Skin allergy to silver jewelry

Are you allergic to the silver in your jewelry?

If you think so because you have noticed itching and redness in the contact area of ​​your ring, bracelet or earrings with the skin, this is not enough to draw this conclusion.

Silver and gold, in fact, are hypoallergenic metals, known for their passivity towards the body. However, silver is regularly combined with other metals or other metals are used instead of silver to make jewelry.

If you don’t look like this man, you’re probably not allergic to silver: argyrism is the only known disease linked to silver.

One of the few humans with a silver allergy

What metals are found in jewelry?

Alpaca, nickel, rhodium and copper?

Are these metals familiar to you? The answer should be yes.

In fact they are used, or have been used, during the making of jewellery. Depending on the origin of your silver jewelry, these metals may be present in your jewelry.

Rhodium

(Photo: Extreme Silver)

Rhodium is a metal used to coat silver jewelry and make it resistant to sulfides that cause the metal to tarnish. Its presence is easily distinguishable on silver jewelry, because it gives them a whiter color.

Rhodium is not an allergen, so it cannot be responsible for your allergy. However, rhodium costs around 30,000 euros per kilogram; so much so that the deposit on your jewel is thin, very very thin: of the order of a few microns.

As a result, the life of this rhodium layer is limited. Once this layer disappears, your skin will be in contact with the metal underneath.

Copper

(Photo source: Wikipedia)

Copper is present in silver jewellery, its content varies depending on the type of silver purchased. Because silver is too malleable a metal to be used in its pure state, copper is used to create a silver alloy that is harder and stronger than pure silver.

According to French regulations, solid silver can be 800 silver (80% silver and 20% copper), 925 silver called sterling silver (92.5% silver and 7.5% copper) or 999 silver (pure silver).

950 silver is not officially recognized in France, although it is common in Latin America.

If your jewelry is solid 800 silver, it may contain enough copper can be a factor in allergies skin. Sterling silver, with the small amount of copper it contains, is unlikely to cause an allergic reaction.

Nickel

(Photo source: Meowser)

Nickel is a known allergen. Its use is prohibited in France or authorized under a very strict framework. It is estimated that 12% of the population is allergic to nickel. Previously it was used to coat jewelery and fashion accessories, to give them shine without polishing them.

It is difficult to recognize nickel with the naked eye when we are not familiar with metals. The easiest way is to test the item with a chemical test kit, like the one found here.

The Alpaca

(Photo source: Rio Grande)

Alpaca, called nickel, is a metal alloy (containing nickel) that imitates silver very well. Banned in France after nickel was banned for use on skin, it is still frequently found in Latin America or Asia.

Alpaca has a density close to that of silver. We can recognize it with the naked eye because, once polished, it shines much brighter than silver and with a whitish tint reminiscent of rhodium-plated silver.

Furthermore, after a certain time, it oxidizes, taking on a greenish tint, due to the copper contained in it; unlike silver which oxidizes and darkens.

If in doubt, to test the quality of silver in your jewelry, the easiest way is to test with nitric acid as shown in this video. To find out more, please consult our article on the money test.

Metal allergies following infection

(Photo Source: What is a Coatis?)

We followed the case of a client who developed an allergy to silver (jewelry) and surgical steel (piercings) following a bite from a wild animal (a coati had bitten her in Mexico). He then developed an infection.

Despite treatment with antibiotics, she has maintained an allergic predisposition to surgical steel for a few months and is still allergic to silver.

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