Sudden White Gold Allergy?

[smc7277]

So I have been wearing my E ring since August. I have other white gold pieces and have been a wg rhr the entire time as well. Last few weeks I noticed really dry itchy skin under my ring. Took it off, thought maybe it was just dry, extra hand cream.. looked ok. Got worse again last week so I didnt wear my ring for 3 or 4 days. looked fine. Wore it saturday and sunday and it looks like my finger is burned bright red, scaly, with what appears to be a few little blisters. Anyone else just one day become allergic? I guess my only options are to reset in yellow gold or platinum? or keep rhodium plating non stop? I didnt spend a ton of money on the setting by ps standards but I would have been able to get a plain yellow gold setting for less. Now I also have a matching wedding band that has never even been worn..

 

[yssie]

So I have been wearing my E ring since August. I have other white gold pieces and have been a wg rhr the entire time as well. Last few weeks I noticed really dry itchy skin under my ring. Took it off, thought maybe it was just dry, extra hand cream.. looked ok. Got worse again last week so I didnt wear my ring for 3 or 4 days. looked fine. Wore it saturday and sunday and it looks like my finger is burned bright red, scaly, with what appears to be a few little blisters. Anyone else just one day become allergic? I guess my only options are to reset in yellow gold or platinum? or keep rhodium plating non stop? I didnt spend a ton of money on the setting by ps standards but I would have been able to get a plain yellow gold setting for less. Now I also have a matching wedding band that has never even been worn..

What alloy is the gold, and was it plated? August to now... plating might be wearing off and you're allergic to the white gold alloy underneath? You might find some white gold alloys with certain compositions more irritating than others.

 

[MqLove]

I'm assuming that your ring is solid, so the problem isn't that something has gotten trapped under the ring and that's causing the reaction?

I think something similar has recently happened to me - I've never been able to wear (probably 9k) yellow gold earrings because I used to react, so I've always worn sterling silver earrings. However, I have a pair of 18k white gold earrings that I wear pretty much 24/7 since I received them 3 years ago. I recently started to react to them (could still wear sterling silver without a problem), so I wondered if the rhodium plating had worn off and I was therefore reacting to the alloy (despite still appearing very white). I just had them replated, and so far so good! But every 2-3 years is easier than every 6 months...

I guess try getting it replated to see if that helps, and otherwise if you know you won't react to yellow gold and that's a good option, do that, otherwise platinum (or palladium if you're after a cheaper option and it appeals to you).

 

[Christina...]

When I found out I was pregnant I had to stop wearing an 18kt yg band that I had been wearing for years and my midwife told me that it was normal and that my body was making hormonal adjustments and the same thing can happen when your body adjust to different medications and even stress. I didn't put a lot of faith into the explanation but as soon as my son was born and I was able to slip the ring back on I wore it with no problems again.

 

[aviastar]

even solid bands can have something irritating stuck in a nook or cranny or even coating the solid surface; try a really good clean, like take it to a jewelers and have it steam cleaned before doing anything drastic. Let your skin heal completely before putting the clean ring back on and see what happens. But yes, I beleive that you can develop a nickle allergy at any time and it may be due to the plating wearing off if it was plated to begin with and not laundry detergent crystals or something coating the inside.

If it is an allergy I would ask a talented jeweler if they could line the inside with a palladium white gold alloy so the part touching your skin didn't contain nickel and wouldn't wear away. Assuming your ring is plated you would never see the color difference and when the plating begins to wear you would be safe. I think this could only be done if the ring can be, um, skinnied out, for lack of a better term, on the inside so the new shim doesn't change the size.

Sorry you have to deal with this, hope you find a quick and cheap solution!

 

[Enerchi]

could that reaction be due to a tight ring and water being trapped underneath it? It may not be an allergy but just not getting any 'air' exposed to the skin.
Just another thought.

 

[Mrsacornblue]

Something similar happened to me with my WB the winter after I got married. I wore it to work and I am a nurse. Washing my hands constantly and the dry, cold air caused my finger to break out in a rash. I stopped wearing it for a few days and applied some hydrocortisone cream and it went away. My original WB was channel set in platinum. The channel was the perfect place for water or hand sanitizer to get trapped. Maybe try not wearing it for a few days and see if that helps. Eucarin cream is my favorite hand cream in the winter...it heals everything!

