Disaster - Allergy to Engagement Ring

[Garysax]

Distressing news about the e-ring I had made. Wanted some input on this from anybody in a similar situation or anybody in the know.

Basically my fiance adores the ring I had made for her, the TR-105 in 14 carat white gold. In the weeks since I proposed she has (slowly) developed a rash on her engagement ring finger and it kept getting worse until it was intolerable. She put it on her right and now she''s showing signs on her right.

I knew she was allergic to less than 14 carat gold and most other metals besides surgical steel and the like. It never occured to me that this ring would be a problem, but it is. It has taken a while, weeks--usually she develops a rash after wearing a non 14 carat metal for just a few hours. Which makes me think whatever is causing it is in very low amounts in the ring. The horrifying conclusion I''ve come to is whatever metal they temper the 14 carat gold tension set with to make it stronger also eliminates the hypoallergenic qualities of the gold. I hope this isn''t the problem, as I''d have to get rid of the setting which we both love then. She''s profoundly upset about it right now, she thinks it''s her fault (absurd), it is a bad omen, etc.

I''ve e-mailed the jeweler I worked with for it but obviously they''re not going to answer on the weekend. I wondered if any of you have any thoughts on this--could it be whatever they dipped the ring in (as an alternative to some quality of the tempered gold itself)? Is there any easy solution for us that would not involve getting an entirely new setting (I don''t know, dipping it in some sort of hypoallergenic coating or something???). I understand there really isn''t much the jeweler can do for me since it is a "let the buyer beware" world but hopefully they''ll be willing to help out somehow. It never even crossed my mind or was mentioned that this 14 carat gold tension set would cause her skin allergies. I suppose I should have thought of it but I guess that''s just water under the bridge.

I guess the bottom line is that I might be looking for a new setting

... not my #1 thing to be paying for with the actual wedding coming up to say the least! Anyway, any comments from anybody is appreciated.

 

[JulieN]

She's not allergic to the gold. She's allergic to the nickel in it.

It's either platinum...or titanium. www.boonerings.com makes Ti tension rings...there's an active thread in Show Me The Ring with a 1.25 Infinity diamond and a Boone tension ring.

 

[Garysax]

Date: 4/23/2006 1:16:52 AM
Author: JulieN
She''s not allergic to the gold. She''s allergic to the nickel in it.

Yep, it just never occured to me that this particular 14k ring would give her a reaction when all her other (even pretty cheap-o) 14k rings have not had enough other minerals in them to give her a reaction... ah well.

 

[Jelly]

I''m so sorry! Such a beautiful setting too.

Good luck with your search for a new setting.

 

[decodelighted]

This one is pretty close to your existing setting.

Good luck ... let us know what the doctor/jeweler etc says!! (And new hand pix if you have to change out!!)

 

[decodelighted]

It even has a matching wedding ring with it ... maybe this would help with your budget ... changing out the wedding ring from gold to titanium!

 

[JulieN]

You''d have to get a new setting...electroplating it would be at best a temporary solution.

I thought you got her 18K WG...maybe GA will make her a 14K or 18K setting without any nickel? After being exposed for so long, she may have developed an increased sensitivity to nickel, so even if she wore 18K white with nickel now, she could develop the rash.

 

[gailrmv]

What if she gets it rhodium plated regularly? would that help? It''s relatively easy and cheap esp compared to a new setting. I think some places even platinum plate (???) If you do have to get a new setting I''d go platinum but there is also a new WG alloy out there that might work.
Good luck!

 

[ilovesparkles]

I am so so sorry to hear about this! I have an allergy to nickel as well and even though there is a tiny amount in gold mixtures I am very afraid it will be enough to irritate me. I read a thread about mixing palladium in with the gold instead of the other alloys. This eliminates the nickel and the need to have the ring rhodium plated. The post talking about the palladium is at the very end of the page. Hope it helps!

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/bezel-is-turning-yellow-on-my-white-gold-ring.30805/=

 

[JulieN]

rhodium electroplate won''t work, sadly.

 

[strmrdr]

TI is the answer for someone who is allergic to other metals.

One of my clients was lamenting the fact she couldnt wear rings a while back and I suggested TI to her and that she could get diamonds in it also which she didnt think you could.
She just got a simple band for now rather than spend money and find she cant wear it on a diamond.
So far so good.
She cant even wear yellow gold because she has a reaction to the copper in it.

