Has anyone had this happen with their diamond studs?

[nicoleanne]

So, a couple years ago my husband worked with a PS vendor to create a custom pair of studs for me. We ordered them in platinum because I wanted them to be hypoallergenic. I love them, but after a while i noticed some discoloration on the posts where they sit inside my ear. I didn't think much about it really, and I wear them every day so I didn't look that closely. I thought it was just gunk or something.

Every time I tried to wear them in my second piercing, they would make my ears hurt and swell a bit. I thought this was weird, but figured my piercing was just reacting because I don't often wear a second pair. Today I wore a pair of white gold hoops in the second piercing and they were just fine.

I decided to take a closer look at the posts of my platinum earrings, under my loupe. They look really odd. In fact, it looks like the posts are actually base metal and whatever was coating them has come off where they are worn. You can clearly see where the setting and post are connected because the platinum head is shiny WHITE and the post is a very dull gray.



In ordering these in platinum, I expected that the WHOLE earring would be in platinum. Is that a reasonable expectation? Has anyone else experienced this? Or is it just common for jewelers to use a different metal in the post?

I'm sort of at a loss. I know that, two years later, I don't really have much recourse to this vendor. But this isn't exactly something you would become aware of within a 30 day window. I'm pretty disappointed. Is it worth getting in touch with them?

 

[distracts]

I've not ever seen that happening... that's really bizarre. I'd definitely either get a metal testing kit or have a jeweler or appraiser test the post to see if it's platinum. It would be super weird if not... I don't know why on earth they'd do that.

 

[diamond-enthusiast]

Who did you get them from?

 

[nicoleanne]

enthusiast- I'd rather not say at this time. They are a popular, respected vendor on PS (I've always had positive interactions with them). I'd like to have the posts tested first, as distracts suggested.

I'm bummed to think they aren't platinum, but I don't wan't to put any bad info out there.

 

[Rhea]

My earrings are un-plated white gold and they've discoloured over time on both of my pairs of earrings. I'm not sure why they've discoloured and I can polish them and bring them back to their original colour, but they are gold. Is it a patina?

 

[nicoleanne]

Rhea- I thought at first it might be patina. But there isn't a gradual transition. The platinum ends abrubtly at the base of the post--like what you'd see on costume jewelry. Also, I can see the patina forming on the mounts and have patina on my platinum ring. The posts look completely different. If it were patina, I would think it would happen where the back slides on and off, not where it sits in my earlobe.

 

[Missy]

I would call the vendor and explain what is happening and see what they say. Since they are a reputable vendor I am sure they can address the problem for you.

 

[oldminer]

Likely the gray area is where the rhodium plating has disappeared from wear. Nothing else on earrings touches anything for an extended period of time except the inner part of the post which rubs your skin all the time the earring is being worn. Also, acids from the skin tend to alter the surface shine. The posts, whether white gold or platinum, will lose rhodium plating over time before the rest of the earring gets less bright.

 

[motownmama]

 

[nicoleanne]

Oldminer- Thanks, yes, it appears that is what happened. Is it common to use a different metal for the post, though? And why would platinum earrings be rhodium plated anyway..? I got platinum because I didn't want to re-plate.

Motownmama- Thank you! Yeah, I don't wear mine in water or to bed... I will definitely be getting in touch with them.

 

[heididdl]

I wore my old studs for 10 years in 14K white gold and I had a similar experience one ear kept getting irritated and I dipped them in bacetracine every day (that was crazy) ...So IDK my new earrings are also 14K and I have only had them 3 months so I don't know if the same will happen but at least if it does 10 years from now I'll know the rodium plating came off. I was afraid to set them in platinum as my experience with losing stones from my eternity band over 15 years because platinum is so soft that I prefered the 14k even over 18 as I think being 58.5 % gold would be stronger.

who knows.

 

[marcy]

I would call the vendor and see what they say.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, call them. If you ordered platinum, then the posts should be platinum. They need to fix them if they aren't. Are you seeing yellowish metal on the posts (like unplanted wg)? I would question whether any of it is platinum if the posts aren't. Rhodium just isn't going to wear much on the upper part of studs. It is the posts that get the constant friction from the backs going on and off.

 

[nicoleanne]

Thanks, guys. It was a busy day today and I haven't stopped at my local jeweler yet. Everyone is closed until Monday. I'll be contacting the vendor.

DS- These are NOT showing yellow on the posts. I have a pair of white gold studs with CZs that did this. These are wearing very differently. On the WG, the rhodium came off where the back rubbed--near the end of the post. On these, there isn't wear in that area. And the metal underneath is just yucky and dull. I'll try to post a comparison pic.

I feel fairly certain that the heads are at least platinum. When we ordered them, we asked for platinum but were sent 18k wg accidentally. I could tell because of the look of the rhodium and they were quite light. They were quick to fix the issue, and these are heavier for sure than the original pair we were sent.

 

[TC1987]

I'd take a toothbrush or my fingers and some toothpaste and polish the posts. Platinum and silver are brighter white than white gold, so looking at the color with the oxidation removed might be enough to answer that question. If your skin is reacting to rhodium plating, removing that plating and the oxidation might make them wearable. Allergy to rhodium isn't unheard of.

eta: Most of the discoloration is toward the front edge of the post. Maybe your skin reacts to the solder was used to attach the posts to the baskets, and changing that or cleaning it off well and coating it with a dab of clear lacquer or nail polish would take care of it.

 

[nicoleanne]

TC - Thanks for your suggestion. I usually clean these with my sonicare, which I think does a nice job but hasn't removed the dullness. I tried taking a silver polishing cloth to the posts, and they cleaned up quite a bit. The posts are now shiny and more even, but there is still an obvious difference in the color of the post and the color of the head under the loupe. It's not showing that well in my pictures, but here's an attempt:



I dunno. Maybe I'm just being nitpicky.

