Most jewelry turns my roommate’s finger green. She has two really nice rings that do it most noticeably, and they’re both real gold (ie, poor quality is not the issue). Does anyone know why this happens to her? Could she be allergic or just have a special chemical reaction? It’s really been bugging her…
It usually depends on the person. That happens to me if it’s not real gold, but my girlfriend can’t wear gold earrings because it turns her ears green. She has to wear silver or some other meatal.
They’re not real gold. If jewelry turns your skin green, that is a sure sign that it’s a copper alloy such as brass. Your friend got ripped off.
Even good quality gold jewelry is actually gold alloy. Pure gold is too soft to use for jewelry. [scratches, bends, wears off]
She is probably just more corrosive than average. [Not a comment about her personally, but about her sweat.]
Some Nickel alloys will do the same thing.
Is she anemic by any chance? If not, have her checked out. My friend can turn her skin green by grazing gold over it. Not just wearing, but just touch it over her. You can draw with gold on her skin. She has told me that it’s because she’s anemic, and blood interacts with the gold in some way.
Jman
It’s actually a fairly common situation, called Contact Dermatitis. Skin becomes discolored (gray, green, or black) through contact with jewelry metals. Some sensitive skins even react with 18 karat gold.
There is a product called Smudge Block which was developed to deal with the problem. Though I have no idea if it works, it’s a lotion that is supposed to retard and/or eliminate the discoloration when applied to the skin as directed.
She might also want to paint the inside of the jewelry with clear nail polish. The metal doesn’t touch the skin, so no green. The polish will wear off after a while, so touch it up periodically.
I know of this condition. It has to do with body chemistry and she’ll never get over it. She can go to a jeweler and have the ring lined with surgical steel. There are forms of ‘light’ jewelry out for people with such a condition, because they often cannot wear silver either. I think something lined with Platinum is OK.
You can also paint the inside of the ring with clear fingernail polish as a barrier, but it eventually wears off and you have to do it again. Not suggested for pierced ears.