metal allergy?

I'm an eighth grade science teacher, so I'm looking at this from the perspective of what I know from the periodic table.

Gold is a very non-reactive element. Allergies to gold are pretty rare. But, What is sold as "gold" at jewelry stores is usually an alloy that has other metals mixed in with it (like nickel or palladium). It may not be gold you're allergic to....could be the nickel or palladium. Have you tried 24 K gold? That is as close to pure gold (99%) as you are going to get. Anything less (10K, 12K, 14K, 18K, etc.) is going to have some nickel or palladium in it.

So the cross you are describing (14K or 18K gold) could give you an allergic reaction if it is the nickel or palladium you are allergic too.

If you truly have a gold allergy, try titanium jewelry.

Another option might be rhodium plating, but that wears off really quickly.

Hope that helps!

I know someone who is also allergic to metals and her jeweller pot a coating on the inside of her rings and it seems to be doing the trick. Why don't you go to your jeweller and see if there's anything they can do too? It's strange that your allergic to platinum too, I heard it was good for people with irritable skin.

As for how to tell your fiancé...just tell him, it's not like your doing it on purpose!

Anyway, hope you find something that works for you, good luck!

As LadyMaria and Deathspi have said, coatings can help, or going to pure gold or silver helps some folks. Actually knowing that what you're getting is what it is stamped also helps. There's a lot of stuff parading around as gold or sterling that isn't.

My MIL has a very severe nickel and rhodium allergy. However, she can wear fine silver (.999), sterling (.925) and gold if it's 18k (.750) or better.

Most chain stores won't help, but if you deal with an independent jeweler they will work to find something you can wear.

And from what I've seen metal allergies are terribly common, enough so that I hear about at least a couple of times a week.

Titanium is indeed a good option. It is used in body implants specifically because it is so inert. I've had lots of customers allergic to white gold that had no problem wearing titanium. I've had a customer so allergic to most metals that she had us make a disc of titanium to tape to her arm for a week. She had no problems with it.