Do your rings irritate your skin?

[CrownJewel]

I''ve tested positive for a nickel allergy, amongst many other skin allergies. I''ve been wearing my 14K WG engagement ring for about 1.5 years and I know that some white gold alloys contain nickel. But I just assumed that my discomfort from the ring was because it is so chunky. I never got a rash from my e-ring, but if I wear jewelry made of nickel I develop a burning, itching, blistering, painful rash that lasts for weeks.

Anyway last month I noticed my skin is slightly darker and just a little bit rougher right where my e-ring sits (like a negative tan line. My skin is "tan" where my ring was). Then this week,

I noticed swelling and itching on that spot of my ring finger. But no "nickel rash." When I move the ring to my right hand, within a few hours, the sweling and itching starts up! Once again, no "nickel rash" and it subsides within a few hours if I switch it to the other hand again.

But it doesn''t make sense to me. I''ve worn my ring with no problem for well over a year! Why would I start reacting to it only now? AND WHAT DO I DO WITH MY E-RING?!!!

My wedding is in September!

Has this happened to anyone else?

 

[justjulia]

Yes. I had to trade my band for more of a knife edge band- we think it was due to moisture being trapped too long under the ring that did it for me. I remember the rash was awful--just as you described. Something that helped me was to use hand sanitizer just after washing and drying my hands...it seemed to speed up any moisture left to evaporate and also killed any bacteria that could hang out and thrive on the moisture (I know, yuck).

 

[steph72276]

Hi, CJ....I also have a nickel allergy. Have you ever had the ring rhodium plated? That might be a reason you didn''t have it before....the plating could be wearing down and therefore could be more exposed to the nickel alloy. I had to exchange for a platinum ring, but they said 18k gold might not irritate as badly and also if I kept the 14k, just make sure I get it rhodium plated often. Hope this helps!

 

[ahappygirl]

It does make sense - the rhodium is probably wearing thin and/ or your sensitivity may be increasing. Also, you exposure to nickel in this one may be a lot less concentrated exposure than some other nickel-containing items you''ve worn before. (?) I had to switch to platinum within a few months of being married. After 10 years no issues with plat. Good luck!!

 

[CrownJewel]

Hi justjulia. Thanks for the advice. I''m actually very good about washing and sanitizing my hands, especially because I work in a hospital. What kind of knife edge band did you get? I was going to get a basic platinum knife edge band for my wedding ring. Do you have pictures?

By the way, I saw photos of your radiant pendant. LOVE IT. I also have a 1.5carat radiant but mine is square. I love the rectangular shape of your stone. What kind of setting is the pendant?

 

[CrownJewel]

Date: 5/30/2008 9:41:31 AM
Author: steph72276
Hi, CJ....I also have a nickel allergy. Have you ever had the ring rhodium plated? That might be a reason you didn''t have it before....the plating could be wearing down and therefore could be more exposed to the nickel alloy. I had to exchange for a platinum ring, but they said 18k gold might not irritate as badly and also if I kept the 14k, just make sure I get it rhodium plated often. Hope this helps!

STEPH!!!!!!!!!! Oh how I have missed you. I need to find my way back over to the WWT. Thanks for your input. I''ve never had it rhodium plated. The solid metal part of the ring still looks white, but maybe you guys are right. It makes sense that the plating might be wearing off and exposing more of the nickel alloy.

14K WG would have more nickel than 18K WG right? But if 18K still has nickel, it''s probably safer to just avoid it. DARN.

What did your white gold ring look like?

 

[justjulia]

Date: 5/30/2008 4:48:28 PM
Author: CrownJewel
Hi justjulia. Thanks for the advice. I''m actually very good about washing and sanitizing my hands, especially because I work in a hospital. What kind of knife edge band did you get? I was going to get a basic platinum knife edge band for my wedding ring. Do you have pictures?


By the way, I saw photos of your radiant pendant. LOVE IT. I also have a 1.5carat radiant but mine is square. I love the rectangular shape of your stone. What kind of setting is the pendant?

You''re a sweetie. I''m an SLP, so I wash constantly, too-actually, THAT was the cause! I wash and sanitize so much, my hands really take a beating. Once I changed settings, it (redness, swelling)went away immediately. (I''ve always had plat, so I ruled metal out.) About my setting...confession: I have traded in and up my rocks SO much...I don''t have the radiant anymore! I now wear just a shared prong eternity band (very open and airy) for both ering and wedding band. I think I changed the radiant to a pendant right before trading again for, ..I can''t even remember. I''ve owned just about every shape. Too much fun.

