Question for the PROS on white gold versus platinum for earring and bracelet settings

[diamondseeker2006]

My daughter cannot wear 14k or 18k yellow gold (earrings, anyway, she seems to be ok with rings, knock on wood). They make her piercings weep and bleed. We did metal patch testing. She is allergic to nickel, cobalt, and copper. My understanding is that nickel is the culprit in many alloys, and that especially in rose gold, one has to beware of copper.

For earrings, we are sticking to platinum. She has been experimenting with wearing some of the rings from my youth that are yellow gold (mostly 14k), and so far, those seem ok.

As an FYI for those of you with young kids, what triggered my daughter’s metal allergy was orthodontics. She was fine prior to ortho and could wear any earrings, even cheapies. During ortho we had huge problems—her gums swelled up (despite excellent oral hygiene). They actually had to remove her braces early. During this same time she all of a sudden became unable to tolerate earrings. I had extensive conversations with the orthodontist, and apparently the arch wires they use in orthodontics are 95% nickel. There is no alternative (other than Invisalign). Soooo, something to be aware of.

Wow, that is extremely interesting regarding the orthodontics!!!

I ordered little rose gold ball studs for my granddaughter who may be getting her ears pierced soon, but not for her initial pair, of course. I'll tell my daughter to be on alert when she does try the rose gold earrings.