How long will it take for my snug piercing to heal?

I want to get a snug piercing (cartilage), but may have to work in a more formal environment this summer (end of May). I thought that if the snug heals by then, i can put an "invisible" plastic (Bioflex) earring in place of the stainless steel. To give you an idea of how I heal: My upper helix piercing (also cartilage) healed in MAYBE three months. I cleaned it occasionally, didn't sleep on it (that one's the biggie), and NEVER had problem with it. As far as I'm concerned, it healed in three days because I never had an issue and I could pull on it without pain or other problem. However, my lobe piercing on the side that I sleep I had to have done a second time, because it didn't take right the first time. How long should I wait from the original piercing do I need to wait before putting in the "invisible" plastic earring?