Can jewelry be hypoallergenic?

Short answer – Nope. 

Longer answer – Also nope, but with more words.

Which metals can cause an allergic reaction?

All of them, but to different degrees. Some metals are the absolute worst at causing allergic reactions, others are hit or miss and you’ll probably be OK. All metals can cause an allergic reaction, but their frequency varies anywhere from 10-18% of the population with nickel, down to less than .05% of the population with platinum.

Do you prefer to listen or watch to learn more about hypoallergenic jewelry? Good news! I have a YouTube video on this same topic.

Which metal causes the most allergic reactions?

Nickel. Effing nickel. There are slightly different results depending on the population, but in the US, as much as 18% of the population are currently* allergic. 

I found out the hard way that I have an allergy to nickel. In my first jewelry class, I thought I’d be clever and start wearing tiny luggage locks on a sterling silver chain. I liked the design and the results, but wherever the lock touched my chest, a red, itchy, blistering rash would appear. It turned out that nickel was the culprit.

From the beginning, I never wanted to sell jewelry that I wouldn’t wear myself, so the luggage locks were out, as was anything gold plated.

And I tried! I tried wearing plated jewelry and costume jewelry and my ears would get so red and itchy and gross. Like, I won’t describe it and I cannot endorse looking up images of nickel allergy rashes in ear or nose piercings. 🤢

The facts, the nickel facts, are that nickel allergies are so common that they affect a statistically significant portion of the population in the United States*. Nickel allergies are also far more common in women – affecting up to 15-17% of women.

How to avoid nickel in your jewelry

Nickel is in a lot of jewelry in the United States. Nickel is strong and bright and also cheap, making it ideal for plating and for some gold alloys. 

It is frequently the layer underneath gold plating and rhodium plating. When the plating wears off, you’ll be exposed to nickel. Plating coming off can happen anywhere from 6 months to 2 years of wear so it might not happen right away, but it will happen. It is also alloyed with gold to make white gold (so take that metal off of your list). 

Here’s what to avoid:

• Most white gold that is manufactured in the United States.

• 10 karat, 14 karat and 18 karat white gold in the US almost always contain nickel unless it is SPECIFICALLY labeled Palladium White Gold.

• Palladium white gold will be more expensive than regular white gold and more expensive than its yellow gold counterparts.

• I am aware that some companies are claiming that their white gold is nickel-free without it A) costing more than regular white gold or B) being labeled palladium white gold. Without testing this jewelry with a nickel testing kit, I can’t say why or how they use that label. If I were you, I’d ask them how they can guarantee this claim.

• Most plated jewelry. 

• Gold and rhodium plating often (though not always) uses an under layer of nickel to help it adhere to the jewelry. When the plating wears off, you’ll be exposed to more nickel. This is common in the United States. It is prohibited in the European Union*.

• Possibly stainless steel, though this one can be hit or miss for folks with nickel allergies.

• Stainless steel does contain nickel, but for complex science reasons, the nickel doesn’t automatically cause a rash in everyone who has an allergy.

What about nickel-free plating? 

It exists! And some designers use it. But here’s where it gets wiley – not all designers and makers are doing their own plating – many are sending them out to plating companies. 

In theory, these plating companies will disclose whether or not they use nickel as the underlayer. In theory the designer and/or maker will pass this information along to their customers. In theory. 

Ask the following questions when or if you purchase gold and rhodium plated jewelry:

• Is your plated jewelry nickel-free?

• How are you guaranteeing this?

• What happens if I have a reaction once the plating wears off? Do you perform repairs (replating) or allow returns?

Let me add my two cents as a designer – I’ve had customers ask me about what happens if they have a reaction to their jewelry. I once had a customer who asked in advance about purchasing sterling silver stud earrings because she was extra sensitive to metals. She wanted to know if I would accept a return if she had a reaction, and you know what? I said yes. Absolutely. And she had a reaction and I took the return.

Any designer or maker should want to stand by their work. 

Lastly, if you want to avoid plated jewelry, be on the lookout for the following words and phrases when shopping – rhodium finish, rhodium plating, gold plating, flash plating, gold dipped, gold over silver, gold vermeil**. All of these terms mean that the jewelry has been plated.

What else should you avoid if you have a nickel allergy?

You can develop a nickel allergy via prolonged and sustained exposure to nickel over time. That statistic about nickel allergies affecting 15% of the population? This number is not static. You can start off in life not allergic to nickel and you can develop an allergy over time. Your jewelry, zippers, buttons, belt buckles, snaps, coins, phones and can also contain nickel. And in these cases it might not be disclosed.

All the more reason to avoid wearing anything that you KNOW contains nickel.

Can you be allergic to palladium?

