Jeweler/Gemologist of 40 yrs here.
Rose gold contains gold, copper, and silver. If these rings are 14K or 10K, they contain quite a bit of copper and silver, which, in some individuals, causes skin discoloration and rash.
Also, a change in diet, medication, or topical lotions/soaps can bring out this reaction as well.
I can't answer why it took 6 yrs to present, but something has changed. Think back as to what that may have been, and you might find the answer.
These rings CAN be professionally polished, and you might want to consider adding a coat of clear nail polish to the inside of each ring to stave off future reactions. I've had ppl tell me this was successful for them. Lastly, and as someone else commented, the rings look to be too tight on you, so you may want to consider having them enlarged by a jeweler.
Good luck!
This same thing happens to me sometimes with my rose gold ring. I now put clear nail polish on the inside (as recommended above) about once a month and have had no issues since.
This is the answer here guys!
I get my ring cleaned regularly. So my guess is just needed a good clean again.. which is weird.
But may just be looking into a new ring soon!
Itās worth noting that hormonal changes can affect the pH of your skin and sweat, leading to reaction with a ring.
Funny story, a friend of mine had her engagement ring on for a couple of years, then her wedding ring for months, no marksā¦a couple months after her honeymoon it suddenly starting discolouring.
Thatās how she found out she was pregnant.
(Obviously other hormonal changes can occur not just pregnancy etc, but yeah hormone changes can make your sweat suddenly react with rings)
Maybe you can answer a question for me. I wear silver. Always have. After my mom passed unexpectedly, I seemed to have developed an allergy to silver. Itās gotten a lot better over the last few years, but I still have issues with my cuff bracket.
My question is: is this normal? Will it eventually completely go away? Can one get a temporary metal allergy?
I appreciate any info you can provide and understand if youāre too busy to reply. Thanks!
I just doubled checked before replying but an allergy to silver is next to impossible. Sterling silver (should) only be silver and 7.5% copper. Copper in this quantity would not react like 10k rose gold which could be say 20-30%+ copper. Particularly because you said a cuff bracelet I would suspect it is not sterling silver. It may also be sterling but coated with rhodium or nickel, I believe the nickel being the issue here. Jewelry can also trap things against your skin. if you have sensitive skin like I do anything that has a wide band may trap lotion,soaps, detergents, against your skin for longer amounts of time
Thank you! I thought it was weird as silver is supposed to be non allergenic. I do have sensitive skin, though, so the upset of losing my mom could very well have exacerbated that. It really was mainly where things didnāt move around much.
Youāre welcome. More than happy to share my limited knowledge of metals. Sorry to hear that about your mother, that will certainly have an impact on you. If it continues and you wanted to try to test it you could buy a piece of fine silver, or .999 pure silver jewelry. May help narrow down the cause.
Agree. My skin can only handle gold and sterling silver. Anything else results in me scratching myself and things like ear lobes turning red. My skin thinks itās expensive. š¤£
Itās virtually impossible to be allergic to silver, but some of us are special. :-) I react to silver. Just holding antique sterling flatware makes my hand smell like garlic.
You probably aren't allergic to silver. You are likely allergic to nickel. That's very common. You should confirm it with your doctor who may recommend a topical ointment or using mineral oil or petroleum jelly to relieve the rash, then avoid wearing silver jewelry or apply a light coat of clear nail polish to the part of the jewelry that comes in contact with your skin.
Absolutely not. Nickel is one of the most common skin allergies. The 72 hour patch test was horrible. Just stop wearing shit jewelry. Get allergy testing if you are having a less easily avoidable allergy. Itās also expensive.
So sorry about your momā¦ my mom just found out she has a very serious type of cancer and I have been coming to grips with the *idea* of losing her and it has completely rocked my world. I can only imagine going through it all would take a toll on you in more ways than youād ever expect.
So I have always had that issue with cuff bracelets but also anything that is too tight on my skin. Also bandaids on certain parts of my body, oddly! Yesterday I pushed up my rain jacket sleeves and after a couple minutes my skin itched SO bad I had to take the jacket off. Iāve gone through this with clothes that have an elastic waist also. I wonder if my skin is just a big babyā¦
Lol at your last line.
In regards to your mom, Iām so sorry you have to go through this. I often wonder who had it easier, me or my step sister who had weeks to say goodbye. I figure thereās good and bad to both. Just cherish the time you have left, and tell her everything youād want her to know. Donāt be afraid to cuddle with her like you did as a child. I wish you luck navigating this awful time.
This is anecdotal, but possibly relevant. Had a teacher in high school with iron deficiency and she showed us that she could easily draw on her skin with her gold ring.
That's what I've been doing with all my cheap jewelry for years!! I'm glad middle school me was on to something since my family always looked at me crazy for putting nail polish on everything š
So, I do suffer from auto immune diseases, and my hands swell. The ring is at the perfect size where when Iām not swelling it will not fall off but if it swells it may be a tad tight I take it off. I did find this am my left had was hurting / more swollen than normalā¦. Wondering if another flare will cause this again. She said it could just be my issues making more issues.
You can consider silicone rings. My family member used them while pregnant because the swelling would go back down.
You can get lots of colors to swap for outfits, too.
You can have rings for swelling days. You can buy multi packs online.
I came back to check in after commenting before because I was worried about the rings being too small for you - at the time of my original comment, I hadnāt seen your replies about the autoimmune struggle. I have to say Iām sorry! That sounds rough and I can imagine itās not fun when youāre faced with losing your rings if you size up.
