Rapper Lil Uzi Vert made headline news when he debuted a 10-carat pink diamond forehead piercing on Instagram, inspired by fellow musician Lil B. 

Tweeting that he was “literally tryna turn into a Diamond”, he revealed the one in his forehead cost US$24 million. Worn with a matching pinky ring and earrings, videos of the piercing went viral instantly – sparking comparisons to Marvel superhero Vision.

One fan joked, “one of these days imma catch you lackin in your sleep and take that philosophers stone.” Luckily, Uzi’s is insured.

We spoke with Hong Kong-based piercing expert Sara, of the luxury piercing studio Sara Pierced Me, about what difficulties Uzi might face as it heals. 

Uzi said the diamond is embedded with a “long bar”, which Sara explains is something known as a “Surface Bar placement.” While they are “well established in the piercing industry”, she says Uzi’s is “unorthodox” and might take longer than the typical 2-5 months to heal.

She says, “When you add in movement and larger size and weight factors due to the large diamond used, this may change those timelines and extend them.

“The piercing itself isn’t dangerous. But [with] the weight issues and the fact that we don’t know exactly what the materials [were used] for the post and bar sections, which enter and remain inside his body, it’s very hard to tell exactly how ‘safe’ or secure it will be for him going forward,” she explains.

The “biggest risk” he faces is infection, which is amplified because of the diamond’s size and placement. She says, “The head is a high traffic area. You brush against it, you wear masks and eyewear that can come very close to the piercing.” 

“Any bump or jostle of the piercing is essentially resetting some of the healing process and forcing the body to react to an injury.”

She adds only a few professionals in the entire world have the experience to safely pierce a stone like Uzi’s. While it isn’t known who booked the job, Uzi’s diamond was purchased through celebrity jeweller Elliot Eliantte (who has supplied Nicki Minaj, Future and more with custom bling).

Uzi has insisted his diamond is centered, but due to swelling and the “long bar” he was initially pierced with – it appears off to the right. He claims the bar will be swapped to a shorter version later to keep the stone from moving.

Had Sara pierced Uzi, she wouldn’t have jumped straight to the US$24m stone so the bar had “time to anchor itself to his skin.” She said, “I would [have] suggested a smaller ‘top’ portion, and later replacing that smaller top with the special Pink Diamond piece he had made.”

If Uzi decides to lose his Mind Gem, it’s likely to scar. She advised Uzi should go to a professional if he has it removed, as piercers could “minimise the scar…but there will still be some damage, it would be hard to avoid.”

To learn more about Sara Pierced Me’s services, the studio can be found on Instagram at @sarapiercedme and at her official website, sarapierced.me