This one surprised me because the answer is yes. I had been led to believe that palladium was a hypoallergenic metal. But my research showed again and again that palladium is far more likely to cause an allergic reaction than I had thought. When segments of the population are tested, it can be as high as 5% of people allergic to palladium. What’s even more interesting is that it might be more likely to happen in people who already have nickel allergies.

Can you avoid palladium?

This is the good news. Compared to nickel, which seems to be found in way too many everyday objects, you have to go out of your way to get exposed to palladium. It is found in jewelry, catalytic converters and some other products, but it is so expensive that it isn’t used casually.

Can you be allergic to copper?

Yes. I’ve seen some, uh, interesting claims on Al Gore’s internet saying that copper is a hypoallergenic metal and no. No it is not. Is it as bad as nickel? No, but at least 3% of the population is allergic to it. And even if you aren’t allergic to it, it can still turn your skin green.

How can I avoid copper?

This one is a bit more complicated. Copper is metal that alloys (mixes) well with silver to make sterling silver, and is also behind the rosy color of rose gold. And copper on its own is made into jewelry and cookware. If a copper allergy is your issue, you may need to avoid rose gold and sterling silver, and some copper is even found in regular yellow gold alloys. 

What to avoid if you are allergic to copper:

• Possibly – sterling silver. It only contains 7.5% copper, but that might be enough for an allergic reaction.

• Possibly – 10 and 14 karat gold, either yellow or rose gold since both contain a lot more copper than 18 karat gold.

• Definitely – brass and bronze. Both metals are mostly copper.

• Possibly – Plated jewelry. Copper is sometimes used as the substitute for nickel in the gold plating process. For this reason, you may want to avoid plated jewelry of any kind.

Does gold fill have copper in it?

Sort of, yes. Gold fill is brass, with a layer of gold (usually 14 karat) that is heat bonded to the brass. Since brass contains about 66% copper, gold fill also contains copper. 

It won’t necessarily be an issue unless some part of the brass is exposed. This could be the end of a piece of wire, where the core of brass is exposed, or it could be a place on your jewelry where the gold has worn off, or it could be the edges of a flat piece of gold fill – like on a charm – where the brass core would also be exposed.

Is gold-plated brass hypoallergenic?

Short answer – No.

Longer answer – Nooooooooo

Neither gold plating nor brass are hypo allergenic, therefore gold-plated brass cannot be hypoallergenic. Gold-plated brass is similar to gold fill, but with a much thinner layer of gold over the brass.

Can you be allergic to stainless steel?

Yes. Even surgical steel. Why? Because both contain nickel. Ah yes, everyone’s new metal enemy (metalmy?). For complex reasons, nickel in stainless steel isn’t always released into the skin to cause an allergy, but if you already have an allergy, then you might react to stainless or surgical steel. Basically, this metal is more complicated.

Can you be allergic to gold?

You can, but it isn’t nearly as common. In fact the percentage of people who are allergic to gold is less than 10% and might be even lower depending on the karat purity of the gold. Usually when people have a reaction to gold, it is because gold is alloyed with other metals. Avoiding gold is pretty easy except for dental work and some medical processes. One study has shown that people who are sensitive to gold are also sensitive to nickel.

Can you be allergic to platinum?

This metal, of all metals, is the least likely to cause a problem. It isn’t 100%, but it is likely the most safe if you have metal allergies and sensitivities.

If you are allergic to platinum, what should you avoid?

Well, don’t steal catalytic converters – it’s bad karma and you might get a rash.

Metals I didn’t address because they suck

White bronze – this metal contains a bit of lead and to my mind, even small amounts of lead are too much. Hard nope from me – I cannot endorse the production of a metal that uses lead.

Conclusion

The point is, hypoallergenic is a meaningless term when almost anything can cause someone an allergic reaction. It is easy to fall into the trap of using this as a term when everyone else is using it too, but being aware of what you, personally, are allergic to and how to avoid it will serve you better in the long run. 

And for jewelry designers, should you stop using this term to describe jewelry? I mean, do what you want, but now that you know all of this, would you really feel right using it as a description? Think it over.

*The European Union has restrictions on whether or not you can use nickel in jewelry. After their Nickel Directive was passed, the results were that the prevalence of nickel allergies declined. For this reason, I wholeheartedly endorse passing similar restrictions in the United States. This is also why you will see me making specific distinctions about nickel allergy stats in the US.

**There is some debate about whether or not gold vermeil contains an underlayer at all. The long-story-short version is that traditionally gold was plated right onto silver, but because this process is technically a challenge to do on a large scale, many commercial platers default to using either nickel or copper as an underlayer. Strictly speaking, this is supposed to be disclosed to the consumer.

Are you a jewelry designer trying to figure out which material to work with? Or a jewelry lover who needs guidance when shopping for jewelry? Pop your questions and comments below and I will answer!

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