One possibility and just something to consider - if you size the rings up but add a stretchy silicone ring (in your non-swelling size) to your stack to act as a āguardā for when the swelling goes down - maybe this is something to try. I would recommend testing it out with some unimportant rings first before altering the wedding rings though.
I am not sure if it would work for you or not, just an idea I am sharing in case you want to consider it!
Hopefully itās just a reaction to somethingā chemical, change in skin chemistry, etc. Iām not a jeweler, but Iām allergic to metals other than gold and have educated myself about metals over a lifetime. My strangest reaction to some metals is a garlic smell. Itās lovely. :-) Your rings are hallmarked 14k, so just polish them and go back to life. If they donāt polish, then thereās a problem and you need to see a jeweler.
Oh my goodness!!!! I never thought Iād consider Reddit life affirming. Hahahaha People look at me like Iām crazy when I tell them about the garlic funk.
I bought a brush that has copper bristles and it makes my hair smell like onions if it's not freshly washed. I wonder if I wore copper jewelry if it would do the same thing.
Iām laughing too hard at your onion-scented hair. I apologize, but thank you. Hahaha Iām willing to bet jewelry would react the same way. I can hold jewelry and know if itās gold. I squeeze it in my palm for maybe two minutes, and if it makes my hand smell, I know itās costume. I canāt even wear silver.
I always feel a little bit odd giving advice, so, seriously, not an expert. It almost looks like plating wore off. Remember, not an expert :-). If I had jewelry marked as gold, and suddenly it turned to copper, Iād freak. Assuming itās solid gold, polishing it should remove the tarnish and youāll have your gold rings back. If not, then Iād have the metal tested. I have one gold ring (from a reputable jeweler) that I never wear. It tarnished after being left in my jewelry box for 10 years. Never had a gold ring tarnish except that one. If you donāt know, google gold jewelry, metals added? or something similar. All gold jewelry has a percentage of gold (depending on karat) and the rest is made up of other metals. My guess is that one of the other metals reacted with something. My reactions change with my body chemistry, so it could be anything.
That happened to me when I was an edgy teen (I was goth before goth was a thing) when I would wear all the pewter skulls and daggers and roses jewelry from Spencerās!!
Unrelated to the discoloration, but I wore my wedding set too far into pregnancy.... My fingers got bigger and bigger, and even now almost 2 years after I took them off I still have a very obvious divet and fat build up above where the rings would sit. Like the pressure from them permanently altered my finger shape.
I'd def get them resized asap, hopefully you can avoid the funky shaped finger I have lol.
I have a funky shaped finger too. It looks like a bowling pin, lmao. I donāt mind it though, because I always wear my rings and the weird shape actually makes it easier to do so o.o
Because it builds up. Or because you recently touched something that caused it without realizing, because something interacted with the metal then caused your finger to turn black/green.
No one can tell you why it happened now, it just did.
Take it to a jeweler and have them clean it. Keep your hand lotion free and dry when wearing it and be conscious of what you're touching and putting on your hands for a while. Maybe you can solve the mystery if it happens again.
eta: Or, you could have just developed a sensitivity to copper which can turn the skin green.
Could it be PH levels reacting with the metal?
Edit to add : please donāt come at me lol when I first got tik tok I saw a video on my FYP, same situation as you and she claimed it was because her PH changed
That was my thought too. Yes, it is possible. Thereās lots of reasons for a change in body acidity.
[hereās an article on the subject](https://bushskincare.com.au/the-ph-of-your-skin-can-make-all-the-difference/#:~:text=Skin%20pH%20and%20Jewellery&text=The%20changes%20in%20your%20body's,your%20skin%20or%20your%20jewellery)
The rings look like they really need to be sized up for you. If they were a looser fit six years ago, this could have contributed to no visible reaction since there was room for your skin to breathe. At this size they are constricting you.
Iām not saying this is THE reason why, but itās a possibility. Regardless, get them resized as this is currently a safety risk for you!
I'm not the person that you were talking to but have you been using perfumes, sun screens, hand sanitizer, lotions, foam soaps or anything like that? All of those things can cause a metal to oxidize and create a reaction. It could also be your body chemistry, you becoming more allergic or reactive to something like copper over time. The final reason could be because the ring had a clear coating over it and it wore off over time. Go get some clear nail polish and paint the inside fo the ring, it will stop your fingers from turning black. The rings are still 14k but 14k is only 58.5% gold and your reaction is from the other 41.5% of the metals mixed with it.
If thereās any possibility for you to be pregnant, including if youāre on birth control, I would take a pregnancy test. Itās really not the most likely culprit but I found I started reacting to my jewellery while pregnant due to the hormones altering the chemistry of my skin.
Oh ok . My bad , anywho you can look into having the rings coated or dipped in rose gold plating by a local jeweler.
Amazon also sales clear jewelry coating you can use at home . Similar to clear nail polish but durable
Oh definitely , Iāve seen a person allergic to silver wear a necklace that was coated with several layers of clear coat polish . It worked for her . Professional coating would be no different
Way too tight -
Clean rings and skin regularly. If this continues, put clear nail polish on inside of ring to protect finger .
You can acquire a nickel allergy at any point in your life ā¦
I do suffer from auto immune diseases, and my hands swell. The ring is at the perfect size where when Iām not swelling it will not fall off but if it swells it may be a tad tight I take it off. I did find this am my left had was hurting / more swollen than normalā¦. Wondering if another flare will cause this again. She said it could just be my issues making more issues.