 

[perry]

Not all 14 Karat gold has nickle in it. The industry has developed nickle free alloys because Europe banned the use of nickle in jewerly metal over a decade ago. Thus - it is possible for her to have "nickle free" alloys that she does not react to.

Of course, the nickel free alloys cost just a bit more and may not have the same mechanical properties - which is why some jewery companies in the US still use nickle alloys.

You can request nickel free rings from any custom goldsmith, and many of the suppliers of rings (I know that for example Whiteflash converted to nickle free several years ago).

Of course, changing to a different metal may do it as well - just be sure you understand what the alloying elements are in the rings. No ring is pure gold, platinum, silver, etc...

Perry

 

[valeria101]

Rings are fine on me, but earrings don't work at all - in a few hours I look as if my 1st grade teacher had a go at my ears! 18kt gold doesn't work either - it just takes somewhat longer for the earrings to start feeling uncomfortable. I don't like white metals much, so it is either high carat gold or nothing.

I would like to try Ti earrings, but have not looked around much yet and the few styles I did find are not very interesting. That isn't the case with Ti rings though - much more i available, and unless you hate the very idea, it may be worth looking into: the ring could be daintier if you wanted, and amazingly light even if more 'mass' is desired. I can't say I have seen the exact style in Ti, but you could have it custom (did you see Stephan's new ring from Boone ?! These guys did pretty impressive custom work for a couple of pricescopers already). I remember that at some point you thought that the pink accent stones should have been princess cut... those should be perfectly feasible, I'd hope.

Just an idea

 

[princessv]

Ugh...I''m the same way too! Fortunately for me...I didn''t love my setting and wanted to change it anyway. For me first, my finger started turning greenish/blackish then it would start to itch pretty badly, rather than wait for a rash I''d just take it off. I can''t wear any white gold earrings either (my ears swell and get infected in about an hour or two)...I have yet to try 24kt gold although I have a feeling that I''d be ok with that (if only I loved yellow gold more). A platinum setting seemed to do the trick and I haven''t had any problems at all with the new setting.

Good luck on your search!

 

[Garysax]

Thanks for the thread title change to be more specific.

It''s just really bugging me that in a wide variety of other 14k or better rings, earrings, etc she owns and has worn, this has *never* been a problem, even from some pretty low quality mall stores and other places. This really took me out of nowhere, I had never even considered this would be a problem given that fact. It makes me wonder if it''s something specific to the tension setting... anyway. Hard to think about getting a new setting right now but I may have to do that. Thanks for the recommendations. I''d love to get a new platinum setting but platinum prices are

right now and I definitely can''t afford another G+A platinum.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

As a temporary solution until you figure out what you''re going to do, coating the inner surfaces with clear nail polish periodically should work.

 

[glitterata]

Did she wear any of the other rings nonstop the way people wear an engagment ring? I suspect she probably wore them for shorter periods of time, not long enough for the allergy to kick in.

So sorry!

Fortunately, there are hypoallergenic alternatives if you want a white metal: platinum and titanium.

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 4/23/2006 2:55:57 PM
Author: glitterata
Did she wear any of the other rings nonstop the way people wear an engagment ring? I suspect she probably wore them for shorter periods of time, not long enough for the allergy to kick in.

I was thinking the same thing! But hindsight is 20/20 ya know? I do think you''re gonna need to change settings so she can wear the ring! The budget titanium options look really cool ... if she doesn''t like titanium, maybe you can get a simple platinum solitare for now & "upgrade" back to the G&A platinum bypass setting on a future anniverary (once those pesky wedding/honeymoon bills are paid off!)

Don''t beat yourself up about this (or her) -- what you picked was perfect for her BASED ON THE INFO YOU HAD. You couldn''t have predicted this - but it is what it is - and her comfort & health comes 1st. (IMO)

 

[Garysax]

Date: 4/23/2006 2:55:57 PM
Author: glitterata
Did she wear any of the other rings nonstop the way people wear an engagment ring? I suspect she probably wore them for shorter periods of time, not long enough for the allergy to kick in.


So sorry!


Fortunately, there are hypoallergenic alternatives if you want a white metal: platinum and titanium.

This occured to me too, but she did. Her mother gave her a 14 carat ring for sweet 16 and she pretty much wore it for years straight as a RHR. I also gave her a little 14 carat tanzanite ring she wore 24/7 from a mall store. She wears all her 14 carat earrings all the time as well...

