About one in every ten people develop a mild allergic reaction to the nickel alloy in their jewelry.  Few people actually develop an allergic reaction to the gold or silver.

The allergy is usually caused by the exposure to the nickel found in white gold, sterling silver or imitation (base metal)  jewelry sold in the U.S. Pure gold and silver are too soft to be fashioned into jewelry, for this reason both precious metals are alloyed or mixed with base metals to gain hardness.

Many people have reported a “sudden” reaction to nickel. The sudden reaction is due to the rhodium plating wearing off and exposing the true “skin” of the metal, over time the body builds up nickel oxides and once a certain limit is reached the allergy appears.

Allergies can develop at anytime or age. The most common symptoms are itching or burning sensation around the area where the skin comes in direct contact with the jewelry.  Swelling, Rashes or patchy red marks are also common.

This allergy is referred to as Nickel dermatitis, Contact dermatitis or Nickel allergy. Simply put, it is a contact allergy. Unfortunately, after the allergy surfaces it is common to trigger sensitivity to the metal or become more prone to the allergy.

Reactions to nickel seem to be on the rise. Some may argue that the increase is only due to the increased exposure to the metal. Whatever the cause may be, the European Union took regulatory steps to enforce a nickel ban on all jewelry sold in Europe, in January of 2000. The ban states that items labeled “nickel free” may only contain 0.05% nickel.

To date, the United States has not passed laws prohibiting the use of nickel. For this reason, if you or someone you know is allergic to nickel you can guard against reactions by:

a.    Simply removing the jewelry from the affected area.
b.    Seeking medical treatments offered by Dermatologists.
c.    Not wearing tight jewelry.  Be sure to leave space for the skin to breath.
d.    Keeping skin under jewelry clean and dry. Trapped soap, household detergents, sweat or water can irritate skin.
e.    Re-plating jewelry with a heavy layer of rhodium. Or if the jewelry item is not gold or silver, a coat of clear nail polish can be applied to the inside metal of the ring (shank).  Nail polish can be applied to other base metal jewelry items as well.

If none of the above mentioned options have worked you may want to consider replacing your white gold jewelry with Platinum or white gold that is alloyed with palladium (instead of nickel). Palladium is more expensive than nickel but is gaining popularity because it is hypoallergenic and does not yellow after the rhodium plating has worn off. Check with your jeweler and see if this is available.