 

[Octavia]

It's possible that the reaction is due to soap build-up or something like that, but equally possible that it's a sensitivity/allergy. My mother recently developed a bad case of contact dermatitis and was sent for allergy testing. Turns out she has developed a severe nickel allergy (among other things). There's no way to tell how long it has been building, but she has a WG ring set she has worn for 20+ years and now can't wear, along with many of her earrings and necklaces. Hopefully this isn't the case for you, but please be careful and if the problem persists, see a dermatologist -- my mom's doctor said it's common for people to think this kind of thing isn't very serious until one day, it goes from minor irritation to full-blown, potentially dangerous allergic reaction. (This doesn't happen to everyone, of course, but I think his point was, if you have a sensitivity it's better to be safe and not push it.)

 

[distracts]

That's how many allergies work - the more you are in contact with the substance, the more it irritates you. Eventually it can

if the problem persists, see a dermatologist -- my mom's doctor said it's common for people to think this kind of thing isn't very serious until one day, it goes from minor irritation to full-blown, potentially dangerous allergic reaction. (This doesn't happen to everyone, of course, but I think his point was, if you have a sensitivity it's better to be safe and not push it.)

Agreed - my mom has contact allergies that can send her into anaphylactic shock if she touches the substance.

 

[smc7277]

I WISH this was hormonal due to pregnancy..

I do clean it regularly., and often I just wash it with dawn and hot water as opposed to a chemical cleanser. Not to say it could not still have something on it. All I know about the metal is that it is 14k white gold so I assume nickle is a component.

It is actually able to spin right now- so not too tight. I have a 5 year old and am constantly washing my hands, or his, or dishes.. My rhr is a wide band (more room for trappage?) and it seems fine. It was a pre ps purchase and I THINK it is 18k wg. I am on day 3 of not wearing it this go round and it looks like the "burn" is drying up and starting to appear scaly (gross).

I can tell the color of the E ring has changed so I do think the plating is wearing. Not sure that I want to have to have it replated even more often than normally just to avoid getting burned. I am going to stop by the jewler to see what he has to say tomorrow.

I did not even think about what may be in yellow gold ? would there still be nickle if it is less then 24k?

 

[AprilBaby]

I would assume its nickel allergy which I also have. I can't wear 10 kt gold but 14 and 18 are fine. I get red, itchy, sometimes blisters. Try OTC steroid crime. It will go away till you put your ring back on. It seems to only bother my fingers, my ears are fine but I wear yg anyways.

 

[distracts]

I did not even think about what may be in yellow gold ? would there still be nickle if it is less then 24k?

Usually the other components in yellow gold are copper and silver. It's much rarer for people to be allergic to either of those, but it does happen. Nickel allergies are very common though - estimates suggest 10 to 20% of women are allergic to it, according to Nature.com.

 

[denverappraiser]

I did not even think about what may be in yellow gold ? would there still be nickle if it is less then 24k?

Usually the other components in yellow gold are copper and silver. It's much rarer for people to be allergic to either of those, but it does happen. Nickel allergies are very common though - estimates suggest 10 to 20% of women are allergic to it, according to Nature.com.

Occasionally there are unusuall materials like cadmium in the solder used to assemble pieces and a few people have sensitivity to that as well. Plating seems to help this. The biggest issue seems to be the one addressed above with foreign materials getting caught in the nooks and crannies of the piece and you're allergy is actually to those. It sometimes gets wierdly complicated when the problem is something you get into, say and ingredient in your new perfume or hand cream, is having a chemical reaction with one of the metals which produces a brand new compound that it turns out you're allergic to.

 

[motownmama]

I had something similar happen. I went to the dermo and got a prescription cream b/c it was not clearing up and was getting worse and worse - almost leathery looking. I stopped wearing my rings for awhile. Anyway - it cleared up and didn't happen again, and I wear my rings all the time!

 

[smc7277]

Saw the jeweler tonight. He said he wants to work with me, and he will give me credit for my set since he can sell them. He said not 100% credit (which I wouldnt expect) but that we will work it out- ( I am reserving judgement until I see what kind of credit we are talking about) He did say times people are allergic to 14k and not 18k. He lent me a 18k/diamond band to wear for a few weeks to see if I react. Then we will decide which metal and discuss $$.. So wish me luck. I am already thinking I will lean towards a plain yellow gold setting and then put the rest of my wishful thinking credit towards a thin eternity style band. We shall see.