allergic to platinum?

[azred]

is it possible to be allergic to platinum?

I know I'm probably allergic to nickel, as my original wedding ring was a white gold band and i developed a rash from it. I work a yellow gold band before we were married and never had a problem.

My current wedding set is platinum from Shane Co - do they possibly use nickel in their platinum, or can you be allergic to platinum too? I am trying to figure out if i am going to need to visit a dermatologist or not

UGH i hate sensitive irish skin. Does anyone know of a metal that isn't likely to trigger allergies - palladium or something maybe?

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Could it be contact dermatitis. Water soap and other stuff can get caught in there and just cause a rash to form.

Hope you work things out. I feel a bit naked without my rings on.

 

[distracts]

It is possible to be allergic to platinum, and if you are allergic to nickel you have a greater likelihood.

First I would rule out contact dermatitis from soap or lotion stuck to the underside of the ring first. Next I would take your ring to a jeweler or appraiser and check that it's really platinum and that Shane Co didn't mistakenly sell you a white gold ring.

If you are allergic to nickel and platinum, I'd not use palladium as it could also make you react. I'd try 18 carat yellow gold (or higher for plain bands), and if you react to that, try titanium.

 

[ksinger]

Even "pure" platinum is an alloy, usually with cobalt, ruthenium, or iridium. It's likely one of those that you are allergic too, not the platinum itself.

 

[PintoBean]

Definitely rule out contact dermatitis! I had a friend who was getting a rash from his watch band. Turned out to be a nice build up of soap, lotion, skin cells over time!

Grab some rubbing alcohol and some TP, cotton ball, etc. and give your ring a nice swipe. Cleans diamonds in a jiffy, too! Keep the ring off until your irritation heals, then try again.

 

[msop04]

Definitely rule out contact dermatitis! I had a friend who was getting a rash from his watch band. Turned out to be a nice build up of soap, lotion, skin cells over time!

Grab some rubbing alcohol and some TP, cotton ball, etc. and give your ring a nice swipe. Cleans diamonds in a jiffy, too! Keep the ring off until your irritation heals, then try again.

The very same thing happened to my sister! Lotion will do it really bad!

 

[azred]

thank you for all of the advice, everyone....will definitely rule out contact dermatitis first - hand lotion could be the culprit, my office is very dry so i use it somewhat frequently. Ring is stamped plat but will take it to be appraised anyway. DH and I aren't super attached to this ring (we had planned on an upgrade anyway) so it won't be the end of the world if I am allergic to the platinum or another alloy.

What about rose gold? I know I'm not allergic to copper so maybe that would be an option?

 

[PintoBean]

E-weddingbands.com has thin bands you could purchase to wear at a reasonable price as a metal allergy test -

 

[AprilBaby]

thank you for all of the advice, everyone....will definitely rule out contact dermatitis first - hand lotion could be the culprit, my office is very dry so i use it somewhat frequently. Ring is stamped plat but will take it to be appraised anyway. DH and I aren't super attached to this ring (we had planned on an upgrade anyway) so it won't be the end of the world if I am allergic to the platinum or another alloy.

What about rose gold? I know I'm not allergic to copper so maybe that would be an option?

I believe rose gold will also present a problem because of the alloy. I have to stick with 14 or 18 kt yellow gold. Do you really hate yellow?

 

[ChristineRose]

The chance is very high that you are allergic to nickel white gold solder that was used in your ring. This is much more likely than you actually being allergic to platinum, or the alloys in your platinum, or the ring not being what it claims to be, or the hand lotion scenario. (You'd be suffering all over in that case.)

See if you can make contact with whoever actually worked on your ring.

 

[aviastar]

The chance is very high that you are allergic to nickel white gold solder that was used in your ring. This is much more likely than you actually being allergic to platinum, or the alloys in your platinum, or the ring not being what it claims to be, or the hand lotion scenario. (You'd be suffering all over in that case.)

