A steady number of the people I pierce live around Mount Eden, Kingsland and Balmoral. Close enough that the trip to us in Parnell is a non-event; far enough that nobody stumbles in by accident. Everyone who makes it here chose to.
So this is written for the person searching for fine piercing near Mount Eden and trying to work out whether the nearest option is the right one. It is not a comparison of studios — I have no interest in writing that. It is an honest account of what we do, who travels to us from your side of the city, and, just as usefully, when the trip is not worth making.
How close we actually are
Platinum Point is at 389 Parnell Road. From Mount Eden Village it is roughly five kilometres: down Mount Eden Road, left along Khyber Pass Road, through Newmarket and onto Parnell Road. Outside peak that is about twelve minutes. Buses run between Mount Eden and Parnell via Newmarket if you would rather not drive, and there is metered street parking directly outside the studio door.
In practical terms it is a lunch-break trip. Most of the Mount Eden clients I see book a midday slot and are back at their desk without anyone noticing.
What people are actually coming for
Almost everyone who travels to us from that side of Auckland is after one of two things.
The first is the jewellery. Not a piercing with jewellery attached — the jewellery itself, chosen properly. We hold Auckland's largest in-stock selection of fine solid gold body jewellery: over a hundred pieces of 14k and 18k, hand-set with genuine stones, sitting in the studio ready to try. That depth is the whole point. When you sit down, the choice in front of you is real, rather than the three pieces that happened to be in the case. If you want the background on why solid gold is the only thing we put in a fresh or healed piercing, I have written that up separately in solid gold versus gold-filled and gold-plated.
The second is the appointment itself. We are appointment-only and we do not take walk-ins, not even for a single lobe. Your slot is yours. Nobody else's piercing runs alongside it, there is no counter to queue at, and the anatomy consultation happens whether you have come for a full curation plan or one earring. For someone used to just turning up somewhere, that is one extra step — booking ahead — in exchange for an hour that is not rushed.
If it were my ear, I would tell you honestly which piece I would choose, and if the answer is that you should wait, I will tell you that too.
The fitting is the part people underestimate
Buying fine jewellery online is easy. Getting a piece that actually sits correctly in your ear is not, and that gap is where most disappointment lives.
Post length, gauge, disc size and the angle a piece naturally sits at all change how it looks on you and how comfortably it heals. A flat-back that is a millimetre too long snags and migrates; one that is a millimetre too short presses. None of that is visible in a product photograph, and none of it is guesswork we should be doing over email. It is a sit-down, measure-and-try appointment — which is precisely why it needs a booking, and why the twelve minutes is the cost of doing it properly. There is more on how this works across a whole ear in planning a curated ear.
Two piercers, seven days
There are two of us. I work most of the week, and Kat takes appointments on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays — she is particularly good with first piercings and with anyone who is nervous about the whole thing. You choose which of us you see when you book. The studio is open seven days: weekdays from 11am, weekends from 10am, both until 6pm.
For Mount Eden clients that weekend opening tends to matter more than the weekday hours. A Sunday morning slot with parking outside is an easier proposition than anything mid-week.
When it is not worth the trip
I would rather say this plainly than have someone drive over and feel oversold.
If what you want is a lobe pierced this afternoon, with no particular interest in what goes in it, a good studio closer to home will serve you perfectly well. We are not cheaper, we are not faster, and we cannot see you today. The twelve minutes buys you depth of jewellery choice, a proper fitting, and an unhurried appointment. If those three things are not what you are shopping for, they are not worth travelling for.
But if they are — if this is a piece you intend to wear for years, or an ear you are building deliberately rather than one piercing at a time — then the drive down Khyber Pass is usually the easiest part of the decision.
389 Parnell Road — about twelve minutes from Mount Eden Village, metered parking outside. By appointment, seven days.
Book your appointment →Fine piercing near Mount Eden — frequently asked questions
How far is Platinum Point from Mount Eden?
About twelve minutes by car outside peak — roughly five kilometres. Down Mount Eden Road, along Khyber Pass Road, through Newmarket and onto Parnell Road. Buses run between Mount Eden and Parnell via Newmarket, and there is metered street parking directly outside the studio at 389 Parnell Road.
Is it worth travelling from Mount Eden for a piercing?
It depends on what you want. If you want a lobe done this afternoon and have no particular interest in the jewellery, somewhere closer will serve you well. If the jewellery, the placement, or an unhurried appointment is the point, the twelve minutes tends to be the easiest part of a decision you'll wear for years.
Do I need an appointment, or can I walk in?
Appointment only — there are no walk-ins, even for a single lobe. Every visit is a private slot with no one else's piercing running alongside it. The studio is open seven days: Monday to Friday 11am to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 6pm.
Can I choose which piercer I see?
Yes. Thomas and Kat both take appointments and you choose when you book. Kat works Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays and is particularly good with first piercings and nervous clients.
Next: what to know about buying solid gold jewellery when you live in Mount Eden, or how to choose a piercing studio near Mount Eden. You can also see the full Mount Eden visitor page, browse the jewellery collection, or read what to expect at your first Parnell appointment.