white gold allergy?

[jennalyns]

Hello! I have a question about white gold. I know that it can cause an allergic reaction, especially with earrings. I have never had a problem, and almost all of my earrings are 10K or 14K white gold- I wear white gold earrings every day. I just bought a really cool pair of small diamond hoops from Blue Nile, they are 18K white gold, beautiful sparkly stones, perfect size, great price. However, when I put them on, they made my ears sting and burn after wearing them for a few hours. I tried again the next day, same thing happened.

Blue nile said it''s ok to return them since I had an allergic reaction, which I am sad that I have to do because they are exactly what I wanted... My question is, why would my ears be ok with wearing 10K and 14K white gold earrings every day, and then react to higher quality 18K??? It''s not just their jewery because I have two other pairs of 14K white gold earrings from them, with no problem. Thanks!

 

[strmrdr]

different metals in the alloy.
There are different recipes for 14k and 18k WG that use different metals in the mix even in the k rating.
nickel is the one most people react too but you can have allergies to other metals in the mix.
For example I know someone who is allergic to copper in jewelery.

 

[JohnQuixote]

The most common cause of an allergic reaction in jewelry is nickel in the alloy, usually associated with white gold. Better quality white gold uses palladium, which usually does not cause an allergic reaction.

Yellow gold: Nickel is not used in yellow golds, but zinc, silver and copper are. These metals are almost never a problem, though as Strm notes there are cases where this can happen. The reason many people experience problems with low karat alloys such as 9K gold is that silver and copper can form compounds with atmospheric pollutants and cause a reaction. Higher karat alloys bond better with the gold content and have fewer problems, so moving to 18K and better usually solves the problem.

Detergents chemicals (hair-care products, etc.) that lodge between jewelry and skin can also cause the same irritated appearance as an allergic reaction. Regular cleaning of your jewelry will help avoid this.

 

[cymbrie]

My mom is allergic to the nickel in white gold. Fortunately we found this out before we custom made a pendant for her. She wore a few pieces of costume jewelry and had an allergic reaction a few years back. The dermatologist determined she had a nickel allergy. Interestingly, I have worn a white gold diamond pendant from my grandmother for 12+ years and experienced no problems. The dermatologist recommended if you have an allergic reaction it is best to avoid those types of jewelry as you can develop a reaction over time. We had to go with platinum for mom''s pendant which is known for its hypoallergenic properties, but also much more expensive.

 

[princessv]

I just had my e-ring reset in a hurry because of my allergy to white gold too. Interestingly, when I wore it for shorter periods of time the allergy didn''t really act up. Then when I wore it for long periods of time over break, my allergy really started acting up. I tried wearing my grandmother''s 18k wg diamond studs and my ears got really really infected.

My mom always wears yellow gold and white gold rings with no problems but she can''t wear white gold earrings, which is odd but not quite as odd as your situation. It seems like 14kt white gold should give you more of an allergic reaction than 18kt?

 

[mamchris]

Does anyone know about rhodium plating in jewelry can that cause a reaction. I know 18kt is usually rhodiumed, but then again so is any white gold jewelry ..i think. Does anybody know if you rhodium plat. does that cause it to loose it''s hypoallergenic qualities?

 

[jennalyns]

thanks everyone for the insights and information. it''s a mystery to me... I had a thought- could it be that the 10K and 14K gold is rhodium plated, and maybe the 18K is not? they caused irritation right out of the box, so I''m sure it''s not hair products or anything. thanks again!

 

[wcgirlie]

Rhodium itself doesn''t cause allergic reactions. However, it does not prevent nickel from being leached into your system. See attached article. Additionally, jewelry purchased in the United States, regardless of price, is not regulated for nickel content (unlike the EU, where it must be less than 0.05%, or Britain where the standard is 0.01%). The only way to be sure is to purchase a nickel detection kit like Aller-test ($12 from Dermadoctor.com). Do not believe what your jeweler tells you. Trust only the chemistry.

Gold products typically require a hardner to make the shape permanent. Nickel is the cheapest way to accomplish this. Brass products are generally copper-nickel compounds. Also, copper and nickel have very similar chemical properties and are often found together, so things made of copper are generally tainted. It is hard to separate the metals.

Also, certain metals bind nickel better than others. Just because the nickel swab is negative doesn''t mean it won''t corrode over time. Anything rated 18K gold or under, whether it be white or yellow, will not hold nickel the same way that an equivalent composition with titanium will. And, most of those types of gold have large deposits of nickel (at least in the USA). Beware, of the people who sell phony nickel-laced titanium. The only source I trust at this point for nickel-free titanium earrings is Blomdahl, but their selection can be limited.

Buy jewelry from the EU (even costume jewelry is regulated) and try to aim for some sort of titanium compound.

Incidentally, stainless steel is not nickel-free. It will release 0.08% nickel into your bloodstream over the period of a week, so if you are severely allergic, stay away from stainless steel as well.