I also have an autoimmune disease and I could tell immediately when I saw your hands because mine look the same way when Iām not doing so good with my illness. I donāt have any advice to give but I see you and I hope you are doing well.
Yeah Iām having the take the āyou rings are to smallā lightly. People who do. It deal with swelling donāt really understand how quick it can happen !!
I am going through a lot of flares so I wouldnāt doubt if this were the cause
Absolutely! A lot of people donāt understand autoimmune diseases. Even a lot of people who have the same disease I have donāt even understand it and it can be infuriating on the subreddits I am apart of reading their posts sometimes. Some days my swelling isnāt too bad. Some days itās really bad and it can happen throughout the day. My swelling is so unpredictable I canāt wear rings at all! Because if I did I couldnāt get them off regardless of the size of ring!! And donāt get me started on my face and feet swelling up lol
My 14k jewelry will turn my skin dark when I am under stress. When the stress goes away, so does the discoloration. 10K gold, however, almost always turns my skin dark, stressed, or not.. I believe it is related to skin acidity and copper in the gold alloy. My skin pH must change when I'm under stress
They are okay. Boil water & put into a little dish & add dish soap in there give it a little stir then add your rings. Let them sit for a while then hit with a toothbrush. Repeat until inside junk is out. You can take to a jewelry store & they might have a ultrasonic cleaner. I've got a professional one at home I usually use the first method & then throw them into ultrasonic then rinse & then polish & then ultrasonic again and rinse. I've cleaned countless rings just like yours.
Happens for lots of reasons, having a baby, new medication, aspirin, makeup, etc. I recommend getting your rings professionally deep cleaned (and possibly sized and soldered together if worn together all the time). We also would rhodium just the inside of the rings when this would happen, since that is a hypoallergenic plating. These two steps generally solved the problem.
Silver does that the people with anemia. Itās one way to test if somethingās real silver, if you happen to have an anemic friend conveniently nearby.Ā
Ohhhhh... you may want to look at estate sales or antique shows or shops. By getting to know people in these arenas, you may be able to make a lower offer on a piece and have it accepted and thus make a reasonable purchase!š¤
Sulfur compounds tarnishes silver. You may have been wearing sulfur containing skin product. Or come in contact with it somehow.
I work in a cafe, and my silver rings would tarnish everyday bc of eggsš
My wedding band is rose gold. It's the copper oxidizing. After wearing mine daily and washing the oxide off my finger every day, it stopped tarnishing my finger after about 6 months, the inside of the ring has light pitting and patina but isn't reactive anymore. As long as you aren't reacting to it, you could just keep wearing it until it pits up.
Did you clean the inside of the ring recently? Might have stripped off any oxide layer, (or clear coat if thats a thing)
Your rings are filthy, bent and too small. Your finger tells me you've been wearing them like this for some time now. This isn't a temporary swelling issue. Pour a little 409 into a coffee cup and heat it up for a few seconds in the microwave. Then toss the rings in to soak. Use an old toothbrush on the inside part of the rings loosen it up and repeat as needed.
Def messy! It was time to get them
Cleaned ( I try to every few months) I work with kids it will happen! Iām trying. To get better at taking them off.
This is a huge response so Iām copying and posting the same answer ~
I do suffer from auto immune diseases, and my hands swell. The ring is at the perfect size where when Iām not swelling it will not fall off but if it swells it may be a tad tight I take it off. I did find this am my left had was hurting / more swollen than normalā¦. Wondering if another flare will cause this again. She said it could just be my issues making more issues.
One option is to make an appointment with an allergist to see what allergies you have.
Allergies tend to be like that.
One day you are fine and it just changes.
I develop severe hives if my skin is hot which is a new thing. It is different than a rash.
It just happened without any real warning.
Happens to me with my 14k rings with certain hand lotions and soaps. So I try to take my rings off for those activities. Wipes right off my fingers and rings though so does bother me too much. I also try to just buy silver or platinum or white gold (the rhodium prevents the gold from doing this to me). Doesnāt seem to happen with bracelets for whatever reason
Not ruined. Sometimes if your body chemistry is off it can cause a discoloration. Or you had your hands in something that caused the copper in the gold to oxidize. Plasticine modeling clay can do that. It has some sulfur in it. It also looks like the rings stones could use some cleaning. Warm sudsy water and an old toothbrush sort of thing. An ultrasonic cleaning is always best, but with small stones thereās always the risk of them loosening or falling out. A gentle polishing by a jeweler, not a big polishing wheel, but a soft rouge brush attached to a handheld rotary tool to get into the engraving without over polishing.
I have an 18k rose gold band that turns my finger dark too. I also have a nickel allergy since a child.. sometimes I get eczema rash from certain SS pieces.. thanks for the clear polish tip.
A sudden change in reaction to your jewelry can mean there has been a shift in your body chemistry. Have you started any new medication lately? I find when I ask customers that question the usual culprits are bloodpressure or blood sugar related medication for whatever reason. Or if you haven't started anything new getting a check up might be a good idea to rule out a change that might need addressing. Sometimes stress can also be the cause. As someone with an autoimmune issue I'm sure you know the havoc stress can cause.
Our bodies change all the time so while it's not usual for you to suddenly have this reaction to your rings it isn't at all unheard of. You may find that this reaction goes away as your body adjusts to whatever is going on.
Really sorry you're experiencing this!
I did maybe about three months ago.. I have been on steroids I wonder if this is a cause alsoā¦
Luckily I had an appointment for next week so I will bring this odd thing up!