Oh well. For now I might suggest that she put it on a chain or perhaps try the nail polish coating once her finger heals for temporary wearing at important occassions and the like. Thanks for the advice. I guess I should be positive--another opportunity to surprise her with an important setting...

 

[MissAva]

I am sorry for you and for you fiancee. I agree with the others though it does need to be changed. What does she want to do? Does she want a temp plat setting and then back to the G&A setting later? You mentioned that you could not afford to change it to the plat g&a setting just now, but perhaps she could help?

 

[Garysax]

My big concern with regards to a new G+A ring is the concern that the foreign metals she's having an allergy to might be an inherent problem with the G+A tempering process--something that might not be solved going with a 18 karat or platinum G+A setting which would still be tempered with their signature metals or whatever to increase hardness and allow for tension setting.

If it's just a problem with the 14 karat mix/amount of gold and other metals in the ring, then it would be solved by moving up to 18 karat or platinum. But then I'm left with questions about why the 14 karat mix G+A uses so much nickel and allergenic metals versus even other rings she has ever worn (that were pretty shoddy mall affairs for the most part). In fact, right now she's wearing a 100$ sapphire ring from a kays in the mall on her rashed right hand and it feels just fine.

A deeply suspicious knee jerk part of my brain questions if this is fully 14 karat at all as advertised by G+A.

Anyway, either way is problematic. If it's just a problem with G+A tempering I can't get her a G+A ring period to replace it. If it's just a problem with the 14 karat mix they're using it raises other questions about wanting to deal with G+A again.

But, like I said we love the ring and it seems very well made. Obviously I'm just a little frustrated right now so it's easy to get negative but that's where I am at the moment.

In terms of how to proceed, she *loathes* traditional settings like a temp setting would be. Maybe I'll just have to convince her that her temp setting will be very temporary indeed.

 

[kenny]

Please don't put a tension setting on a chain.

There is no metal under the diamond.
The chain can damage the bottom point of the diamond.

Can't you see that poor pointed little culet just shaking in its boots?

 

[Garysax]

Date: 4/23/2006 4:23:47 PM
Author: kenny
Please don''t put a tension set diamond ring on a chain.


There is no metal underneath the diamond.

The chain can touch and damage the culet, the bottom point of the diamond.

Good point kenny.

 

[pinkflamingo]

I also have a huge white gold allergy. it is not unusual.
The items she is wearing from the mall are probably rhodium plated, which would also be a good TEMPORARY fix. Some of her silver colored jewelry may be silver which does not cause allergic reactions.

This is not the fault of the company, it is a common problem. Just do a board search here. That is why jewelers will recommend platinum if you suspect she may be allergic to white gold.


Platinum is not alloyed with nickel, and it would be a safe alternative.


I also second not putting the tension set ring on a chain, not only could it be chipped, but I would be worried about the diamond flying off.

 

[blodthecat]

PLATINUM is your safest bet!

 

[kenny]

edited

 

[Garysax]

Yeah, the chain idea was more of a frantic knee jerk reaction to not having to pay ~4000$, more than the stone itself, for a new platinum TR-105.

 

[pinkflamingo]

Honestly, I would go for a plain solitaire setting. That is a lot of money for a setting, I totally understand your predicament.

Someday, maybe in a year or so, you can upgrade to the tension setting. Can you return the white gold setting and get some of your money back at the very least?

 

[boonerings]

Sorry to hear about the situation. I was wondering if electroplating pure gold on the inside might be an answer. It would be thin, but shouldn''t see a lot of abrasive wear in there. It still won''t address the issue of the other fingers touching the outside, and may have manufacturing issues due to the side stones, which can''t easily be removed. I imagine it would void the warrantee to have anyone other than the manufacturer remove the main stone or otherwise work on the ring, so be sure to check with them first.

If I can help with a titanium ring, please let me know. I''ve had lots of customers who can''t wear gold that have no problem with titanium.

 

[AndyRosse]

You should definitely talk to the manufacturer and see if there is in fact nickel in the WG. If so, see if they can use another mixture instead in a new ring.

If this were my ring, I would rather just have the diamond in a cheap platinum setting right now, that way I could still wear it. You guys can later decide whether to have this ring remade in platinum, etc.

I''m so sorry to hear about this, I sure hope it is resolved soon!!!