Genital piercing is not a new thing — a statue of a dog with a bolt through his penis has been carbon-dated to 400 CE, and a copy of the Kama Sutra from 700 CE even mentions male genital piercing. Natives of Borneo have been piercing their penises for centuries, as a symbol of being the head of the house. (There are many other stories behind genital piercings, such as that of Prince Albert or foreskin piercing, but the validity of these stories is doubtful.)
Genital piercings are among the most expensive at any piercing studio, but the extra cost is definitely worth being in good hands. A botched self-done piercing can result in lots of bleeding, nerve damage and loss of feeling, and, if you really foul things up, loss of function. It's important to go to a well-established piercer for the same reasons.
Many people get pierced in the hopes of making sex better for one or both partners, but some piercings will have no effect and are purely for aesthetic purposes. Because of the differences in anatomy between the sexes, both males and females have a wide variety of piercings to choose from:
Male piercings through the head of the penis include the ampallang, apadravya, Prince Albert, reverse Prince Albert, dydoe, and magic cross. Piercings along the shaft include the foreskin, frenum, lorum and dolphin. Piercings through the testicles include the hafada and transcrotal.
Female piercings around the clitoris include the clit piercing, hood, triangle, and Isabella (also called Cleopatra and Nefertiti). Piercings around the labia include inner and outer labia piercing, and fourchette. Other piercings include the Christina and Princess Albertina. Female piercing is highly anatomy dependent, and many women are unable to get one or more piercings.
Unisex piercings are basically limited to anal piercings (related to the male guiche piercing) and pubic piercings.
The type of jewelry suitable for each piercing depends on the location of the piercing. A few placements are best suited for a captive bead ring, but a barbell or curved barbell can be worn in most piercings. There is one unique piece of jewerly, though: the prince's wand can only be worn in a Prince Albert piercing (or some variant, like the reverse or dolphin).
My first WU in a 'shell created by r00t!