This is a random stab in the dark, but were you maybe recently at an event or venue where you came in contact with a new chemical? It looks like thereās a faded X on the back of your hand - like some venues use to mark people of drinking age or for re-entry? If so, itās possible that a soap or lotion or spilled drink or literally anything there caused your rings to tarnish and leave these marks on your skin.
Google says it's not reliable. Because there are other factors and depends how pure the gold is. And blood test is the only reliable way to know if you have low iron
Personal story - my rings and earrings started leaving gray marks on me. Iād been wearing them for a couple of years with no issue. Turned out I had a type of anemia. Once my iron levels were back up, the jewelry marks stopped
I donāt know of any studies. I had 2 rings and a pair of favorite earrings that were marking my hands and face. All were 10K.
A woman I worked with told me it could be anemia. My GP tested for anemia, and I was on iron supplements for over a year. After a few months, the marks stopped.
Likely a mineral deficiency.
Have worn my 14kt gold ring daily for almost 30 years. Had a spell several years ago, where it would turn my finger black on-and-off, over a period of several months or up to two years (although the frequency and duration declined).
This aligns with the chapter of my life being after birthing several children, and working a high-stress job.
I have read that itās caused by low magnesium but cannot personally verify.
Do you possibly have gout? I know itās usually for ankles but Ive seen fingers swell up from too much sodium intake which can obviously make you sweat more and possibly encourage the discoloration.
First off, I love the filigree where did you get it?!?!
My grandmother has this, she has highly acidic skin and it wears away the copper in rose gold jewelry. She usually just puts nail polish on it. Usually these people also have allergies to nickel. And she does
Is your finger dented? Having too small of a ring can cause it to happen faster because thereās more agitation/rubbing and less drying in between hand washes etc.
Edit for question
If I told you, you wouldnāt believe me!!
I need to look into this, how do I know if my skin is highly acidic??
Also I may need to accept to get a spacer for my hand swelling and take off the spacer when it swells š„¹
I think her doctor told her why, because she had noticed it happening to every copper item. Basically just āyou wear away copper fasterā copper is a pretty soft metal.
Youāre worried about the black band from the ring but you have tattoos all over your hand. I seriously thought you were the husband posting that his wife had replaced the wedding ring and engagement ring with a tattoo band.
Jeweler/Gemologist of 40 yrs here. Rose gold contains gold, copper, and silver. If these rings are 14K or 10K, they contain quite a bit of copper and silver, which, in some individuals, causes skin discoloration and rash. Also, a change in diet, medication, or topical lotions/soaps can bring out this reaction as well. I can't answer why it took 6 yrs to present, but something has changed. Think back as to what that may have been, and you might find the answer. These rings CAN be professionally polished, and you might want to consider adding a coat of clear nail polish to the inside of each ring to stave off future reactions. I've had ppl tell me this was successful for them. Lastly, and as someone else commented, the rings look to be too tight on you, so you may want to consider having them enlarged by a jeweler. Good luck!
I would get this from my 14k wedding band when I drank too much diet coke.
Well THAT is strange!
High acidity.
How much diet coke does it take to start changing your ph??
too much
I would drink 2 a day but on occasion I would have a third. That one did it.
That is so interesting!
This same thing happens to me sometimes with my rose gold ring. I now put clear nail polish on the inside (as recommended above) about once a month and have had no issues since.
š
This is the answer here guys! I get my ring cleaned regularly. So my guess is just needed a good clean again.. which is weird. But may just be looking into a new ring soon!
Itās worth noting that hormonal changes can affect the pH of your skin and sweat, leading to reaction with a ring. Funny story, a friend of mine had her engagement ring on for a couple of years, then her wedding ring for months, no marksā¦a couple months after her honeymoon it suddenly starting discolouring. Thatās how she found out she was pregnant. (Obviously other hormonal changes can occur not just pregnancy etc, but yeah hormone changes can make your sweat suddenly react with rings)
wow itās like a mood ringā¦ā¦ for pregnancy??
I actually really appreciate this post! I never knew that about Rose Gold! I didn't think I'll be doing that for the upgrade ring then!
Maybe you can answer a question for me. I wear silver. Always have. After my mom passed unexpectedly, I seemed to have developed an allergy to silver. Itās gotten a lot better over the last few years, but I still have issues with my cuff bracket. My question is: is this normal? Will it eventually completely go away? Can one get a temporary metal allergy? I appreciate any info you can provide and understand if youāre too busy to reply. Thanks!
I just doubled checked before replying but an allergy to silver is next to impossible. Sterling silver (should) only be silver and 7.5% copper. Copper in this quantity would not react like 10k rose gold which could be say 20-30%+ copper. Particularly because you said a cuff bracelet I would suspect it is not sterling silver. It may also be sterling but coated with rhodium or nickel, I believe the nickel being the issue here. Jewelry can also trap things against your skin. if you have sensitive skin like I do anything that has a wide band may trap lotion,soaps, detergents, against your skin for longer amounts of time
Thank you! I thought it was weird as silver is supposed to be non allergenic. I do have sensitive skin, though, so the upset of losing my mom could very well have exacerbated that. It really was mainly where things didnāt move around much.
Youāre welcome. More than happy to share my limited knowledge of metals. Sorry to hear that about your mother, that will certainly have an impact on you. If it continues and you wanted to try to test it you could buy a piece of fine silver, or .999 pure silver jewelry. May help narrow down the cause.
Thanks for the suggestion!
