Cartilage or otherwise, these are noserings, fact. They're standard gauge for NOSE piercings. Which is a size thicker than the standard cartilage, earring. They're also entirely too short to comfortably fit the average ear piercing %26 certainly too short to fit the average lobe. They're perfect for a nose.
I mean, if you're as stubborn or as desperate for surgical steel studs as I am . . . You could probably squeeze these into the skinniest ear piercing you may have. I managed to fit the longest pair into my ears . . . Just barely. However, the rest are basically useless. Unless I suddenly decide to go get my nose pierced. (Which I wouldn't do since my nose is far too perfect to mess with. Lol)
The flat backs are comfortable but nearly impossible to screw into place behind the ears. I've never been great with flat/disk backs which is why I always used rings for my other piercings. It took me a couple of hours to fasten one pair of these. (The one %26 only pair that were long enough to fit ear piercings of any kind.)
Since I'm highly sensitive %26 allergic to most metals, I can't even wear gold or silver in my ears. . . These were the best bad options I have yet found.
Don't make the mistake of thinking these are likely to fit any piercings on your ears unless you have abnormally slim cartilage or unbelievably small ear lobes. Also, don't assume that they'll be visible farther than 3 inches from your face. Again I say . . . These are NOSE studs. Everything about them is tiny. They're the kind of nose studs that look like a pimple unless you're looking at them from a few inches away.
Basically, these are 95% FALSE advertising . . . But they do seem to be surgical steel. So, there's that!