Nickel Allergy,,,Help!

[LeslieD]

Hi everybody. I''m a first-time poster, but I''ve been reading a lot at this site since I started shopping around for an engagement ring about a month ago and I''ve found a lot of great information here, so I thought maybe I could get some help with my dilemma. (I hope I''m posting this in the appropriate forum; I apologize if I''m not!)

After giving it a lot of thought, I decided to opt for gemstone rather than diamond because at the end of the day, I''m just not a "diamond" kind of girl. They''re beautiful, but just not for me. I''ve chosen aquamarine as my center stone (which holds a special significance because it is my boyfriend''s birthstone.) I''ve looked at a lot of platinum rings since they don''t contain nickel, but couldn''t find any that I loved, and most were outside of our budget. Then this weekend I found the PERFECT aquamarine ring with diamond accents. It''s exactly what I pictured, but it''s white gold, and the seller confirmed that it does contain a "small amount" of nickel (and as anyone with a nickel allergy can tell you, the amount doesn''t matter. If it''s got it, it''s got it.)

I have my heart set on this ring, and I don''t know what to do. I was wondering if there are any techniques that jewelers can use for a situation like this. Perhaps some sort of coating on the ring so the metal doesn''t come in direct contact with the skin? With other jewelery, I can usually cover it with clear nail polish and that works fine, but for a ring I''m going to wear on a daily basis I''m not sure that would be the best thing. Has anyone else had to deal with this problem? Is there anything that can be done, or do I need to just keep looking? Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[neatfreak]

You can rhodium plate it, but depending on your body chemistry it might need to be done frequently. And how bad is your allergy? If it''s really bad I probably would keep looking for something in platinum personally. If it''s not bad (i.e., you can wear WG jewelry for awhile before you get a rash) rhodium plating might be an option. But it could need to be done a few times a year at a cost of $30-50 usually.

Also, just FYI, aquas are fairly soft stones, so you will have to be pretty careful with it if you want to wear it everyday. But they are gorgeous though!


Welcome to PS!

 

[Imdanny]

Maybe you could have Whiteflash or someone recreate the ring with platinum/ iridium or white gold/ palladium alloy. Personally, though, I wouldn''t buy a ring to which I was allergic.

 

[Itgirl76]

Hi Leslie D I have a gold allergy as well gold and white.

It gives me blisters all over my finger and a rash so I know how you feel rhodium plating for me generally does not help...the same thing happens. I am considering having my jewelry dipped in Platinum...I haven''t done it yet but it was a suggestion from a friend who is a jeweler....it may depend on how thickly it is done. I would really reccomed getting PLAT if you can as you said it is somethign that you will wear for the rest of your life It is an investiment and it is a little bit of a pain to keep up with the maintinece.

 

[pjean]

Welcome to PS, LeslieD!

Something to consider is that nickel allergies are usually worsened by exposure to nickel. So if you get a ring that contains nickel, you are likely to get more and more sensitive to it through the years. So even if you find an acceptable level of exposure now, that isn''t a solution that''s likely to last.

I have a nickel allergy myself, so I know how frustrating it can be to combine budget and non-reactive metals. We can help you out, though! You might want to consider either palladium or white gold alloyed with palladium instead of nickel as budget-friendly alternatives to platinum.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Definitely get platinum. You could have the ring custom made. I will also mention that aquamarine is not really suitable for frequent daily wear. But if you do, just realize you may eventually have to replace the stone.

 

[AprilBaby]

I am allergic to 10 kt gold white and yellow, and 14kt/18 kt white. I am NOT allergic to 14 kt or 18 kt yellow because it has less nickel. Try 18 kt yellow?

 

[ma re]

I heard of palladium alloys with nickel as well, and of platinum ones too, so I guess your best bet is a custom made ring where you''ll specify the type of alloy you''d like to your jeweller - there are white golds without nickel as well as palladium without nickel. That way you can also find a way to get everything within the budget. Rhodium plating is OK for other jewellery, but I wouldn''t mess with it when talking about a piece containing a valuable gemstone, since every replating requires repolishing to be done first. Stone might get damaged in the process, especially if it''s repeated every few months. It also involves chemicals which can harm certain gems, but aqua isn''t one of them.

P. S. Keep in mind that an ordinary CZ is harder (less prone to scratches) than an aquamarine, so try not to wear those two at the same time to avoid damage on the later.

 

[Rhea]

I''m not sure how much of a difference it makes to the rings that you''re looking at, but the price of platinum has dropped a bit recently, which might make a setting more affordable. Getting a metal without nickle is really the only way to avoid the allergy. European countries no longer use nickle in their white gold, and you could also check out pladium or a plad and white gold mix.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Welcome, LeslieD!

I feel your pain . . . I have a nickel allergy too. It only bothers me if the metal is snug against my skin, like a ring would be . . . necklaces, earrings and bracelets don''t seem to do it. I can''t wear white gold rings at all, and I have to be careful about yellow gold. My e-ring and w-band are both 18k yellow gold. When DH and I first got engaged, my e-ring did bother my finger a bit, but it improved with time and I don''t get a rash from my rings at all now. However, I have to take my rings off at night . . . if I wear them to bed, my finger usually breaks out. I guess wearing them 24/7 is just too much exposure to the nickel. I''ve never tried platinum, so I can''t tell you how well that works, but maybe you could go with 18k gold. Also, the clear nail polish trick definitely does work! Back when my e-ring was giving me trouble, I used to coat the inside with clear nail polish. Sally Hansen Hard as Nails works really well!

 

[february2003bride]

Leslie,

My dermatologist just diagnosed me with nickel allergy yesterday. I JUST bought 4 pieces of whitegold jewelry over the past 4 weeks!

My allergist said that rhodium plating does help but as it wears off, the nickle may start to irritate the skin. My hands are covered in horrible eczema right now on my palms (with a few blisters thrown on top of it. My left hand palm burns!). So I''m starting over and getting new rings and earrings in platinum. And one of my rings was custom.

Can the jeweler order the ring or just the setting in platinum? Don''t buy a white gold setting and cover it in nail polish. That will get old quickly!!