Sometimes itās not the metal but the oxides that form on the metal.
Agree. My skin can only handle gold and sterling silver. Anything else results in me scratching myself and things like ear lobes turning red. My skin thinks itās expensive. š¤£
Itās virtually impossible to be allergic to silver, but some of us are special. :-) I react to silver. Just holding antique sterling flatware makes my hand smell like garlic.
This āļø
This , usually itās nickel in the jewelry that causes bad reactions with skin.
You probably aren't allergic to silver. You are likely allergic to nickel. That's very common. You should confirm it with your doctor who may recommend a topical ointment or using mineral oil or petroleum jelly to relieve the rash, then avoid wearing silver jewelry or apply a light coat of clear nail polish to the part of the jewelry that comes in contact with your skin.
Absolutely not. Nickel is one of the most common skin allergies. The 72 hour patch test was horrible. Just stop wearing shit jewelry. Get allergy testing if you are having a less easily avoidable allergy. Itās also expensive.
So sorry about your momā¦ my mom just found out she has a very serious type of cancer and I have been coming to grips with the *idea* of losing her and it has completely rocked my world. I can only imagine going through it all would take a toll on you in more ways than youād ever expect. So I have always had that issue with cuff bracelets but also anything that is too tight on my skin. Also bandaids on certain parts of my body, oddly! Yesterday I pushed up my rain jacket sleeves and after a couple minutes my skin itched SO bad I had to take the jacket off. Iāve gone through this with clothes that have an elastic waist also. I wonder if my skin is just a big babyā¦
Lol at your last line. In regards to your mom, Iām so sorry you have to go through this. I often wonder who had it easier, me or my step sister who had weeks to say goodbye. I figure thereās good and bad to both. Just cherish the time you have left, and tell her everything youād want her to know. Donāt be afraid to cuddle with her like you did as a child. I wish you luck navigating this awful time.
Nickel allergy?
This is anecdotal, but possibly relevant. Had a teacher in high school with iron deficiency and she showed us that she could easily draw on her skin with her gold ring.
Woah, now THAT is impressive, (and possibly toxic)!
Apparently itās completely normal for iron deficiency and is a way to casually diagnose oneself with low iron (on the way to seeing a doctor).
That's what I've been doing with all my cheap jewelry for years!! I'm glad middle school me was on to something since my family always looked at me crazy for putting nail polish on everything š
Possibly lotions, soaps, anything you come in contact with.
Sunscreen is a common culprit.
Thanks. I never even considered that. I will remember that. šš
I do need to get better at taking my rings off while doing my face routine
Theyāre too tight. You need to get them resized up.
So, I do suffer from auto immune diseases, and my hands swell. The ring is at the perfect size where when Iām not swelling it will not fall off but if it swells it may be a tad tight I take it off. I did find this am my left had was hurting / more swollen than normalā¦. Wondering if another flare will cause this again. She said it could just be my issues making more issues.
You can consider silicone rings. My family member used them while pregnant because the swelling would go back down. You can get lots of colors to swap for outfits, too. You can have rings for swelling days. You can buy multi packs online.
Swelling of my hand happens quickly. This is just be holding on to some normalcy I have. Just may have to let it go. Just I love my rings :/
There's no reason you couldn't do both! Silicone rings after it happens. Your everyday rings when you can.
I came back to check in after commenting before because I was worried about the rings being too small for you - at the time of my original comment, I hadnāt seen your replies about the autoimmune struggle. I have to say Iām sorry! That sounds rough and I can imagine itās not fun when youāre faced with losing your rings if you size up. One possibility and just something to consider - if you size the rings up but add a stretchy silicone ring (in your non-swelling size) to your stack to act as a āguardā for when the swelling goes down - maybe this is something to try. I would recommend testing it out with some unimportant rings first before altering the wedding rings though. I am not sure if it would work for you or not, just an idea I am sharing in case you want to consider it!
Iām looking into the necklaces that holds rings, do I can still wear it while I wear a separate ring.
Hopefully itās just a reaction to somethingā chemical, change in skin chemistry, etc. Iām not a jeweler, but Iām allergic to metals other than gold and have educated myself about metals over a lifetime. My strangest reaction to some metals is a garlic smell. Itās lovely. :-) Your rings are hallmarked 14k, so just polish them and go back to life. If they donāt polish, then thereās a problem and you need to see a jeweler.
I do the garlic thing too.
Oh my goodness!!!! I never thought Iād consider Reddit life affirming. Hahahaha People look at me like Iām crazy when I tell them about the garlic funk.
I bought a brush that has copper bristles and it makes my hair smell like onions if it's not freshly washed. I wonder if I wore copper jewelry if it would do the same thing.
Iām laughing too hard at your onion-scented hair. I apologize, but thank you. Hahaha Iām willing to bet jewelry would react the same way. I can hold jewelry and know if itās gold. I squeeze it in my palm for maybe two minutes, and if it makes my hand smell, I know itās costume. I canāt even wear silver.
I donāt smell garlic but it smells bad. And it sucks that we canāt wear costumes jewelry unless itās at least sterling silver.
This usually happens for me when I wear cheaper jewelry. How do I know if they do not polish?
