Metal Allergies :(

[KristineNaj]

I know I am not the only one...and I know there are people who have it worse....but I feel like screaming from the roof top....METAL ALLERGIES SUCK!!

The jeweler put my white gold wedding set through some sort of 16 hour cleaning process. It is channel set and it definitely can get dirty. He thought maybe this was the issue....3 minutes on...already started itching.

I can wear Tiffany sterling silver with NO issues. Bought some really adorable heart sterling silver dangle earrings on etsy....wore them 3 minutes...already have pain.

Depresses me

 

[PeacefulMommy]

I know the pain (and itching) of metal allergies.

Aside from James Avery Sterling Silver (which is a Palladium alloy containing NO NICKEL or other irritating metals) I cannot wear white metals at all.

I'm terrified to try Tiffany & Co. silver because of their Copper alloy (I can't wear less than 18k Rose Gold because of the Copper content, and I can easily turn 14k and lower yellow gold orange with just a few hours' wear.) I used to have a necklace from Tiffany & Co. that was silver and was fine for casual wear, but when it comes to earrings and rings... I just haven't chanced it yet.

I went through at least four white gold bridal sets while married to my now-ex husband because I was allergic to the white gold. He kept insisting that he wouldn't wear yellow, so we kept trying different white gold alloys from different jewelers. I was allergic to all of them. I tried everything: rubbing alcohol, soaking my rings in Vodka, rhodium plating, clear nail polish... I really tried to make white gold work. Platinum was out of our budget at the time.
It got so bad at one point that I purchased a plain 2mm yellow gold wedding band and wore that... but I was called a "whore" in the middle of a department store when some old woman noticed my yellow wedding band and my then-husband's white ring. I'd just given birth to our son a couple of months before, and he was the image of his father at that time. An older woman noticed me holding the baby and kissing my then-husband, but also that our rings didn't match. She accused me of being the "other woman" - in Spanish, so I didn't understand a word - at the top of her voice in a Macy's during the holiday shopping rush while a flustered sales woman translated for me. I spent the next hour hiding in the bathroom, crying and snuggling my son while his father waited outside. (Obviously, I was still hormonal/overly-sensitive at that point.)

All of my every-day jewelery is 18k. My earrings and rings that I wear all the time have to be 18k. All of my jewelry is either yellow gold or rose gold. I have the strongest reactions to white metals. Lower karat yellow gold turns orange or reddish brown on me if I wear it for extended periods of time. Lower karat rose gold turns my finger/neck green. Somehow, 18k has no reaction.

I would love to be able to go out and purchase silver jewelry at a fraction of the price of gold, and it would be amazing to have a huge collection of Tiffany silver... But my body chemistry says that it's just not meant to be.

 

[KristineNaj]

Things with me are changing. i could never wear yellow gold.....white was always fine. When I knew we were close to getting engaged, *I* told him to buy white gold. Now 10 years later, I can't suddenly wear the damn thing. If the rhodium doesn't work, I'm not sure what I will do. I just ordered a paur of rose gold ball studs...that will be my next test. You should try borrowing some silver Tiffany earrings to see how they work for you. The whole thing brings me down

 

[PeacefulMommy]

Sadly, I don't have any friends/family members with Tiffany earrings I could borrow. Most of my family members prefer local jewelers (and some prefer Indian Jewelers) but none really purchase Tiffany silver.

I'm told that Tiffany uses 18k white gold posts on their silver earrings. White gold is something I'm allergic to. But 18k white gold? And a different alloy? It's tempting to try them, trust me. I'm tempted to buy the sterling ball studs for $125 and try them... and gift them to my younger sister if I'm allergic. Lucky her... she's only 18 and shows no signs of metal allergies at all.



That said... Rhodium plating didn't work for me.

When I was younger, I could wear just about anything. Sterling silver, 10k, 14k... I could only wear 14k earrings, or "for sensitive ears" earrings as a child, but that was acceptable. Now, "for sensitive ears" earrings cause my ear lobes to go pink, itch and swell. And I change the color of 14k gold. Blah.