See if you can make contact with whoever actually worked on your ring.

Not necessarily; its not the lotion that the problem, but the combination of stuff that gets stuck under the ring, including pain old dirt and dust from the air and our hands that acts as an abrasive under the band.

thank you for all of the advice, everyone....will definitely rule out contact dermatitis first - hand lotion could be the culprit, my office is very dry so i use it somewhat frequently. Ring is stamped plat but will take it to be appraised anyway. DH and I aren't super attached to this ring (we had planned on an upgrade anyway) so it won't be the end of the world if I am allergic to the platinum or another alloy.

What about rose gold? I know I'm not allergic to copper so maybe that would be an option?

I believe rose gold will also present a problem because of the alloy. I have to stick with 14 or 18 kt yellow gold. Do you really hate yellow?

Even yellow gold has alloys in it if it's not 24k, so if you know that nickel is an issue, but copper or silver (or whatever alloys the maker used to achieve the karat and color) are not, then yellow or rose should be fine.

 

[AprilBaby]

When I asked once before on here one of the trade people said rose gold has nickel and copper in the alloy.

 

[aviastar]

When I asked once before on here one of the trade people said rose gold has nickel and copper in the alloy.

oh, interesting! My local guy doesn't use nickel in his! So I guess you have to ask specifically, great to know!

 

[azred]

thanks so much for all of the advice, you guys are amazing <3

rash has cleared up almost gone after 4 days with no rings on. Going to give my rings a good cleaning and try to be careful with soap/lotion - if it comes back I'll know it's an allergy thing and I'll go get tested

 

[Dancing Fire]

Better then allergiced to money...

 

[perry]

It would actually be incredibly rare to be allergic to platinum itself.

However, your rings are not made out of pure platinum. They are most likely either 90% (900 platinum) or 95% (950 platinum) - and its the other alloying elements that you are likely allergic too.

Solder - if used is another potential issue.

There are non-nickle platinum alloys (and non-nickle gold alloys too); but not all jewelry uses these as they are generally more expensive than the nickle alloys.

The original jeweler who made the rings should be able to tell you which specific alloy was used; but most retail stores would have no idea as they just don't know the details of the alloys that the bulk ring mfr's use.


Best of luck with this.

Perry

 

[ChristineRose]

This may be useful:

https://www.pricescope.com/journal/overview_common_alloys_used_jewelry

Many manufacturers have their own custom alloys though, and they don't have to share with you. A lot of them use nickel and still claim their alloy is hypoallergenic because the nickel is supposedly buried in the ring and unable to leach out and hurt your skin. Pretty questionable stuff if you ask me, and unfortunately their goal is to sell jewelry, not to protect your health.

 

[blondie~]

I sure am learning a lot reading this thread. The last link is especially valuable. I inherited a new pair of Tiffany platinum earrings, little diamonds set in a flower burst pattern of platinum. Platinum posts and backs. Boy, do they itch. I don't have this problem with a smaller pair of Huggies (about 10 yrs old), or with my wedding ring. I wonder what it is, perhaps, yes, the alloy with the Tiffany earrings.

 

[ChristineRose]

You can establish or rule out nickel pretty easily by taping a nickle (the coin) to yourself for 48 hours. Red spot with blisters = allergy.

Most platinum alloys are not nickel but you cannot tell for sure unless the manufacturer talks, and they rarely do.

All white gold alloys should be assumed to be nickel unless you can get some sort of very definitive statement from the manufacturer. Even many alloys sold as hypoallergenic have nickel in them. There is no legal definition of hypoallergenic and it's largely a marketing term. Many potent allergens are sold as hypoallergenic.

If it's not nickel, a dermatologist can test you. It's unpleasant but straightforward--they make a grid on your back and paint it with all sorts of nasty stuff. Unfortunately there are plenty of things you can react to that you can't really identify as a problem until after you've bought the product.