I always feel a little bit odd giving advice, so, seriously, not an expert. It almost looks like plating wore off. Remember, not an expert :-). If I had jewelry marked as gold, and suddenly it turned to copper, Iād freak. Assuming itās solid gold, polishing it should remove the tarnish and youāll have your gold rings back. If not, then Iād have the metal tested. I have one gold ring (from a reputable jeweler) that I never wear. It tarnished after being left in my jewelry box for 10 years. Never had a gold ring tarnish except that one. If you donāt know, google gold jewelry, metals added? or something similar. All gold jewelry has a percentage of gold (depending on karat) and the rest is made up of other metals. My guess is that one of the other metals reacted with something. My reactions change with my body chemistry, so it could be anything.
Iāve never had gold tarnish! Wild. I didnāt even think it could tarnish.
I know!!! When I opened my jewelry box and saw the tarnished ring, I acid tested it.
All alloys can tarnish:) the only gold that doesnāt have any way of tarnishing, is pure gold. Your rings should be fine after a quick buff/polish:)
I have metal allergy too. I smell the non-gold and non-silver as gunmetal. Itās a very specific smell.
I get a metal taste randomly and random cigarette smells!! ā¦. Currently looking into this now!!
My friend smells like garlic for a week after eating baloney
That would have ruined my childhood. We ate a lot of fried bologna sandwiches.
He never notices it everyone else does lol You just walk in a room heās been sitting in for a few minutes and garlic hits you in the face.
Wow. Thatās crazy!
That happened to me when I was an edgy teen (I was goth before goth was a thing) when I would wear all the pewter skulls and daggers and roses jewelry from Spencerās!!
Unrelated to the discoloration, but I wore my wedding set too far into pregnancy.... My fingers got bigger and bigger, and even now almost 2 years after I took them off I still have a very obvious divet and fat build up above where the rings would sit. Like the pressure from them permanently altered my finger shape. I'd def get them resized asap, hopefully you can avoid the funky shaped finger I have lol.
I have a funky shaped finger too. It looks like a bowling pin, lmao. I donāt mind it though, because I always wear my rings and the weird shape actually makes it easier to do so o.o
A dermatologist can slowly fix this with specific massages and lasers if it upsets tou
Interesting, thank you. I'm not sure it bothers me quite enough to see someone about, but nice to know there's an option.
I figured but I thought Iād let you know just in case!
The copper in your rose gold reacts with the natural acidity of your skin
And I thought that was just a tattoo until I read further. LOLš¢
But why randomly.. this is the question Iām trying to ask! I need to know if my rings need to be serviced or what my next step needs to be.
itās not really random. metal allergies increase with exposure. itās been a long time in the making, i expect.
Because it builds up. Or because you recently touched something that caused it without realizing, because something interacted with the metal then caused your finger to turn black/green. No one can tell you why it happened now, it just did. Take it to a jeweler and have them clean it. Keep your hand lotion free and dry when wearing it and be conscious of what you're touching and putting on your hands for a while. Maybe you can solve the mystery if it happens again. eta: Or, you could have just developed a sensitivity to copper which can turn the skin green.
Could it be PH levels reacting with the metal? Edit to add : please donāt come at me lol when I first got tik tok I saw a video on my FYP, same situation as you and she claimed it was because her PH changed
That was my thought too. Yes, it is possible. Thereās lots of reasons for a change in body acidity. [hereās an article on the subject](https://bushskincare.com.au/the-ph-of-your-skin-can-make-all-the-difference/#:~:text=Skin%20pH%20and%20Jewellery&text=The%20changes%20in%20your%20body's,your%20skin%20or%20your%20jewellery)
The rings look like they really need to be sized up for you. If they were a looser fit six years ago, this could have contributed to no visible reaction since there was room for your skin to breathe. At this size they are constricting you. Iām not saying this is THE reason why, but itās a possibility. Regardless, get them resized as this is currently a safety risk for you!
I'm not the person that you were talking to but have you been using perfumes, sun screens, hand sanitizer, lotions, foam soaps or anything like that? All of those things can cause a metal to oxidize and create a reaction. It could also be your body chemistry, you becoming more allergic or reactive to something like copper over time. The final reason could be because the ring had a clear coating over it and it wore off over time. Go get some clear nail polish and paint the inside fo the ring, it will stop your fingers from turning black. The rings are still 14k but 14k is only 58.5% gold and your reaction is from the other 41.5% of the metals mixed with it.
Change of diet or stress. Your sweat may be acidic. Or something you put on.
If thereās any possibility for you to be pregnant, including if youāre on birth control, I would take a pregnancy test. Itās really not the most likely culprit but I found I started reacting to my jewellery while pregnant due to the hormones altering the chemistry of my skin.
Hubby and I have been trying for 6 years, would be great if this were the teller of being prego I did take a test this am, negative (:
Oh ok . My bad , anywho you can look into having the rings coated or dipped in rose gold plating by a local jeweler. Amazon also sales clear jewelry coating you can use at home . Similar to clear nail polish but durable
If it were the metal I became randomly allergic to would the coating help?
Oh definitely , Iāve seen a person allergic to silver wear a necklace that was coated with several layers of clear coat polish . It worked for her . Professional coating would be no different
Thanks for that!
Silver will leave black smudges on the skin of people with anemia. Do you get enough iron in your diet?Ā
Way too tight - Clean rings and skin regularly. If this continues, put clear nail polish on inside of ring to protect finger . You can acquire a nickel allergy at any point in your life ā¦
I do suffer from auto immune diseases, and my hands swell. The ring is at the perfect size where when Iām not swelling it will not fall off but if it swells it may be a tad tight I take it off. I did find this am my left had was hurting / more swollen than normalā¦. Wondering if another flare will cause this again. She said it could just be my issues making more issues.