My body chemistry has been changing as I get older, too. In my early 20's, I was still fine wearing most metals. Ten years later, I've become a brand-snob by necessity. I only purchase from companies that make 18k jewelry and use nickel-free alloys. Sadly, that quality comes with a big price tag... and usually a brand name. Unless, of course, I use my local jeweler and create my own jewelry, but that's time consuming and can be expensive, too.

 

[ame]

I can only wear stainless or platinum and really random blends of silver in small increments. No gold period, and no white gold no matter the blend or plating. Gold makes my skin boil, which is...the weirdest thing ever. Its gross. The nickel allergy is pretty gross too but not like the gold one.

 

[surfergirljen]

I know the pain (and itching) of metal allergies.

Aside from James Avery Sterling Silver (which is a Palladium alloy containing NO NICKEL or other irritating metals) I cannot wear white metals at all.

I'm terrified to try Tiffany & Co. silver because of their Copper alloy (I can't wear less than 18k Rose Gold because of the Copper content, and I can easily turn 14k and lower yellow gold orange with just a few hours' wear.) I used to have a necklace from Tiffany & Co. that was silver and was fine for casual wear, but when it comes to earrings and rings... I just haven't chanced it yet.

I went through at least four white gold bridal sets while married to my now-ex husband because I was allergic to the white gold. He kept insisting that he wouldn't wear yellow, so we kept trying different white gold alloys from different jewelers. I was allergic to all of them. I tried everything: rubbing alcohol, soaking my rings in Vodka, rhodium plating, clear nail polish... I really tried to make white gold work. Platinum was out of our budget at the time.
It got so bad at one point that I purchased a plain 2mm yellow gold wedding band and wore that... but I was called a "whore" in the middle of a department store when some old woman noticed my yellow wedding band and my then-husband's white ring. I'd just given birth to our son a couple of months before, and he was the image of his father at that time. An older woman noticed me holding the baby and kissing my then-husband, but also that our rings didn't match. She accused me of being the "other woman" - in Spanish, so I didn't understand a word - at the top of her voice in a Macy's during the holiday shopping rush while a flustered sales woman translated for me. I spent the next hour hiding in the bathroom, crying and snuggling my son while his father waited outside. (Obviously, I was still hormonal/overly-sensitive at that point.)

All of my every-day jewelery is 18k. My earrings and rings that I wear all the time have to be 18k. All of my jewelry is either yellow gold or rose gold. I have the strongest reactions to white metals. Lower karat yellow gold turns orange or reddish brown on me if I wear it for extended periods of time. Lower karat rose gold turns my finger/neck green. Somehow, 18k has no reaction.

I would love to be able to go out and purchase silver jewelry at a fraction of the price of gold, and it would be amazing to have a huge collection of Tiffany silver... But my body chemistry says that it's just not meant to be.

LOL... okay WHAT?! I've never EVER heard of this! That a husband and wife's ring's metals have to match or someone would think you weren't married??!! WTF?! And how dare they say that to you!

I think generally I'd believe most people do get "matching" metals but would NEVER even think someone wasn't married to their spouse because the metals didn't match! That's insane!

I have allergies as well... I can wear pendants/bracelets etc. and I think even silver rings... but cannot wear ANYTHING but platinum in my ears or they get itchy and infected really quickly! Like in an hour or two. Learned that the hard way!!

I had a poorly made eternity band too and it constantly scratched the surface of my skin, which I think in turn made me exposed to the white gold - had contact dermititis for years before I changed rings. I think as long as my skin was "intact" I was okay with gold but not if it was itchy and rough, which it always was around that ring.

Sucks!! Can't wear cute silver or even gold earrings... I have some VCA and tolerate them but my ears hurt for days after.

 

[ame]

I still am shocked by that comment that person made to you. People are so...ridiculous.

 

[PeacefulMommy]

LOL... okay WHAT?! I've never EVER heard of this! That a husband and wife's ring's metals have to match or someone would think you weren't married??!! WTF?! And how dare they say that to you!

I think generally I'd believe most people do get "matching" metals but would NEVER even think someone wasn't married to their spouse because the metals didn't match! That's insane!

I have allergies as well... I can wear pendants/bracelets etc. and I think even silver rings... but cannot wear ANYTHING but platinum in my ears or they get itchy and infected really quickly! Like in an hour or two. Learned that the hard way!!

