I found a pair of earrings today that I bought so long ago I don't even remember them. However, they must date from the early 1990's because I bought a lot of earrings from a local artist at about that time, and they look like her work. Copper hoops - I must have worn them once and took them off when I started to claw at my ears. I have a sensitivity to some metal, you see.
I was wondering if someone knows what alloys are most commonly used in metals. I can usually tolerate sterling silver or gold, although I sometimes have trouble with 14 carat. Nor have I ever been able to wear "hyperallergenic"(sp?) or stainless steel earrings.
As for my earrings, I think I'm going to dismantle them. They are missing a dangly bead and I don't think I could replace it.
I don't know the answer to the metal question. But as to whether this is OT or not -- it's not. This is dead-on subject!>(Would this be considered OT?)
~~ Sooz
------- "Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance ~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links
On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 21:11:57 -0400, Bungadora wrote (in message ):
Absolutely not! This is totally on topic.
My guess is that it isn't 100% copper. Why? Because you said that you can handle Sterling Silver, which is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Even though copper is cheap, base metal is cheaper, and I suspect that the earrings are some kind of copper colored base metal.
Are the earrings green with tarnish? If not, then it can't be real copper. After all these years, real copper would have acquired a patina.
It would be hypoallergenic, because hyper means "extra," although that might be true for you. :-) The big culprit for most people is nickel, although zinc is sometimes used in alloys. Neither is very friendly to metal allergic people.
Probably your best bets are 18K or better gold (jewelry from India is usually
22K, and is quite beautiful), platinum, or if you haven't won the lottery lately, niobium.
White gold is likely to be a problem, because the metals used to make it look white can cause allergies. Also, if anyone tells you that white gold is "pure," run the other way. Gold, as an element, is yellow. 24K gold, being pure, has to be yellow. I think that the best white gold you can buy is 14K, which is 14 parts gold and 10 parts other metal.
You're right. They are likely the same color as when I bought them.
(snip)
Thanks for the information. This is why I don't have very much jewelery. I can't afford it. I can usually tell within half an hour or so whether a silver earring is really sterling or not. Dora
If I haven't worn earrings for a long time, even the ones that I know are OK can cause irritation. However, I definitely have a sensitivity to metals. I haven't worn a watch for years for that reason. I first noticed when I wore a cheap necklace, and also reacted badly to the studs when I had my ears pierced. As a result, I've never been tempted to have multiple piercings.
I wonder if people with metal sensitivities react to mouth studs, etc. I asked a body piercer/tattoo person once about sensitivities. He just said he carried stainless steel, and people don't react to that, whereas they do react to silver because it is so impure. He just (basically) thought I was full of s*** when I said that was not my experience. He didn't say so - just sort of rolled his eyes.
On Thu, 15 Apr 2004 0:34:10 -0400, Kalera Stratton wrote (in message ):
According to one of the steel companies online, "Surgical Steel" is merely a trade name for Stainless Steel, an alloy that is most commonly used in cookware. The big difference between Stainless Steel and any other Steel is that it has a significantly higher percentage of chronium, to keep it from tarnishing. There are lots of "recipes" for stainless steel, depending on what qualities the manufacturer is looking for.
Plain old Steel is iron alloyed with carbon. It's not considered an alloy steel because it has to have carbon and iron to even be considered steel in the first place.
Alloy Steels
- Carbon steel alloyed with significant amounts of other chemical compounds that enhance certain material properties
Different metals commonly found in alloy steel: Carbon Nickel Chromium Molybdenum Vanadium Tungsten Silicon Manganese Lead Sulphur Copper
[the following is Kath, not the steel industry:] According to the steel site, that "surgical steel" can be alloyed with some or all of the above, depending on the qualities that the steelmaker is seeking in that particular batch. The surgical steel in my cookware is likely nothing like the surgical steel in my pair of piercing studs, and there seems to be nothing keeping the steel consistant from one pair of piercing studs to another.
At one of the steel manufacturing sites, I counted over thirty varieties of stainless steel, any of which could be sold as surgical steel. The quality that makes it stainless is the chromium (think car bumpers). It wouldn't surprise me to find out that people can have allergies or sensitivities to chromium, just like they have sensitivities and allergies to almost everything else.
Supposedly, the nickel in surgical steel is so tightly bonded with the other components that allergic reactions are rare. Considering how many people I've known that have reactions to "hypoallergenic surgical steel," I think that the molecular bonding thing is not as true as the steel industry would like it to be. Even if the nickel isn't the culprit, looking at that list of components, it's no wonder that people have reactions to steel, as compared to say, Sterling Silver, which is just silver and copper. Besides, you as a consumer have no way of knowing just how much nickel is in your earring, since stainless steel can have anywhere from 0% nickel to ~35% nickel.
One European body piercing site claims that a lot of "gold" piercing jewelry is actually 8 karat gold, which is only 1/3 elemental gold. The rest of the "gold" could be a number of things, and cause allergic reactions. They recommend using titanium, which is an element, and therefore, pure and less likely to cause reactions.
After reading this, I think I'm glad I only wear 14K gold or better for my earrings.
Kathy N-V
P.S.: For a listing of just one company's different formulas for stainless steel, take a look at this page:
Ah well! It's his business and I was talking to him during his leisure hours. He comes into the store once in a while. I suspect he thinks people invent allergies just to be annoying. Body piercing/tattoo/haircut is after all what has made him an Extraordinary Person, appearance wise. Otherwise he would be just another chubby, round faced short guy.
Thanks Roxan. It is an interesting article, even though it badly needs editing.
I'll bet most body piercers don't test their jewelery, even if they do take the care to buy a high grade of 'surgical steel' though. I'm afraid I'm not tempted to give it a go.
I missed the beginning of this thread, but wanted to add this in case anyone hasn't - to avoid metal allergies, try niobium. It's used for body piercings and considered inert.
I can't wear gold in my ears, at all; even silver will cause a reaction after a few hours. All the earrings I make now for myself have niobium wires. (It also comes in fantastic colors.) I also have some titanium studs that I keep in all the time with no problem.
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