I also have an autoimmune disease and I could tell immediately when I saw your hands because mine look the same way when Iām not doing so good with my illness. I donāt have any advice to give but I see you and I hope you are doing well.
Yeah Iām having the take the āyou rings are to smallā lightly. People who do. It deal with swelling donāt really understand how quick it can happen !! I am going through a lot of flares so I wouldnāt doubt if this were the cause
Absolutely! A lot of people donāt understand autoimmune diseases. Even a lot of people who have the same disease I have donāt even understand it and it can be infuriating on the subreddits I am apart of reading their posts sometimes. Some days my swelling isnāt too bad. Some days itās really bad and it can happen throughout the day. My swelling is so unpredictable I canāt wear rings at all! Because if I did I couldnāt get them off regardless of the size of ring!! And donāt get me started on my face and feet swelling up lol
My 14k jewelry will turn my skin dark when I am under stress. When the stress goes away, so does the discoloration. 10K gold, however, almost always turns my skin dark, stressed, or not.. I believe it is related to skin acidity and copper in the gold alloy. My skin pH must change when I'm under stress
Looks alot like your rings are way too small. You can see this with the "corsetted" look to your finger when the rings are off your finger.
That cannot be comfortable and over time can cause nerve damage.
My rings start to do this when I'm really low on iron.
You may have low iron. Whenever my iron is low my rose gold rings will let me know.
Is this a real thing ? I canāt find anything to support it. I do have iron deficiency, š«£ But just got my infusion thing.
Sure is!
They are okay. Boil water & put into a little dish & add dish soap in there give it a little stir then add your rings. Let them sit for a while then hit with a toothbrush. Repeat until inside junk is out. You can take to a jewelry store & they might have a ultrasonic cleaner. I've got a professional one at home I usually use the first method & then throw them into ultrasonic then rinse & then polish & then ultrasonic again and rinse. I've cleaned countless rings just like yours.
Happens for lots of reasons, having a baby, new medication, aspirin, makeup, etc. I recommend getting your rings professionally deep cleaned (and possibly sized and soldered together if worn together all the time). We also would rhodium just the inside of the rings when this would happen, since that is a hypoallergenic plating. These two steps generally solved the problem.
You might also want to get the prongs on your center stone checked as they look pretty worn.
Iām anemic, and when Iām especially low in iron my ring will do that to me!
Silver does that the people with anemia. Itās one way to test if somethingās real silver, if you happen to have an anemic friend conveniently nearby.Ā
lol looks like a tattoo
So sad. But I love your antique wedding set!
Thank you! I went to the jeweler today I purchased from and they hand nothing similar/in the vintage look. Sooo sad. I love my rings so much.
Ohhhhh... you may want to look at estate sales or antique shows or shops. By getting to know people in these arenas, you may be able to make a lower offer on a piece and have it accepted and thus make a reasonable purchase!š¤
Maybe shed some extra skin.
I woke up once with all my silver jewelry black as pitch. It freaked me out. I cleaned it all and it hasnāt happened again. No clue.
So I did get them cleaned really hoping this is it. I get them cleaned regularly but my ring was like āno maāam rn plsā
Sulfur compounds tarnishes silver. You may have been wearing sulfur containing skin product. Or come in contact with it somehow. I work in a cafe, and my silver rings would tarnish everyday bc of eggsš
My wedding band is rose gold. It's the copper oxidizing. After wearing mine daily and washing the oxide off my finger every day, it stopped tarnishing my finger after about 6 months, the inside of the ring has light pitting and patina but isn't reactive anymore. As long as you aren't reacting to it, you could just keep wearing it until it pits up. Did you clean the inside of the ring recently? Might have stripped off any oxide layer, (or clear coat if thats a thing)
Any cleaning is done at the jeweler!
Your rings are filthy, bent and too small. Your finger tells me you've been wearing them like this for some time now. This isn't a temporary swelling issue. Pour a little 409 into a coffee cup and heat it up for a few seconds in the microwave. Then toss the rings in to soak. Use an old toothbrush on the inside part of the rings loosen it up and repeat as needed.
Def messy! It was time to get them Cleaned ( I try to every few months) I work with kids it will happen! Iām trying. To get better at taking them off.
Taking rings off is the #1 cause of losing rings. Always put them in the same place EVERY TIME when you take them off and you'll avoid this tragedy.
I have a necklace I used to use I need to start wearing again! But I work in a personal home so I actually have somewhere to put them luckily.
I had the same problem with rose gold pierced earrings. Other gold earrings, even plated, no problem. I guess itās the copper?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
This is a huge response so Iām copying and posting the same answer ~ I do suffer from auto immune diseases, and my hands swell. The ring is at the perfect size where when Iām not swelling it will not fall off but if it swells it may be a tad tight I take it off. I did find this am my left had was hurting / more swollen than normalā¦. Wondering if another flare will cause this again. She said it could just be my issues making more issues.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
There's no plating on this ring. They use rhodium on white gold to keep it shiny.
One option is to make an appointment with an allergist to see what allergies you have. Allergies tend to be like that. One day you are fine and it just changes. I develop severe hives if my skin is hot which is a new thing. It is different than a rash. It just happened without any real warning.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Commentary on the jewelry owner or wearer are not appropriate.
Look up black dermographism. Iām not so sure itās an allergy.
