Hunter's Moon Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 (edited) What metals are truly hypoallergenic? I got sterling silver earrings and after a few hours, my ears get VERY itchy, hot, and one hole (I have two holes in each ear) closes up. I would like to buy a ring, but I don't want to waste money because I know one can go months without a reaction and then BAM. My skin is very sensitive (chronic hives) so I need something that is truly hypoallergenic and that won't get rubbed down after wearing for awhile and start to bother me. Is surgical stainless steel a safe bet? I've looked at tungsten but they aren't much my taste. Thanks :001_smile: ETA: What I don't understand is, nickel is an ingredient (or whatever you'd call it in jewelry lingo) of surgical stainless steel but so many people are fine with it. Does that mean they aren't nickel sensitive (which I am) or is the nickel incorporated in the ring in such a way that it doesn't touch the skin? I'm pretty sure it is the coating, so I don't see how those with a nickel allergy can wear it, but it is always suggested and usually what one is pierced with, correct? Edited December 20, 2011 by BeatleMania Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 My mom is allergic to nickel and only wears solid gold jewelry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 My mom is allergic to nickel and only wears solid gold jewelry. Ack, I'm hoping this isn't the case with me! Has anyone had luck with Simply Whispers? I've seen good things about their earrings, and wondered if their rings were the same. I found a sterling silver ring I love that has a lifetime guarantee, and it's only about $25, so no harm done if it bothers me. Just curious. :bigear: My issue is the sterling silver earrings I have (and the ring from Simply Whispers is Sterling Silver, as well). My earrings don't say hypo-allergenic, but they were about $40.00 (we got them on sale for $17) so they weren't exactly cheap-o. I wonder why they bother me so much and worry the ring will do the same, even nickel-free because I assume the earrings are nickel-free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 I wonder if the backs to the earrings have nickel in them? When my mom was wearing silver she was diligent about painting the backs with clear nail polish before wearing them. She would even do crazy things like like putting a small piece of thick fabric (felt) on the back so it wouldn't touch her ear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 I wonder if the backs to the earrings have nickel in them? When my mom was wearing silver she was diligent about painting the backs with clear nail polish before wearing them. She would even do crazy things like like putting a small piece of thick fabric (felt) on the back so it wouldn't touch her ear. This thought crossed my mind, but I kind of assumed that the backs would be made of the same materials as the studs. I could be wrong, though! I'll try the clear nail polish on the backs and see what happens. Thanks :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 My dd cannot wear any earrings. They all cause a reaction in her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 I can't wear any earrings, they all react on me. I've tried everything incl solid gold and it makes no difference. Nor does coating in nail polish. I sometimes wear them for a special occasion, but I wait until I'm walking in the door to put them in and I know I've got 1-2 hours before they must come out. I used to wear them all the time, no idea why it changed. But I can wear any other jewellery fine, so I wear necklaces, bracelets, rings, watches of varying materials without any reaction at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 18k gold works best for me and my dd9, 14k is also pretty safe, but I stick with 18k as much as possible when I make purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tadah Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Surgical grade titanium should work. (From a quick google scan it looks like allergies to titanium are possible but very rare.) I've seen titanium rings in jewelry stores, so I think they shouldn't be too hard to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 Thanks for the ideas, everyone! Necklaces and bracelets don't bother me. Just earrings. I don't wear rings often at all. The only time I've worn a ring for a long period of time (about 10 hours) is my mom's 14K gold diamond and opal ring. I put on a fake ring today to see how long I can go before (or if) it'll bother me. It may just be my ears (they've always been sensitive and I've actually had to have my first hole done 3 times because I used to get bad infections from earrings that made them close. They seem better now, but still sensitive. It's a bit hard for me to tell if the ring bothers me though because I have horrid dry skin from hand washing in the winter, so it's already itchy there :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farouk Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 What metals are truly hypoallergenic? I got sterling silver earrings and after a few hours, my ears get VERY itchy, hot, and one hole (I have two holes in each ear) closes up. I would like to buy a ring, but I don't want to waste money because I know one can go months without a reaction and then BAM. My skin is very sensitive (chronic hives) so I need something that is truly hypoallergenic and that won't get rubbed down after wearing for awhile and start to bother me. Is surgical stainless steel a safe bet? I've looked at tungsten but they aren't much my taste. Thanks :001_smile: ETA: What I don't understand is, nickel is an ingredient (or whatever you'd call it in jewelry lingo) of surgical stainless steel but so many people are fine with it. Does that mean they aren't nickel sensitive (which I am) or is the nickel incorporated in the ring in such a way that it doesn't touch the skin? I'm pretty sure it is the coating, so I don't see how those with a nickel allergy can wear it, but it is always suggested and usually what one is pierced with, correct? BM: Yes, it can be strange, with multiple holes, how some of them can behave and react quite differently. A bit of a mystery sometimes. In some cases, enlarging the gauge can maybe make a difference, possibly, if it keeps closing up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Surgical grade titanium should work. (From a quick google scan it looks like allergies to titanium are possible but very rare.) I've seen titanium rings in jewelry stores, so I think they shouldn't be too hard to find. :iagree: I only wear titanium jewelry in my piercing. Titanium is duller in color than sterling silver, but it is dirt cheap. