Anyone have trouble with earrings?

[Seashell]

My ears are psycho-sensitive.. If I put in earrings, within hours my ear lobes get all red and angry.

I've tried hypo-allergenic earrings, and it doesn't make a difference.

I have one pair of almost pure gold and that's the only kind that doesn't irritate my ears. But.. I don't like gold.

What to do? Anyone else have this trouble?

 

[nvrbuffenuff_girl]

Yes I too have this problem.

The only type of metal I can wear in my ears is platinum. Gold and silver make my earlobes itchy, and red.

 

[Seashell]

Yes I too have this problem.

The only type of metal I can wear in my ears is platinum. Gold and silver make my earlobes itchy, and red.

Hey, thanks.. I'll try platinum.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Plat is good. I hate yellow gold too... You can try Plat or White Gold.

 

[wutangsfiancee]

I have the same problem, if I wear anything that isnt close to pure gold then it is major ear lobe problems, and yellow gold isnt my thing either, I have heard that there is a way you can have your earring posts dipped so they dont bother your ears I will try to remember where I heard about it and get back to you on that. But I really like white gold.

 

[Seashell]

Wutang, thanks, I'd love to hear what you find out about that, I have so many earrings I love but can't wear. And platinum is hard on the budget.

 

[nvrbuffenuff_girl]

I had some white gold jewelry dipped at a jewlery shop that specialized in dipping jewelry for those allergic but my earrings still caused an allergic reaction after wearing them several times. It lasted maybe three weeks before it started itching and causing redness. The other pieces of jewlery that I had dipped, bracelets and a few necklaces, did not and still do not cause allergic reactions as they did in the past. I think the earrings do because over time the stuff they dip it in comes off when you remove the back of the earring and slide it back on at each use.

So, it was a waste of money to have it done on my earrings but not for other pieces of jewlery. At least you only have this problem with earrings. I can't wear any gold or silver on any part of my body. I can only wear platinum which gets very expensive so I don't wear much.

 

[RottenWillow]

...I have so many earrings I love but can't wear. And platinum is hard on the budget.

That's actually a pretty common problem Seashell. I have it too but not nearly as bad as you it sounds. I can go a whole day but I am definitely red and itchy by the end of the day.

First you need to figure out exactly which metal(s) your skin is reacting to. Yellow gold jewelry contains copper and silver. For example I know 18k is 9-12% silver and 9-12% copper. Does sterling make you itch more or less? Does white gold make you itch more or less? Also you might find a tiny little copper fitting from a hardware store and tape it to your skin for several hours. If you get insanely itchy you'll know it's the copper content and you can switch to white gold. Also you might try to find a little piece of 21 to 23k jewlery and test drive that. (some websites based in Malaysia sell insanely cheap 21+ karat if you're interested) Again if you get mad assed itchy then you know it's the gold itself you're reacting to.

It might be a good idea to try this out first before thinking about doing anything else which might cost hella bank.

 

[Seashell]

Awesome info Anya, thanks so much.

I guess I don't really know what the exact problem is, but silver for sure causes the reaction. I'll test with something copper from home depot and see what happens ..hopefully no one will come to the door while I've got 2 copper washers taped to my earlobes..

I'll see if I can pick up a tiny pair of white-gold hoops and try those as well.. (I don't like yellow gold so I'm not gonna worry about that) and maybe with plat if I can find something not to crazy expensive.

 

[jenscats5]

It's my understanding that with a lot of earrings they have nickel in them and are just coated with whatever -- silver, yellow gold, etc---so it may be the nickel...

 

[wutangsfiancee]

Hey Seashell,

I have done as I promised and asked around, alot of ppl have looked at me like I am stupid....lol.... But this is what I have found out.. You need to go to a jewelry store and ask if they do it.. Yes it could end up being expensive, if you had alot of earrings you wanted "dipped". If you happen to live in a smaller town you would have to go to a larger one unless your jewelry store did alot of everything. It is up to you. Well theres your info hon. Later...

 

[Werd]

I'm poor so I don't have this problem. LOL

The only thing that happens is if gold is saudered (sp?) then it will turn black after I wear it. I am not the one that gets irritated... it is the gold!

HEheheheheheheeeee

I guess that I am one IRRITATING BITCH!


*NARF*

 

[Puddles]

One of the reasons platinum jewelry is so expensive is because it takes a much higher temperature to melt than gold and most jewlers don't buy the equipment. Plus platinum is more than double the price of gold as a pure metal.

I keep two sets of earrings in all the time. 22k hoops my husband's grandmother gave me from Italy and platinum diamond studs my friend made for me. If I change to anything else I get irritated.

Go to a good jewler, not a shop in the mall but find a smaller store that does custom work and explain your situation. They should be able to help you choose something and be willing to give you a refund if what you purchase does not agree with you as long as you return it within a week or so.

 

[Seashell]

Thanks everyone for the info!

I bought a pair of white-gold earrings, so far, no troubles..

I'll still look into getting my silver ones dipped because I have a few of those I really love..

 

[Puddles]

Thanks everyone for the info!

I bought a pair of white-gold earrings, so far, no troubles..

 

[onyx]

That sounds very much like a nickel allergy to me. Most jewelry has some nickel in it (even when things are stated to be nickel free it just means they are below a standard level) It will probably be a case of finding stuff that has a lower level than normal in it. (Probably why things like platinum are not causing a problem, as it tends to have a lower level of nickel impurity in it)