Colorful and cheap are the most important properties of acrylic jewelry. It is available in many colors and designs and many people see this as an alternative to metal jewelry. It is widely used for plugs, balls and rods with external threads.
However, acrylic has a number of properties that make the material less suitable for piercing jewelry.
Acrylic cannot be sterilized, as the material cannot withstand the steam and heat that is often used. That alone makes acrylic absolutely unsuitable initial jewellery for piercing, as nothing but sterile jewelry should be used with fresh piercings. Also, it cannot be disinfected easily because acrylic can become very brittle from some disinfectants.