Help!  I’m allergic to costume jewellery!

Sounds pretty funny doesn’t it?   The sad fact is, it is true.  I have never been able to wear costume jewellery, or anything silver (even as a young child).  I have to stick to gold, and no, not gold plate, it has to be 9ct gold (as a minimum).

 

What happens?  Well anything silver turns black within hours of me wearing it and I end up with a big black mark on my body as well.  Anything that is gold plated can either turn green (and I mean a true green) or the gold plate just seems to dissolve and rub off.

 

When I was introduced to beading and making your own necklaces, I immediately loved it.  However I quickly learnt that I couldn’t rely on the tigertail or any of the gold plated findings – they would all eventually wear away, so that I’m left with a stainless steel looking finding.  Even to the extent that one side of the catch can be bright gold, but the other looks like stainless steel. 

 

However I have not let this get in the way.  I have made many things, and eventually I just pull them apart and remake the bits that have changed colour.

 

 

What Causes This Allergy

 

 

After much research, I have come to two conclusions.

  1. My skin is very acidic.
  2. I am allergic to nickel.

I have tried to find out why this happens, but there is nothing out there that says “this is the answer”.

 

Based on the information available, I believe my skin is very acidic and this is why gold plate “rubs off”. Everyone knows that you are supposed to look after jewellery; don’t wear it at the beach, in pools and clean it regularly. Well it appears that when I wear gold plate, my skins natural secretions eat away at the coating. So eventually there is no gold plating left. I can’t stop this; it’s just the way I am. My problem seems to be quite bad, as I can wear a new bracelet and by the end of the day it is already deteriorating.

 

Gold plate does deteriorate over time, but the chemicals in my skin seem to speed up the process. This is also the reason I can’t wear silver.

 

The second problem I have is that I am allergic to nickel; which is apparently quite a common problem. This is why, after the gold plate has rubbed away, the jewellery then turns green. Some people who can't wear nickel, seem to get rashes, find the jewellery irritating or just end up with red blotches on their skin.

 

So if you can't wear nickel, stay away from all craft wire, and most of the cheap chains as well. You are better off staying with Sterling Silver, Gold or Gold Filled wire.

 

This is not a medical diagnosis, this is just what I have found out for myself. I hope you find this helpful. Read on to find out ways to work around this problem.

 

 

 

Work Arounds for Your Jewellery Making.

 

 

Now that I know what I can and can’t wear, here are the things I do to get around the problem.

  • Stay away From Metal Beads.

    I tend to use only glass, crystal, plastic, wood or stone beads. If I do use metal beads (spacers and such) I must use a large bead before and after it so that the metal bead does not come into contact with my skin. Even so, over time the metal beads will lose there colour, just not as fast. I tend to make things with seed beads as spacers, or designs that have no need for spacing beads. I’ve also had a go at stitching with seed beads. On my really good designs, I use Gold Filled Spacer beads (see below for more info).

  • Hide the Findings.

    I try and keep findings down to a minimum and have them at the back of necklaces so that they are hidden in the hair line. Then it doesn't really matter if they loose thier colour.

  • Use Hair Spray and Other Protective Sprays.

    I have used hair spray on a bracelet finding and it worked quite well. The only thing is, it’s a little sticky when spraying it (you have to make sure you cover every inch). Also I had to reapply it on a regular basis. There are protective sprays you can buy to spray onto your jewellery, but I've never tried them; they seemed expensive and you have to reapply it before you wear it!

  • Use Sold Gold Findings.

    I only did this once. I bought some 9ct gold parrot clips and ear ring posts. They were just too expensive to do on a regular basis. So I keep them for my very special projects.

  • Use Gold Filled Wire & Findings.

    This has been my saviour. I only recently found out about it (in November '07), but it has made such a difference. I now make my own jump rings, head pins, ear wires and catches. I can proudly display them for the world to see, knowing that they aren’t going to lose their colour! You can also buy them, although not all shops sell them. I do have a selection in my online shop if you are interested.

  • Use Sterling Silver Wire & Findings.

    I can't use silver, but if you can, go for it. Make your own findings or buy commercial ones. Sterling Silver is a lot more widely available than Gold Filled.