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farouk Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 :iagree: I only wear titanium jewelry in my piercing. Titanium is duller in color than sterling silver, but it is dirt cheap. :) jplain: Yes, it's an issue. But titanium need not be expensive. There's quite a bit of choice out there if you look for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 (edited) But titanium need not be expensive. There's quite a bit of choice out there if you look for it. That's what I said - titanium is dirt cheap. Quite literally, because it is highly abundant in the earth's crust. :D Titanium is duller in color than sterling silver, but it [titanium] is dirt cheap. :) (Perhaps you assumed sterling silver was the subject of the second phrase? LOL, grammar cracks me up.) Edited January 6, 2012 by jplain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farouk Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 That's what I said - titanium is dirt cheap. Quite literally, because it is highly abundant in the earth's crust. :D jplain: Funny how this works! :) This is why also I guess why earrings and jewelry are no long a sign of wealth and luxury, whatever they may have been in history. Today, filling whatever ear piercings you have should be really a matter simply of what the person is used to and comfortable with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Platinum and titanium are the two metals in the US that do not have nickel used as an alloy. I have looked this up and spoken to many jewelers about this as I have been unable to wear my white gold wedding ring since I got pregnant and my nickel allergy worsened. The reason why gold and sterling silver are often said to be nickel free is because they have less nickel (trace basically) and are often rodian (sp?) dipped. You can take jewelry to a jeweler and have it redipped, but this still doesnt work for some people (like me). Using nail polish is the poor-mans version of rodian dipping. My grandfather did this with his wedding ring and it worked for him. Mine is so bad now that I had to let my ear piercings close up completely, and have no intention of repiercing them. I am hoping to save up to get a platinum wedding ring to replace my white gold one. I read somewhere that some countries have outlawed using nickel in jewelry because so many people have problems with it. The US is obviously not one of these countries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farouk Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Platinum and titanium are the two metals in the US that do not have nickel used as an alloy. I have looked this up and spoken to many jewelers about this as I have been unable to wear my white gold wedding ring since I got pregnant and my nickel allergy worsened. The reason why gold and sterling silver are often said to be nickel free is because they have less nickel (trace basically) and are often rodian (sp?) dipped. You can take jewelry to a jeweler and have it redipped, but this still doesnt work for some people (like me). Using nail polish is the poor-mans version of rodian dipping. My grandfather did this with his wedding ring and it worked for him. Mine is so bad now that I had to let my ear piercings close up completely, and have no intention of repiercing them. I am hoping to save up to get a platinum wedding ring to replace my white gold one. I read somewhere that some countries have outlawed using nickel in jewelry because so many people have problems with it. The US is obviously not one of these countries. bluemongoose: So sorry. It's a problem. But there must be an answer somewhere. It affects people differently, of course; some much worse than others. Sometimes it becomes necessary for some ppl to take the extreme step that you did, of not wearing them any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 bluemongoose: So sorry. It's a problem. But there must be an answer somewhere. It affects people differently, of course; some much worse than others. Sometimes it becomes necessary for some ppl to take the extreme step that you did, of not wearing them any more. It is ok. Losing the ability to have my ears pierced didnt bother me so much. It is not being able to wear the wedding ring that was upsetting. I think that labeling things correctly would be a first good step. Just like with food manufacturers, jewelry manufacturers should not be able to label something nickel free if it is not 100% nickel free. When food products are labeled they will say manufactured on machinery that also processes peanuts or what have you, even if the item itself isnt made with peanuts. I think jewelry manufacturers should be just as honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farouk Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 It is ok. Losing the ability to have my ears pierced didnt bother me so much. It is not being able to wear the wedding ring that was upsetting. I think that labeling things correctly would be a first good step. Just like with food manufacturers, jewelry manufacturers should not be able to label something nickel free if it is not 100% nickel free. When food products are labeled they will say manufactured on machinery that also processes peanuts or what have you, even if the item itself isnt made with peanuts. I think jewelry manufacturers should be just as honest. bluemongoose: Well, never mind. Maybe dh eventually will be able to find you a ring in metal that you can wear, with your original ring being for short, special occasions. And maybe too you'll eventually find earrings in special metal that will enable you to fill however many holes you have. Hope it works out for you, anyway. It IS a problem for not a few ppl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Has anyone had luck with Simply Whispers? I've seen good things about their earrings, and wondered if their rings were the same. I found a sterling silver ring I love that has a lifetime guarantee, and it's only about $25, so no harm done if it bothers me. Just curious. :bigear: Yes. I bought from them and had no problems. I also easily returned items to them, some waaaaay later. I was very pleased with them, and the price is right for an experiment. I bought an ankle bracelet and many earrings. It's all 24k plated, thickly, over stainless steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farouk Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Yes. I bought from them and had no problems. I also easily returned items to them, some waaaaay later. I was very pleased with them, and the price is right for an experiment. I bought an ankle bracelet and many earrings. It's all 24k plated, thickly, over stainless steel. stripe: I've heard of them; are they for pierced ears? (something I guess I should know already). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 stripe: I've heard of them; are they for pierced ears? (something I guess I should know already). They have both, but I bought only pierced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farouk Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 They have both, but I bought only pierced. stripe: Ty for the link. Yes, pierced is better; some of the others can so easily fall off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 I guess I'll look into titanium earrings then. I haven't worn earrings since before Christmas because they bother me so much. I love wearing them, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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