Handcrafted Jewelry News from a Maine Jewelry Store

So if you’re allergic to nickel, what’s safe and not safe to wear? We get lots of questions in the store about silver. Will it cause a problem? I decided I needed to know more about silver to better answer that question.

Silver is considered a precious metal, along with gold, platinum and titanium. In its most pure, natural state, silver is referred to as fine silver. Most times this silver is much too soft (it’s almost liquid) to be of much use to the jeweler. To create something beautiful and long lasting, a metal alloy of some type must be added.

The term sterling silver refers to a mixture of fine silver and other metal alloys. You will notice on most of your sterling silver jewelry the mark 925 or sterling which means the piece contains at least 92.5% pure silver. Most often the other 7.5% is copper, which makes the piece much more durable. So, if you are allergic to nickel, you should have no problem wearing sterling silver jewelry.

Simple, right? Well, not quite. Problems arise when you’re not sure if what you’re buying is truly sterling silver. Unlike many other countries, the US does not require silver to be marked as to its quality. However, if a quality mark is used, it must be accompanied by a “hallmark”, which is a registered trademark or name of the manufacturer.

Many artisans find it cost prohibitive to register a trademark in order to mark their work. A quality mark may interfere with the design of the piece. Or, the item’s size may make it impossible to see a mark at all. For example, jewelry components like ear wires and clasps are not always marked.

So the answer is, where there isn’t a clear quality mark on a piece of jewelry, you must trust the word of the artist or retailer.

Thanks to Russ Nobbs, owner of Rings & Things Jewelry Supply for much of the information in this post. www.rings-things.com

We get lots of questions in the store about hypo allergenic jewelry. Many women have had allergic reactions to the earrings, necklaces or bracelets they wear and aren’t sure what’s safe and what isn’t.

Pure silver and gold are very soft metals. The metalsmith must make them stronger in order to form pieces that will hold their shape. So, other metals must be added, like zinc, copper, brass or nickel. Of these, nickel is the culprit for most jewelry allergies. This is why those sterling silver or 14k gold earrings could be causing you a problem.

As a silver substitute, look for surgical steel (although I’m told that even surgical steel may contain as little as .05% nickel, which, depending upon the severity of your allergy, may or may not bother you).

Niobium is also safe, giving you lots of color choices.

And the higher karat value in gold, the better off you’ll be.