 

[plummiecat]

I had a similar situation years ago with a pair of platinum studs, except in my case the earring backs turned a blackened shade within a few months after I purchased them. The earrings were stamped platinum and I purchased them from a reputable jeweler. I contacted the jeweler who told me that platinum "tarnishes". I researched this online and couldn't find much information about this one way or the other, or how to remove the tarnish. I have since purchased several platinum items and not experienced this issue. I ended up selling the tarnished pair and I'm still curious about what caused the backs to turn color.

 

[nicoleanne]

Grr...

I took my earrings to my local jeweler today and had them tested with an electric tester. They are NOT platinum. Not gold. I'm really peeved.

The jeweler even doubted the baskets were platinum, although she didn't test those. She thought they were rhodium plated silver, maybe.

 

[distracts]

... Wow.

I do hope you'll at least eventually reveal who the vendor is.

 

[stargurl78]

... Wow.

I do hope you'll at least eventually reveal who the vendor is.

Ditto the above. Man, I would be pissed! If you paid for platinum, that is what you should have received

 

[yssie]

Grr...

I took my earrings to my local jeweler today and had them tested with an electric tester. They are NOT platinum. Not gold. I'm really peeved.

The jeweler even doubted the baskets were platinum, although she didn't test those. She thought they were rhodium plated silver, maybe.

WTH?
That does not sound like something a PS-preferred vendor would dream of doing - they'd be lambasted when (not if) it came out and boy do they know it!
What a strange situation

 

[Smith1942]

The PS vendors are pretty reputable. Are you sure that the jeweler is definitely correct? Maybe take them to another jeweler too, and if they say the same thing...

 

[NonieMarie]

The PS vendors are pretty reputable. Are you sure that the jeweler is definitely correct? Maybe take them to another jeweler too, and if they say the same thing...

I'm thinking the same thing. If they are in fact not plat, the vendor needs to check their quality control. Two times the wrong product went out. Are the diamonds the right ones?????

 

[yssie]

Grr...

I took my earrings to my local jeweler today and had them tested with an electric tester. They are NOT platinum. Not gold. I'm really peeved.

The jeweler even doubted the baskets were platinum, although she didn't test those. She thought they were rhodium plated silver, maybe.

WTH?
That does not sound like something a PS-preferred vendor would dream of doing - they'd be lambasted when (not if) it came out and boy do they know it!
What a strange situation

What is an electric tester?
I've only ever heard of testing metal purity with acids.

 

[heididdl]

I'd be sooo annoyed.......and don't let them tell you it was for your allergies bull

 

[oldminer]

Most, but not all platinum posts are lightly stamped platinum as would be most 18kt or 14kt posts. Sometimes a hypoallergenic user will accept stainless steel posts, but I would not think that is what you have. Platinum generally is softer and many firms use 18kt white gold posts with platinum heads so the wires won't bend too easily.

Retailers often seem to live to knock whoever made a sale with you. Putting some fear or anxiety in your mind about what metal was used sounds just like what often happens (all too often). The photo someone else posted with a tiny bit of discoloration where the post meets the bottom of the setting is likely a gold soldered joint and not indicative of what either the post or the setting is made of. Many jewelers use gold solder on thin wire connections such as posts to earrings, instead of using platinum solder or welding. It depends on what equipment they have and what they usually do since it really does not matter in any meaningful way. Basically, the jeweler wants to connect the post and setting without melting the post's end. Gold solder just works at a bit lower temperature and certainly holds very well.

Lots of jewelers plate their platinum with rhodium. There is no special need to do it, but it makes platinum items look just as bright and white as rhodium plated white gold items. Platinum is more difficult to polish than white gold, so rhodium plating helps to even out the appearance.

Like many others today, I do have a fully electronic testing unit for gold which plugs into my iPhone. I love gadgets and this certainly qualifies. HOWEVER, it does not work nearly as well as the old acid and touchstone method I have used for 45 years. It is extremely easy to get false or misleading readings from any electronic tester unit and almost impossible to get such junk results with calibrated acid testing. I wish my iPhone tester was perfect, but it isn't....It is non-destructive, but not the best, most dependable method.

There are x-ray test units out in the world today, too. These are very reliable and non-destructive, but cost in excess of $25,000. Acids are nearly free, so don't expect many places to have x-ray testing any time soon.

To me, you don't have a problem beyond fresh cleaning, re-polishing and a coat of rhodium if you want them to be shiny white.

 

[blackprophet]

To me, you don't have a problem beyond fresh cleaning, re-polishing and a coat of rhodium if you want them to be shiny white.

She said she needed Hypo-allergenic. And they were swelling her ears. If they are WG she has a problem.

 

[alene]

How weird! My platinum posts definitely look duller and scratched up under magnification but they're definitely platinum, or at least definitely not white gold; I can't wear white gold at all due to allergies.

 

[acupunk]

Please post the vendor. I'm in the process of deciding where to purchase from and my ears are also sensitive. Not only that, but quality control in general is a big concern of mine. I'll be waiting to hear before making my decision. I hope things are made right for you, but regardless it's important info for everyone. That is a *huge* mistake.

 

[nicoleanne]

What is an electric tester?
I've only ever heard of testing metal purity with acids.

This was a device with clamps and a digital display. The jeweler clamped the onto the earring, placed it on the device, and (I think) put water on the post (to conduct the electricity?). I didn't write down the number the device read. She told me what the range was for platinum, and what it was for gold, and this number fell way below.