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About the Store | Jewelry & Gemstones
Allergies to Jewelry
The most common cause of allergic reactions to jewellry is nickel contained in the alloy. Nickel is, or was, frequently used in white gold alloys because it is inexpensive, hard, and has a strong whitening effect. Better quality white gold alloys use palladium, which has excellent properties but is more expensive.
The next commonest cause of allergies for jewelry wearers appears to be detergent or other chemicals which lodge between the jewelry, usually rings, and the skin. Rinsing well can help, but it is probably best to remove rings before using any troublesome chemicals, and use a barrier cream.
A few jewelry wearers will still seem to be slightly allergic to yellow golds, nickel cannot be the cause because it is not used in yellow gold alloys. In most cases sufferers only experience problems with low gold content alloys such as nine carat, so upgrading to a better alloy such as eighteen carat usually solves all problems.
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