HYPOALLERGENIC JEWELRY
WHAT JEWELRY CAN YOU WEAR IF YOU'RE ALLERGIC?
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. Thanks! As an Amazon Associate I also earn from qualifying purchases.
Let’s face it, a lot of people have Allergic Reactions to Gold and Jewelry!
Most people think this reaction is due to “Gold“, but usually it’s not the Gold that’s causing your Skin to Break out in Red Rashes, it’s the Nickel Alloys that are mixed with the Gold that are doing it.
So basically, any Jewelry that contains Nickel you’ll be Allergic to!
Jewelers can fend this off by Rhodium Plating Jewelry. Rhodium Plating is a Heavy, Protective White Layer of Metal that Adheres to the Ring and creates a Shield between the Ring and your Finger. Sadly, this Plating will eventually wear off and once your Skin touches the Nickel again, you’ll break out once more!
The only way to prevent this is by getting the item re-Rhodium Plated again!
You’ll see this happens a lot with Jewelry. Because Gold Jewelry is never Sold Pure (Solid 24k Gold) in the States. It’s always mixed with other Alloys (like Nickel, Copper, Silver) to make it more Durable to Wear… (Otherwise your Stones would Fall out and the Ring would Bend really, really Easily!)
So the real question is:
If you are Allergic to Nickel, what other choices are there?
What types of Metal Jewelry can you wear that won’t irritate your skin?
Let’s Take A Look at Hypoallergenic Jewelry
- Rhodium Plated Jewelry
- Platinum Jewelry
- Stainless Steel Jewelry
- Titanium Jewelry
- Tungsten Jewelry
- Sterling Silver
So you see, there are actually a lot of Metal you CAN wear!
Rhodium Plating
For most people, it’s true, you can just get your items Rhodium Plated and all will be fine. But you will have to get them replated at least every 1-2 years or so, depending on how much you Wear the Ring, how Rough you are on your Jewelry, how Fast the Plating wears off, how Thick the Plating is, and how much Body Acid you have in your Body… some people will eat through the Thin Layer of Plating Faster than others!
If you’re really Allergic and are having problems, I would just skip Rhodium Plating all together and opt for Platinum or the other White Metals. (If it’s an Engagement Ring or Wedding Set, you don’t have a lot of options, usually your best bet is Platinum!)
For other types of Jewelry, like Pendants, Earrings, Bracelets and even Watches, choose Stainless Steel, Platinum, Titanium, Tungsten or even Sterling Silver.
Sterling Silver
Silver usually contains Zinc and Copper, but sometimes you will find Sterling Silver containing Nickel as well. It may be Best to get your Silver Tested! Generally the downside to Silver is the fact that it will turn your fingers and Skin Black. That’s just the Nature of Silver. The Air Hits it and it causes Oxidation! Some Jewelry Manufacturers will Plate their Silver to Prevent this Tarnishing and Blackening from happening. But eventually that Plating (just like Rhodium Plating) will wear off and it will oxidate and Stain the Skin (which isn’t so pretty).
When in doubt, ask the Jewelry Store!
Or just check into the Alternative Metals like Titanium, Tungsten, and Platinum! Those are great for those with Allergies! And they are Very Durable to wear as well. Platinum is Ultra Expensive though, usually 4-5 times the price of Gold! But if Nickel irritates you, then it’s either pay the price, or not wear any Jewelry at all! :(
Amazon sells a lot of Hypoallergenic Jewelry
See some examples here:
All in all, I say try Rhodium Plating FIRST!
If that doesn’t work, then check out all the other Metals. Because not being able to wear your Rings and Jewelry is a sad, sad day.
No one wants that! :)
Last Note:
You will also find stores that sell “Nickel Free” Jewelry! This is practically the same exact thing as being “Hypoallergenic“… It’s the Nickel that causes the Allergic Reaction (99% of the time), and if it’s Nickel-Free, then you shouldn’t have any problems wearing them! Jewelry that is Nickel Free is usually just mixed with other Alloys that won’t cause Redness or Reactions!
Enjoy!
Recommended Jewelry Supplies: |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Recommended Jewelry Supplies: |
|||
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Great article! I know several people who were convinced they were allergic to “gold” when it was indeed the nickel in the white gold articles they had attempted to wear. Once I told them about it, they were relieved to know that not all gold was denied them because of their sensitivity, just the white gold.
But now, even some formulations of white gold can be worn, since some manufacturers are providing white gold that has been alloyed with Palladium, contains no nickel, and doesn’t even require rhodium plating to have that bright, shiny white appearance that everyone has been conditioned to expect from regular (plated) white gold. I understand that the white gold made this way has a slightly higher up-front cost, but when you consider there aren’t going to be any rhodium replating issues in the future, and that it won’t ever get that “off” color that white gold gets when the rhodium wears away, that is certainly money and aggravation saved! It’s a shame that wasn’t available in the mid 70’s when we married. It would have saved us a lot of heartache in the future!
My husband and I, unfortunately, discovered within three days of our wedding that he was allergic to his new 5mm white gold wedding band, which made us both (particularly me!) very sad! His left ring finger developed an itchy, red rash right underneath the ring!
The thing is, it was a rhodium plated 14kt white gold band already! So, with the ring being brand new out of the box, and already rhodium plated, what could he have been reacting to?
He had never worn white gold before, since his only other fine jewelry piece was his real gold high school class ring, but that was in yellow gold, as was traditional back in the mid 70’s. (He had no qualms about the marriage, this we knew, so it wasn’t psychosomatic or anything like that!)
So, at the time, our only other option was to switch over to yellow gold in time, which he has no problems wearing. I switched my own as well, since we had the old fashioned notion that our rings should match, at least in the color of the metal. I had my diamond solitaire reset into a more detailed yellow gold mounting, with some extra diamonds on it that my plain solitaire mounting didn’t have (bonus!) and got a plain yellow gold band to wear with it. I timed that to go along with a wedding anniversary, so my gift that year was easy on him! And he got his yellow gold band. I still have our original bands of course.
Discovering later though that he had decided he liked the white metal color of his original band, I started looking around for options as time went on. Silver bands were becoming more popular, and available in more designs and styles, and then titanium and tungsten came around later. He has some of each of those, giving him some options from which to choose, just as I do now!
I have accumulated a considerable collection of vintage and contemporary wedding bands and sets, over the last twenty years or so, and wear what suits my mood when the urge strikes me!
We are not married because of rings ~ we are married because of the commitment we made to each other almost 40 years ago (next July) and the ring is a symbol that shows the public we made that commitment. The style or form it takes on a daily basis doesn’t matter. Just the fact that we are one committed couple in our own hearts. Our original rings are treasured and protected in a special box, and have a higher value to us because they are our originals.
Hi Shari. Very Odd that he’d be allergic to the Rhodium Plating and not the Yellow Gold. Usually it’s the other way around. Maybe the plating was very thin, or not covering all parts of the ring and he was touching the white gold part, which had nickel?? Either way, the White Metals they have out nowadays are awesome. I have heard of the True White Gold, which is White and doesn’t need plating, I just have never seen it in any Jewelry Stores yet. I don’t know why. Maybe it is pricey, or patented? But after almost 30 years, I still see the standard White Gold mix that’s Plated. And I do love all the other Metals that are Ideal, like Steel, Tungsten and Titanium. You can’t beat them. :)