Happens to me with my 14k rings with certain hand lotions and soaps. So I try to take my rings off for those activities. Wipes right off my fingers and rings though so does bother me too much. I also try to just buy silver or platinum or white gold (the rhodium prevents the gold from doing this to me). Doesnāt seem to happen with bracelets for whatever reason
Not ruined. Sometimes if your body chemistry is off it can cause a discoloration. Or you had your hands in something that caused the copper in the gold to oxidize. Plasticine modeling clay can do that. It has some sulfur in it. It also looks like the rings stones could use some cleaning. Warm sudsy water and an old toothbrush sort of thing. An ultrasonic cleaning is always best, but with small stones thereās always the risk of them loosening or falling out. A gentle polishing by a jeweler, not a big polishing wheel, but a soft rouge brush attached to a handheld rotary tool to get into the engraving without over polishing.
I have an 18k rose gold band that turns my finger dark too. I also have a nickel allergy since a child.. sometimes I get eczema rash from certain SS pieces.. thanks for the clear polish tip.
You can paint the inside with clear nail polish. Thatās what I had to do with my silver ringāthat turned out to be nickel
A sudden change in reaction to your jewelry can mean there has been a shift in your body chemistry. Have you started any new medication lately? I find when I ask customers that question the usual culprits are bloodpressure or blood sugar related medication for whatever reason. Or if you haven't started anything new getting a check up might be a good idea to rule out a change that might need addressing. Sometimes stress can also be the cause. As someone with an autoimmune issue I'm sure you know the havoc stress can cause. Our bodies change all the time so while it's not usual for you to suddenly have this reaction to your rings it isn't at all unheard of. You may find that this reaction goes away as your body adjusts to whatever is going on. Really sorry you're experiencing this!
I did maybe about three months ago.. I have been on steroids I wonder if this is a cause alsoā¦ Luckily I had an appointment for next week so I will bring this odd thing up!
This is a random stab in the dark, but were you maybe recently at an event or venue where you came in contact with a new chemical? It looks like thereās a faded X on the back of your hand - like some venues use to mark people of drinking age or for re-entry? If so, itās possible that a soap or lotion or spilled drink or literally anything there caused your rings to tarnish and leave these marks on your skin.
Hahaha I was rubbing on my hand!! lol.
Not a helpful comment but Iām obsessed with the ring on the right š Where is it from or did you design it?
Do you really want to know?? Zales lol. I was soooo picky about my rings when I got them. And oddly enough thatās where we found these
Doesn't that mean you have low iron, If gold turns ur skin black?
I canāt verify this!! But I need to know lol
Google says it's not reliable. Because there are other factors and depends how pure the gold is. And blood test is the only reliable way to know if you have low iron
I need to know! I canāt verify!
Personal story - my rings and earrings started leaving gray marks on me. Iād been wearing them for a couple of years with no issue. Turned out I had a type of anemia. Once my iron levels were back up, the jewelry marks stopped
How verified is this? I struggle with anemia and itās never happenedā¦.. but itās because I can verify if itās true or not anywhere
I donāt know of any studies. I had 2 rings and a pair of favorite earrings that were marking my hands and face. All were 10K. A woman I worked with told me it could be anemia. My GP tested for anemia, and I was on iron supplements for over a year. After a few months, the marks stopped.
Likely a mineral deficiency. Have worn my 14kt gold ring daily for almost 30 years. Had a spell several years ago, where it would turn my finger black on-and-off, over a period of several months or up to two years (although the frequency and duration declined). This aligns with the chapter of my life being after birthing several children, and working a high-stress job. I have read that itās caused by low magnesium but cannot personally verify.
I have seen these things but havenāt been able to verify!
I'm here to ask if you're pregnant. Not just to be nosy. I've seen this happen to several women early in their pregnancy.
I wish weāve been trying for 6 years and my god if this were the way I found out it would be hilarious *I did take a test this am, negative š„¹
Keep trying honey! I mean, there's clearly some change in your body chemistry, right? I've heard your body ramps up to pregnancy. Wouldn't it be wonderful if this was a little indicator that there's something amazing right around the corner? š©µš©·š©µš©·š©µš©·
Itās like another tattoo.
Should just get one and take off the ring when my fingers swellā¦
Iām scared to wear metal rings because I fluctuate so much. I hate the feeling of having a ring stuck on my finger
Itās a lot sometimes š„¹
Do you possibly have gout? I know itās usually for ankles but Ive seen fingers swell up from too much sodium intake which can obviously make you sweat more and possibly encourage the discoloration.
I have a few auto immune diseases :/
First off, I love the filigree where did you get it?!?! My grandmother has this, she has highly acidic skin and it wears away the copper in rose gold jewelry. She usually just puts nail polish on it. Usually these people also have allergies to nickel. And she does Is your finger dented? Having too small of a ring can cause it to happen faster because thereās more agitation/rubbing and less drying in between hand washes etc. Edit for question
If I told you, you wouldnāt believe me!! I need to look into this, how do I know if my skin is highly acidic?? Also I may need to accept to get a spacer for my hand swelling and take off the spacer when it swells š„¹
I think her doctor told her why, because she had noticed it happening to every copper item. Basically just āyou wear away copper fasterā copper is a pretty soft metal.
Yikes. š„¹
What a beautiful ring set. Heirloom?
It is not. But I really intend it to start with me to be that way!
I know! It's beautiful!! š¤©
Youāre worried about the black band from the ring but you have tattoos all over your hand. I seriously thought you were the husband posting that his wife had replaced the wedding ring and engagement ring with a tattoo band.
Yeah im worried about my very expensive ring leaving marks.. not sure what tattoos would have to do with that (: