I can't say this enough but if you're looking into anything other than regular earlobe piercings, cartilage piercings are pretty high-risk when they get infected. There are a lot of possible complications with cartilage piercings (keloids, bumpy scarring, cauliflower deformity, blood poisoning) so you have to really consider whether you're ready for possibly years of diligence with cartilage piercing-care. It's not a first-timer piercing imho.

I recommend choosing a piercing material that's hypoallergenic, nickel-free and resistant to corrosion and bacteria like titanium. Steel is also 'fine' but it has to be hypoallergenic. Straight bars are a lot friendlier on healing tissue than hoops and curved bars. Always wash your ear (every day!) with clean water or sterile saline and wash your hands before you touch the piercing! People don't recommend rolling piercings anymore because a) we don't use piercing guns here and b) it just disturbs the healing tissue. Swimming with a new piercing is how people get infections! Good luck!