 

[CrownJewel]

Date: 5/30/2008 9:50:44 AM
Author: ahappygirl
It does make sense - the rhodium is probably wearing thin and/ or your sensitivity may be increasing. Also, you exposure to nickel in this one may be a lot less concentrated exposure than some other nickel-containing items you''ve worn before. (?) I had to switch to platinum within a few months of being married. After 10 years no issues with plat. Good luck!!

Thanks ahappygirl. Your explanation makes sense. This morning, I did think that maybe the plating is wearing thin after 1.5 years. Maybe it would look yellower if i held it next to a platinum band.

I don''t know how much nickel was in the matching pendant and ring that gave me severe rashes back in 2000. My guess is, a lot. My FI (well, back then we had just started dating) gave it to me as a gift. I wasn''t aware of my nickel allergy back then, so I would just wait a few weeks for the rash to heal, and then I would wear it again. Within one day of wearing it I would develop a terrible rash. I even tried coating it with clear nail polish but that didn''t work either. Then I got tested officially for contact dermatitis.

I''m glad you''ve had a good experience with platinum. How big was the difference in style of your ring before the wedding and after? My WG e-ring is quite detailed, but I would hate to pay a zillion dollars to replicate it in platinum, especially because I''ve never had experience with platinum. I think I read somewhere on Pricescope that someone was allergic to platinum.

 

[CrownJewel]

Date: 5/30/2008 4:59:54 PM
Author: justjulia

You''re a sweetie. I''m an SLP, so I wash constantly, too-actually, THAT was the cause! I wash and sanitize so much, my hands really take a beating. Once I changed settings, it (redness, swelling)went away immediately. (I''ve always had plat, so I ruled metal out.) About my setting...confession: I have traded in and up my rocks SO much...I don''t have the radiant anymore! I now wear just a shared prong eternity band (very open and airy) for both ering and wedding band. I think I changed the radiant to a pendant right before trading again for, ..I can''t even remember. I''ve owned just about every shape. Too much fun.

Oh I already knew that JJ! I remember when you first joined PS and you told us all about your upgrade journey. I think at that time you were at 11 or 12? I''m totally picking random numbers.

Well, you are my idol because you''ve owned so many different stones and styles. I''ll BET it''s fun, you lucky lady!

 

[justjulia]

Date: 5/30/2008 7:52:18 PM
Author: CrownJewel

Date: 5/30/2008 4:59:54 PM

Author: justjulia


You''re a sweetie. I''m an SLP, so I wash constantly, too-actually, THAT was the cause! I wash and sanitize so much, my hands really take a beating. Once I changed settings, it (redness, swelling)went away immediately. (I''ve always had plat, so I ruled metal out.) About my setting...confession: I have traded in and up my rocks SO much...I don''t have the radiant anymore! I now wear just a shared prong eternity band (very open and airy) for both ering and wedding band. I think I changed the radiant to a pendant right before trading again for, ..I can''t even remember. I''ve owned just about every shape. Too much fun.

Oh I already knew that JJ! I remember when you first joined PS and you told us all about your upgrade journey. I think at that time you were at 11 or 12? I''m totally picking random numbers.


Well, you are my idol because you''ve owned so many different stones and styles. I''ll BET it''s fun, you lucky lady!

Um, I think I''m at 21 now...

Maybe it''s adult adhd? (and a good upgrade policy)

 

[CrownJewel]

I hope you have a photo album documenting your "journey." You know how you can subscribe to a "flower of the month" or "wine of the month" club? YOU SHOULD START A "Diamond of the Month" CLUB!!! How cool would that be?

What is the longest you''ve ever kept a stone?

 

[justjulia]

Date: 5/30/2008 8:22:10 PM
Author: CrownJewel
I hope you have a photo album documenting your ''journey.'' You know how you can subscribe to a ''flower of the month'' or ''wine of the month'' club? YOU SHOULD START A ''Diamond of the Month'' CLUB!!! How cool would that be?

What is the longest you''ve ever kept a stone?

Oh, I think about a year.

 

[CrownJewel]

Well...? Which one was it?

