The perforation of the nipple to apply jewellery has been practiced by various people throughout history. The earliest accounts of nipple piercing in western culture date back to the 14th century. During that time a fashion trend arose, which considered very deep cleavage as fashionable. Often even the nipples were exposed in these dresses. Queen Is beau of Bavaria was the first to pierce her visible nipple for decoration purposes. Years later, during the Victorian period around 1890, the fashion evolved again. It became popular to apply Annex De Seen, small diamond rings or gold chains, to the nipples. Before this trend was popularised, it was mainly practiced by the upper class. In the late 1970s the practice was revived again by Jim Ward, proprietor of the Gauntlet in West Hollywood. The mainstream popularity of the practice is partly due to celebrities who publicly displayed their piercing or confessed to have one. A nipple piercing is a piercing, cantered usually at the base of the nipple. It can be pierced at any angle but is usually done horizontally or, less often, vertically. It is also possible to place multiple piercing on top of one another. A nipple piercing typically takes 3-6 months to fully heal. Some people have noted that they can take up to a year and a half to fully heal. It's recommended that if stretching a nipple piercing, the pierce waits at least the healing time of their piercing between stretches. The nipple is fleshy enough to pierce securely behind plenty of skin to prevent rejection. However, if the jewellery gauge is too thin or the piercing isn't deep enough to begin with, there is a risk of rejection. Metal allergies could cause it to reject. Problems with infections and/or too much tugging and pulling on it could also cause it to reject