Do you sometimes or very often have sensitive ears? Do your earrings sting, irritate your ear holes or do your earrings discolour quickly? Then it might be nice to find out why. Sometimes it can be due to high acidity in your skin or it is because the metal comes into contact with certain substances such as perfume, body lotion, cream or water. If you do not want your jewellery to discolour, choose precious metal or stainless steel. Some “gold plated” and “silver plated” jewellery does discolour, then there are often remedies that can help you. In some cases you can also be sensitive to certain metals, such as nickel. In this blog I explain different metals and their advantages and disadvantages.
What types of metals are there ?
A distinction is made between precious and base metals.
Copper, tin and zinc are base metals. They will discolour over time.
Silver is a precious metal, but if you own silver jewelry, you know that this metal also discolors. This is due to the oxidation process and is caused by external influences. However, this discoloration is easy to remedy with silver polish or a mixture of water and mild soap.
Nickel free and surgical steel
It’s pretty well known that earrings containing nickel can cause hot, itchy, swollen earlobes. But what most people don’t realize is that this can also happen with surgical stainless steel, stainless steel, 14K gold, sterling silver, and even copper. That’s because stainless steel contains nickel! Surgical stainless steel contains a LOT of nickel. (Surgical stainless steel is a metal that is meant for surgical instruments, not for prolonged body contact.) And some gold alloys also contain nickel, especially in inexpensive jewelry.
Hypoallergenic
When it says that a metal is hypoallergenic, it doesn’t really mean anything. Hypoallergenic findings often contain nickel and unfortunately cause reactions in many people. Sometimes “nickel-free” and “hypoallergenic” are confused as synonyms, but this is not true. Hypoallergenic does not mean nickel-free, and there is no legal or medical definition for its use in jewelry. It is better to use the specific materials linked below rather than searching for materials with the vague term hypoallergenic.
What works well?
Fortunately, there are three metals that work great for many, if not most, people: titanium, niobium, and (plated) gold.
Titanium is usually available in a natural gray color that goes well with everything. Like stainless steel, titanium does not tarnish or change color.
Niobium is also lightweight and naturally gray colored, it is more often available with colorful anodized coatings.
And now, gold plated metal. With normal wear, the gold coating should never wear off, making this an attractive and much more affordable alternative to solid gold findings. Gold plated findings generally do not tarnish if there is enough gold in the coating.
Precious metals such as gold, rhodium and platinum do not tarnish. They require little maintenance and jewelry made from these metals is incredibly popular but also quite expensive.
Stainless steel or RVS
A cheaper alternative is jewelry made of stainless steel.
Although 304 and 316 stainless steel do contain nickel, it is only released in very small amounts. A small number of people will still be sensitive to these metals, but for most sensitive people they will be safe.
For me, there is enough reason to use stainless steel parts. Do you prefer another metal? Then contact me, and I can see what I can do for you.
Choose the right metal for your ears and enjoy your favorite jewelry without irritation.