 

[justjulia]

Date: 5/30/2008 11:32:59 PM
Author: CrownJewel

Well...? Which one was it?

I think it was the emerald cut, no maybe the first rb. Honestly, dh nor I can remember. It''s just a blur of bedazzlement. lol
My ering currently sits in my ears. lol lol

 

[steph72276]

Date: 5/30/2008 4:51:58 PM
Author: CrownJewel

Date: 5/30/2008 9:41:31 AM

Author: steph72276

Hi, CJ....I also have a nickel allergy. Have you ever had the ring rhodium plated? That might be a reason you didn''t have it before....the plating could be wearing down and therefore could be more exposed to the nickel alloy. I had to exchange for a platinum ring, but they said 18k gold might not irritate as badly and also if I kept the 14k, just make sure I get it rhodium plated often. Hope this helps!

STEPH!!!!!!!!!! Oh how I have missed you. I need to find my way back over to the WWT. Thanks for your input. I''ve never had it rhodium plated. The solid metal part of the ring still looks white, but maybe you guys are right. It makes sense that the plating might be wearing off and exposing more of the nickel alloy.


14K WG would have more nickel than 18K WG right? But if 18K still has nickel, it''s probably safer to just avoid it. DARN.


What did your white gold ring look like?

Sorry, CJ. Just now saw this. My white gold ring was just a simple solitare. It was fine for about 6 months and then I got the skin rash like you. Do you think you could just try having it plated again to see if that works or do you think you are going to go with platinum?

Come on back to the WWT!

 

[LGK]

I''ve had problems with several rings that were a bit tight doing this. Even if it doesn''t feel particularly tight, I realized if I resize my rings up a half size till they are a bit too large but not large enough to slip off, they will stop making my skin blister & peel beneath them. Larger bands & chunkier settings are the usual culprits for me. I''ve had this happen with sterling, and white gold both. Anytime I''ve noticed skin blistering or peeling under a ring, it has been fixed by upsizing the ring (or moving it to a different finger where it is looser). The first couple of times I thought it was an allergy but I realized it couldn''t be if it stopped when the ring was on a different finger.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Since you have it confirmed that you are allergic to nickel, I would think it would be best to change to a platinum setting. Platinum is not supposed to cause allergies.

http://www.jewelry-platinum.com/index.php?page=articles&catid=11

 

[GemView]

Date: 6/4/2008 7:23:23 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Since you have it confirmed that you are allergic to nickel, I would think it would be best to change to a platinum setting. Platinum is not supposed to cause allergies.


http://www.jewelry-platinum.com/index.php?page=articles&catid=11

I've heard that platinum is hypoallergenic but apparently that's not entirely true.
Finishings.com has three pages of people reporting reactions to their platinum jewelry and even concerns for platinum dental work! On another page, which I saw a few weeks back, there was research that linked asthma triggers to car exhaust systems that emit minute platinum (and platinum family) particles.

I have a sister who insists she can only wear gold. She has such bad reactions to most metals that she has to use clear nail polish just to wear a watch. Fortunately, she has no problem with gold (even 14K). So I suppose the moral to the story is that there's always exceptions to the rule. Somebody somewhere is going to be allergic to something. As an alternative in this instance, palladium is an option that is less costly than Platinum. Plus, it doesn't need regular rhodium dipping from what I hear.

 

[CrownJewel]

Date: 6/5/2008 1:34:46 AM
Author: GemView

I''ve heard that platinum is hypoallergenic but apparently that''s not entirely true.
Finishings.com has three pages of people reporting reactions to their platinum jewelry and even concerns for platinum dental work! On another page, which I saw a few weeks back, there was research that linked asthma triggers to car exhaust systems that emit minute platinum (and platinum family) particles.

I have a sister who insists she can only wear gold. She has such bad reactions to most metals that she has to use clear nail polish just to wear a watch. Fortunately, she has no problem with gold (even 14K). So I suppose the moral to the story is that there''s always exceptions to the rule. Somebody somewhere is going to be allergic to something. As an alternative in this instance, palladium is an option that is less costly than Platinum. Plus, it doesn''t need regular rhodium dipping from what I hear.

Yup, this is my fear! I''m going to get a plain platinum wedding band to see if I react to it. I won''t get my e-ring reset in platinum until I''m confident the wedding band is safe. The white gold ring will just have to sit in a box until I figure it out.

Thanks for your input everyone.