metal types and stone categories. Clients visiting from Parnell, Auckland CBD, Newmarket, Remuera, and from across New Zealand can browse the full collection at a consultation appointment.

Platinum Point was named best piercing studio in Auckland by Auckland Magazine. Our piercers are AUPP members. Thomas Manning, our Head Piercer, has a background as a Clinical Trials Aseptic Pharmacy Technician — a background that shapes the approach to sterilisation and material standards across every aspect of the studio's practice.

How to purchase BVLA at Platinum Point

BVLA is not available to purchase without an appointment. The process:

• Book a consultation or piercing appointment. If you are not getting a new piercing, book a jewellery consultation. If you are, the jewellery selection is part of the piercing appointment.
• Browse The Vault in-studio. Your piercer will guide you through the collection with reference to your anatomy, existing piercings, and aesthetic direction. Sizing options for each piece will be discussed and confirmed.
• Custom and special orders. If you are looking for a specific design not currently in stock, Thomas handles custom and special orders directly. Lead times vary by piece and current BVLA production schedules.
• Fitting is included. BVLA jewellery is fitted by a piercer at the appointment — not handed over in packaging for you to fit yourself. Correct fitting is part of the service.

If you want to explore before booking, the jewellery section of our site shows current stock direction. The Ear Builder allows you to visualise piece placement, and Mood to Metal helps identify a style direction before your consultation.

BVLA vs other premium brands

Two brands are most often compared to BVLA in professional piercing circles:

Anatometal: Based in the United States, Anatometal produces implant-grade titanium and steel jewellery to an extremely high standard. Their work is excellent in its category. The distinction from BVLA is material: Anatometal operates primarily in titanium and implant-grade steel, not in solid gold and platinum. For clients who want lightweight, colourful titanium jewellery or anodised options, Anatometal is appropriate. For clients who want solid gold fine jewellery for healed piercings, BVLA is the answer. The two brands occupy different niches and are not genuinely in competition.

LeRoi: A solid gold piercing jewellery brand with a smaller range than BVLA. LeRoi produces quality pieces, but the catalogue breadth, design complexity, and finishing detail that define BVLA are not present at the same level. For clients who have encountered both, the difference is visible.

BVLA's position as the benchmark in fine body jewellery is not marketing — it is the professional consensus across the international piercing community. The design breadth, material quality, and finishing standard have not been matched by any other brand operating at scale.