Are you excited to add a new piece of jewellery to your collection, only to find yourself dealing with an itchy, red rash shortly after? That’s because earrings, rings, necklaces and piercings can sometimes trigger allergic reactions in our skin.

Jewellery allergies are commonly caused by the metals nickel and cobalt and is a common cause of contact allergic dermas. Often people think that they’re allergic to gold or silver jewellery, when in fact they’re allergic to nickel. A nickel allergy is more common in women – mostly because they tend to wear more jewellery than men.

Jewellery allergies as dermatitis

The dermatitis usually occurs where the nickel is touching the skin: earlobes (from earrings), around the neck (from necklaces), the fingers (from rings) and body piercings. The affected areas become very itchy and may become red and blistered (acute dermas) or dry, thickened and pigmented (chronic dermas). It can also spread to areas beyond the site of contact like the hands.

If you have an allergic reaction to your jewellery, remove it immediately and avoid contact with the piece. To treat the skin, topical corticosteroids used to reduce the inflammation, and antihistamines can be used as well.

Does my jewellery contain nickel?

Gold and silver jewellery are so metals and other metals are alloyed – silver, copper, nickel, iron, zinc, tin, manganese, cadmium, and titanium – to strengthen or colour the piece.

Using gold as an example, the International Gem Society explains, “Pure gold, which contains no other metals, is termed 24-karat gold. So, a 50/50 alloy, half pure gold and half other metal or metals, is 12-karat gold. Alloys used in jewellery making range from 9-karat gold, approximately 37% pure gold, to 24-karat gold.” Therefore, unless a piece of jewellery is made of 18- or 24-carat gold, stainless (surgical) steel, sterling silver, or pure platinum, it’s safer to assume that your jewellery has some amount of nickel in it. And this is especially true for costume jewellery.

Preventing a jewellery allergy

• Wear hypoallergenic jewellery, i.e. made of stainless steel, at least 18-karat gold or sterling silver.

• When having body piercings done, ensure that the equipment is sterile, that a stainless steel needle is used for the piercing. Use jewellery made of surgical stainless steel, titanium, niobium, or 14- or 18- karat gold.

• If you must wear earrings that contain nickel, add plastic covers made specifically for earring studs.

• If an item of jewellery that you wear daily – like a wedding ring – causes a reaction, speak to a jeweller about having it re-plated with a non-allergic metal, such as rhodium or planum.

Allergies are not the only cause of a jewellery reaction. Rashes can also be caused by other irritants such as friction from a watch, dirt on the metal or soap under a ring, for instance; psoriasis and vitiligo can arise at the site of a tight watch strap, necklace or bangle, and you can pick up skin infections at body piercing sites.

References

1. Clarke, D. (n.d.). Jewelry Metals 101: Gold, Silver, and Platinum. International Gem Society. Accessed on 13 February 2024. Available from https://www.gemsociety.org/arcle/jewelry-metals-overview/

2. Cleveland Clinic. (2018). Nickel Allergy. Cleveland Clinic. Accessed on 13 February 2024. Available from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17842-nickel-allergy

3. Dunkin, M.A. (2022). Are You Allergic to Nickel? WebMD. Accessed on 9 February 2024. Available from https://www.webmd.com/allergies/nickel-jewelry-allergy

4. Mayo Clinic. (2022). Piercings: How to prevent complications. Mayo Clinic. Accessed on 9 February 2024. Available from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/piercings/art-20047317

5. Ngan, V. (2012). Jewellery allergy. DermNet. Accessed on 9 February 2024. Available from https://dermnetnz.org/topics/jewellery-allergy

6. Williams, V (2018). Mayo Clinic Minute: Are you allergic to jewelry? Mayo Clinic News Network. Accessed on 13 February 2024. Available from https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-are-you-allergic-to-jewelry/