I had a poorly made eternity band too and it constantly scratched the surface of my skin, which I think in turn made me exposed to the white gold - had contact dermititis for years before I changed rings. I think as long as my skin was "intact" I was okay with gold but not if it was itchy and rough, which it always was around that ring.

Sucks!! Can't wear cute silver or even gold earrings... I have some VCA and tolerate them but my ears hurt for days after.

Yes, bizarre, I know! I, too, was shocked that day. Especially when some random saleswoman approached me - quite angrily - in the middle of a department store while I held my 2 month old baby and started screaming at me in Spanish (which I don't speak). I had no idea what she was saying or why I was being yelled at until the saleswoman at the Dooney & Bourke handbag counter took pity on me and began translating.
Apparently, the woman saw me kiss my (then, now ex) husband. She also noticed that the baby was obviously his but that our wedding rings looked nothing alike. His was a thick, wide 6mm white gold band with a .5ct princess cut diamond. The ring I was wearing was a simple 2mm yellow gold band. So, she assumed that I was the "other woman" and was screaming that I should come clean to his wife, that I shouldn't have brought a child into the affair, that it was women like me who ruined her own marriage... blah, blah, blah.
Little did I know at the time that my (then, now ex) husband was cheating on me with a married woman. They frequented many of the same places he and I shopped/dined/etc.. The old saleswoman had seen him with his mistress on several occasions and -- funniest part -- her wedding rings match my ex's because hers are a white gold diamond pave band and matching princess-cut diamond solitaire with halo...
So, the old woman (who has since been fired from this department store because of her altercation with me) mistakenly thought that I was the cheating mistress when, in reality, it was him that was cheating and the "wife" was actually someone else's wife... and later became the woman he left me for... although she's still married to her own husband and my ex is still "the other man".

We learned all of this when I met with the sales woman, the Dooney & Bourke employee who translated, the store manager, the HR manager, etc. in the office of the Macy's after I filed a formal complaint that evening.

Ironic, isn't it? Apparently, a husband & wife are supposed to wear matching wedding bands... Who knew?! :lolots:


Anyway... all of that because I was allergic to my wedding ring.


I seem to have the most trouble with channel set bands, too! Or any band that has any type of opening on the inside of the band.
My jeweler told me that water/moisture/dirt can be trapped under the stones and come into contact with the skin through the openings on the inside of the band that allow light to pass through the stones. Hence the cleaning and soaking them in alcohol to "dry out" any trapped moisture. Didn't help at all.

So, then I tried a wide band that was entirely smooth inside with a brushed finish, and apparently the "brushed finish" allowed my skin to come into contact with nickel in the alloy and I developed a terrible rash on my finger that took two weeks after I stopped wearing the ring to go away...

I tried a Neil Lane bridal set in 14k white gold but, honestly, it was the most uncomfortable thing ever and I ended up with scratches from the diamond band and the engagement ring side stones. Not to mention I couldn't properly close my fingers while wearing the rings...

Finally, I ended up with a platinum princess cut solitaire to match my then-husband's white gold princess cut wedding band... and I never got to wear it because he left me two months before our 10th anniversary, and it was being saved for my anniversary present.

I won't even start on the white gold princess cut diamond studs I got for my birthday... Let's just say that I sold them on eBay because I was allergic to those, too...

 

[PeacefulMommy]

I still am shocked by that comment that person made to you. People are so...ridiculous.

I'll be honest... The argument we had following that revelation in Macy's department store was the biggest reason on both sides for the divorce.

The saleswoman was wrong about me being the "other woman". But I learned that day that I was being cheated on.

My ex was angry with me that I stormed out of Macy's and hid in the bathroom crying for an hour. He told me I was childish and over-reacting. Umm.. hello!

Of course, I was angry that he was cheating, and even more angry that I found out in that way. And then the news of other women followed... That was it for me. I couldn't trust him anymore.

I think the part that made me the angriest was the embarrassment. Not only the saleswoman and everyone who witnessed that scene... but everyone he talks to believes that he was the victim and I'm the bad guy. If the world only knew...

