Senin, 01 September 2014
Metals and Metals Allergies: What You Should Know When Making Jewelry
Description:
Growing up my mother was always very particular about the types of metal jewelry she purchased. As I grew up, I realized she only wore gold jewelry. This is because she is one of the millions of people in the world that have a metal allergy. One in every seven people is likely to have a metal allergy. Most of them are allergic to nickel alloys. Although some people, like my mother, are allergic to most metals.
So as a designer of handmade jewelry, I am interested in creating jewelry that everyone can wear. To do that I have done a little research into the metals used in jewelry designs. I wanted to share that research with you.
Before I get to the metals, I would like to explain what causes allergic reactions with metals. As I stated earlier, most jewelry allergies occur in the presence of nickel alloys. As a nickel alloy sits against the skin, the natural sweat and oils from the skin oxidize the metal. As a result of the oxidation, a thin layer of nickel salts for on top of the jewelry. Those nickel salts irritate the skin and cause the allergic dermatitis that are characteristic of a metal allergy. Ok on to metals.
Lets look at gold first. Gold it sold in Karats (or Carats depending on where you are). This is a representation of the amount of gold in piece of jewelry. 24K is pure gold, where as 10K is about 42% gold and 58% miscellaneous alloys. Most gold alloys of 14K or higher will not cause metal allergy outbreaks, however some white gold alloys will due to the nickel content in the alloy that gives white gold its silver coloring.
Two other gold terms used in jewelry are Gold fill and Gold Plate. Gold fill metal is created when a base metal is filled inside a tube of karat gold. In other words, a hollow tube of karat gold maybe filled with a base metal like copper. The gold coating is 100 times thicker than would be found on gold plated jewelry. Since nickel is sometimes used in the creation of gold fill metals, it may not be a suitable metal for those with metal allergies.
Gold plated metals on the other hand are created when a base metal is electroplated with a thin coating of gold. Again the problem with this is that the base metal may be a metal like nickel. One would think that a coating would keep the metal from reacting with the skin, however over time the coating will wear away leaving the base metal exposed and right against the skin.
So what about silver? True silver is sold in three jewelry grades; fine silver, sterling silver, and silver plated. Fine Silver is 99.9% pure silver, so there is little chance of an allergic reaction. However, since there are no other metals in the mix, it is a soft and malleable metal. Although fine silver is used in jewelry design, sterling silver is preferred since it hardens well and can be used for creating lasting designs.
So what is sterling silver? Sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver. Usually the silver is mixed with copper to make the sterling alloy, and it is marked as “SS” or 925. In recent years the sterling alloy has been tweak to reduce fire-scale and tarnish. This tweaking has added a low percentage of other metals into the mix, but it is still considered to be 92.5% pure silver.
Silver plated jewelry is much like gold plated jewelry. It is a base metal that has been electroplated with a fine layer of silver alloy rather than gold. Like gold plated metal, silver plated metal is an inexpensive alternative of jewelry grade metal since it still gives the look of silver at base metal costs.
Personally I love working with silver. I love its sleek shiny look and I love the way it feels when I am working with it. Somehow it just feels magical. However I have met many customers that cannot wear my silver jewelry. So how can I design silver earrings with those customers in mind?
My solution? I offer to exchange any sterling silver earring findings for surgical steel earring findings. Why surgical steel? Even though surgical steel contains nickel it is the most recommended metal for nickel allergy sufferers. According to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology the nickel is so tightly bound in the alloy that is does not break down to release nickel salts, the main cause of metal allergy dermatitis. Surgical steel is considered so safe it has been used in the creation of orthopedic screws which are implanted directly into the body.
There are a host of other jewelry metals on the market. Some are considered hypo-allergenic because they are nickel free, like titanium and platinum. Whereas other metals, like German silver are not hypo-allergenic since they contain a base of nickel. I should point out that not all metal allergies are from nickel reactions. So a metal may be considered hypo-allergenic and still cause a reaction. I have a friend who can wear nickel from dawn to dusk without a reaction. If you give any gold though, she breaks out in a heartbeat.
If as a customer, you are concerned about metal allergies, talk to your local designer. Many are willing to work with you in creating jewelry you can wear despite your metal allergies. I know I always keep several types of findings on hand just for those customers.
Would you love to see how I handle this? Visit my Etsy store to see more, you can find the link in my profile!
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