It’s hard not to fall in love with jewellery. But when you get an itchy rash from wearing certain pieces of jewellery, you might want to determine what exactly is causing that allergy.

How do I know if I have a jewellery allergy?

An allergic reaction leaves a red, itchy rash where your skin was in contact with the piece of jewellery. You’ll notice visible redness, bumps, sometimes even blisters; and the area around it feels sore and irritable. The reaction is usually confined to the area around the skin that is in direct contact with jewellery.

You may notice these common symptoms from a metal or jewellery allergy:

• Redness, swelling, bumps or rashes
• Itching
• Dryness in skin
• Fluid-filled blisters 

Red, itchy and swelling earlobes are indicative of a skin reaction with a certain metal in your earrings. If you’re allergic to your necklace, you will be able to trace a rash on your neck where the necklace has been resting on your skin. The same goes for watches, bracelets, anklets etc. Depending on your skin sensitivity, the reaction can occur hours after wearing the allergy-causing accessories. Sometimes, the symptoms may take a few days to surface. 

What is causing your skin to react?

As with most allergies, skin reactions can happen out of the blue. For skin allergies associated with jewellery or what we call allergic contact dermatitis, the reaction occurs when a foreign substance (usually a metal) triggers an immune reaction in your skin. This causes the body to release inflammatory chemicals that make the skin itch or feel irritated. 

Which metals are to blame?

All types of metals in jewellery can cause allergic contact dermatitis. However, the most common ones are nickel, cobalt and chromium. Allergies related to nickel are more common than you think, with around 20% of the population suffering from nickel allergies (I am one of them!) People who have been in contact with nickel for many years can become allergic to it for no reason.

The bad news ...

 Unfortunately, nickel is present in almost anything that is made of metal e.g. utensils, cutleries, coins, jewellery, zips, jean buttons, watches, even bra hooks! Most jewellery is made of alloys, which may contain small amounts of allergens such as nickel. Even surgical stainless steel has trace amounts of nickel. Those who are nickel-sensitive usually develop a skin reaction only when they are in constant contact with the metal over a prolonged period. The extent of the reaction really depends on how sensitive your skin is towards the metal. 

The good news …

Discovering that you have a jewellery allergy can be very disappointing, especially when there are so many beautiful accessories out there to match your outfits! Although the best solution is to avoid wearing those jewellery that contain triggering metal allergens, there are also hypoallergenic or nickel-free accessories to choose from. Or, you can opt for sterling silver or gold-filled materials (which I use in most of my earring creations). Here are some of my gold filled hand-wired pieces if you are concerned about skin sensitivities. 

But we all have moments of wanting that fancy pair of earrings which probably isn’t nickel-free or hypoallergenic, nor sterling silver or gold-filled. What do we do? Fret not, I have a quick tip to help!

Trick Reveal

This is a quick fix that I discovered decades ago which has worked like a charm each time, especially on earrings. Get some clear nail varnish and apply to the earring posts or hooks and on the earring backs. The layer of varnish acts like a barrier between the skin and the metal material that causes sensitivity. 

Here’s an extra tip: 

Wipe off as much nail varnish on the brush as possible before application. This will ensure a smoother coat and dry better. A little goes a long way. And you will want to redo this step each time you wear your earrings. 

I have a video post on this on my Instagram page @jlawrenceco. Have a look at how this is done.

Photo credit (above): J. Lawrence

Photo by Lina Verovaya on Unsplash