 

[NurseAnn]

Yes, bizarre, I know! I, too, was shocked that day. Especially when some random saleswoman approached me - quite angrily - in the middle of a department store while I held my 2 month old baby and started screaming at me in Spanish (which I don't speak). I had no idea what she was saying or why I was being yelled at until the saleswoman at the Dooney & Bourke handbag counter took pity on me and began translating.
Apparently, the woman saw me kiss my (then, now ex) husband. She also noticed that the baby was obviously his but that our wedding rings looked nothing alike. His was a thick, wide 6mm white gold band with a .5ct princess cut diamond. The ring I was wearing was a simple 2mm yellow gold band. So, she assumed that I was the "other woman" and was screaming that I should come clean to his wife, that I shouldn't have brought a child into the affair, that it was women like me who ruined her own marriage... blah, blah, blah.
Little did I know at the time that my (then, now ex) husband was cheating on me with a married woman. They frequented many of the same places he and I shopped/dined/etc.. The old saleswoman had seen him with his mistress on several occasions and -- funniest part -- her wedding rings match my ex's because hers are a white gold diamond pave band and matching princess-cut diamond solitaire with halo...
So, the old woman (who has since been fired from this department store because of her altercation with me) mistakenly thought that I was the cheating mistress when, in reality, it was him that was cheating and the "wife" was actually someone else's wife... and later became the woman he left me for... although she's still married to her own husband and my ex is still "the other man".

We learned all of this when I met with the sales woman, the Dooney & Bourke employee who translated, the store manager, the HR manager, etc. in the office of the Macy's after I filed a formal complaint that evening.

Ironic, isn't it? Apparently, a husband & wife are supposed to wear matching wedding bands... Who knew?! :lolots:

Anyway... all of that because I was allergic to my wedding ring.

I seem to have the most trouble with channel set bands, too! Or any band that has any type of opening on the inside of the band.
My jeweler told me that water/moisture/dirt can be trapped under the stones and come into contact with the skin through the openings on the inside of the band that allow light to pass through the stones. Hence the cleaning and soaking them in alcohol to "dry out" any trapped moisture. Didn't help at all.

So, then I tried a wide band that was entirely smooth inside with a brushed finish, and apparently the "brushed finish" allowed my skin to come into contact with nickel in the alloy and I developed a terrible rash on my finger that took two weeks after I stopped wearing the ring to go away...

I tried a Neil Lane bridal set in 14k white gold but, honestly, it was the most uncomfortable thing ever and I ended up with scratches from the diamond band and the engagement ring side stones. Not to mention I couldn't properly close my fingers while wearing the rings...

Finally, I ended up with a platinum princess cut solitaire to match my then-husband's white gold princess cut wedding band... and I never got to wear it because he left me two months before our 10th anniversary, and it was being saved for my anniversary present.

I won't even start on the white gold princess cut diamond studs I got for my birthday... Let's just say that I sold them on eBay because I was allergic to those, too...

This story just gets more and more crazy! I can't believe this is how you found out! Sounds to me like yew should all not match wedding bands! (My husband I have totally different bands BTW).

I can't wear silver earrings unless they are from Tiffany's because of their white gold posts. Even then I don't push it and will only wear them for one day at a time. I'm afraid that one day it will get worse but for now I can still wear silver.

 

[PeacefulMommy]

This story just gets more and more crazy! I can't believe this is how you found out! Sounds to me like yew should all not match wedding bands! (My husband I have totally different bands BTW).

I can't wear silver earrings unless they are from Tiffany's because of their white gold posts. Even then I don't push it and will only wear them for one day at a time. I'm afraid that one day it will get worse but for now I can still wear silver.

Crazy story. Yes, I agree! It does get far crazier, when you add in immigration and the rest, but that's an entirely different subject...
In the end, my former in-laws chose me over their own son because he was entirely at fault and I did nothing wrong. I currently live with my former in-laws and my son (my other alternative being that I could take my son and move 1400 miles away back to my home town...) because they're family and because the arrangement is better for all of us, especially my son. I get to be a stay-at-home mother, and they get quality time with their grandson. We're one happy little family, however odd.

And I am afraid to try Tiffany earrings because of the white gold posts (white gold allergy, and all...) but I'm going to give it a try with a pair of borrowed Tiffany silver earrings and see how it goes! Maybe 18k Tiffany posts on silver earrings will be OK, like other 18k jewelry? Fingers crossed!

 

[bellapurse]

I'll be honest... The argument we had following that revelation in Macy's department store was the biggest reason on both sides for the divorce.

The saleswoman was wrong about me being the "other woman". But I learned that day that I was being cheated on.

My ex was angry with me that I stormed out of Macy's and hid in the bathroom crying for an hour. He told me I was childish and over-reacting. Umm.. hello!

Of course, I was angry that he was cheating, and even more angry that I found out in that way. And then the news of other women followed... That was it for me. I couldn't trust him anymore.

I think the part that made me the angriest was the embarrassment. Not only the saleswoman and everyone who witnessed that scene... but everyone he talks to believes that he was the victim and I'm the bad guy. If the world only knew...

I'm speechless! No wonder you mentioned that you will not wear any jewelry that reminded you of him. I don't blame you! Jewelry really come with history! - sorry for changing topics but I had to comment

 

[BreadnGem]

Things with me are changing. i could never wear yellow gold.....white was always fine. When I knew we were close to getting engaged, *I* told him to buy white gold. Now 10 years later, I can't suddenly wear the damn thing. If the rhodium doesn't work, I'm not sure what I will do. I just ordered a paur of rose gold ball studs...that will be my next test. You should try borrowing some silver Tiffany earrings to see how they work for you. The whole thing brings me down

I struggle with sensitive skin issues too, though fortunately mine does not seem as severe in comparison - mostly limited to base metals and skincare products (i have to be very careful about my moisturizers and cleansers).

Jewellery wise, i have to be most careful with earrings. So far, i don't have much issues with rings, necklaces and bracelets, but i try not to push it and keep to 18k as much as possible. Only on occasion do i wear/buy 14k. Silver seems fine too, though i try not to wear silver earrings, just in case.

Anyway, my dermatologists did say that our skin changes as we age, so things which our skin used to be able to tolerate may change over time. Real bummer.

 

[BreadnGem]

Crazy story. Yes, I agree! It does get far crazier, when you add in immigration and the rest, but that's an entirely different subject...
In the end, my former in-laws chose me over their own son because he was entirely at fault and I did nothing wrong. I currently live with my former in-laws and my son (my other alternative being that I could take my son and move 1400 miles away back to my home town...) because they're family and because the arrangement is better for all of us, especially my son. I get to be a stay-at-home mother, and they get quality time with their grandson. We're one happy little family, however odd.

And I am afraid to try Tiffany earrings because of the white gold posts (white gold allergy, and all...) but I'm going to give it a try with a pair of borrowed Tiffany silver earrings and see how it goes! Maybe 18k Tiffany posts on silver earrings will be OK, like other 18k jewelry? Fingers crossed!

If you are able to try out on a borrowed pair, it'll be great. Hopefully Tiffany earrings will work for you .

 

[AntiqueShopper]

LOL... okay WHAT?! I've never EVER heard of this! That a husband and wife's ring's metals have to match or someone would think you weren't married??!! WTF?! And how dare they say that to you!

I think generally I'd believe most people do get "matching" metals but would NEVER even think someone wasn't married to their spouse because the metals didn't match! That's insane!

I have allergies as well... I can wear pendants/bracelets etc. and I think even silver rings... but cannot wear ANYTHING but platinum in my ears or they get itchy and infected really quickly! Like in an hour or two. Learned that the hard way!!

I had a poorly made eternity band too and it constantly scratched the surface of my skin, which I think in turn made me exposed to the white gold - had contact dermititis for years before I changed rings. I think as long as my skin was "intact" I was okay with gold but not if it was itchy and rough, which it always was around that ring.

Sucks!! Can't wear cute silver or even gold earrings... I have some VCA and tolerate them but my ears hurt for days after.

I am shocked too! My hubby doesn't even wear a ring. If he was to wear a ring, he would respond the follow: "I want whatever's cheapest!" He would not care if it came from a gumball machine, and it was bright pink let alone match my platinum set. Crazy!!!!