Letting Customers Try on Pierced Earrings

Jewelry Discussion
41 
I recently lent my daughter-in-law a pair of gold studs because
they have slightly longer posts than her own ones. I boiled them
for 20 minutes beforehanding them over (which is what was done to
them by the man who pierced my ears) and she did the same before
giving them back to me.

Old toothbrush and dish soap would have done it, like when you wash
silverware that was in some other persons germ infested mouth Kissing
another person on the lips is probably more unsanitary than wearing
earrings someone else tried on, not to mention the other parts of
another persons body some people choose to have oral contact with. I
see people who let their dogs lick their face, which is totally gross
to me, but I have sucked on an earlobe a few times. Please pass the
butterknife, and the autoclave, por favor.

Richard Hart

42 
Without getting to technical, gross or scientific, one can only
catch HIV (human immune deficiency virus) through bodily fluids
that are NOT exposed to the air, once it is exposed to the air the
virus dies.

But not quickly:

Air does not "kill" HIV, but exposure to air dries the fluid
that contains the virus, and that will destroy or break up much
of the virus very quickly. The CDC reports that drying HIV
reduces viral amount by 90-99% within several hours.

http://www.sfaf.org/aids101/transmission.html

There’s no reason to go overboard, but one should take precautions.
The risk may be small, but the consequences can be fatal. It
requires very little effort to give yourself and your customers
protection against bacterial and viral infections of all kinds. A
quarter-cup of household bleach in a gallon of water will kill most
nasties (including HIV) in seconds.

Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ

43

Looked at a bottle of rubbing alcohol lately…it says clearly on the
label “refrigerant”…the WHO can get it cheap and is donated to the
like…hersheys candy was in WWII…point is, it does not sterilise
anything…it cleans debris off, cuts oily residues, exposes veins for
injections,and makes the skin cold…anyone can read anything on
google…as i always say i don’t put much faith in what is posted on
the web, but do put it in common medicinal facts…so if you prefer to
believe you are sterilizing anything with isopropyl alcohol- go
ahead- if you feel it is adequate great…

I know, personally from my experiences in the Peace Corps, Viet Nam,
etc. of the properties of isopropyl alcohol and as far as jewelery
goes…it makes a great firecoat mixed with boric acid, or borax…
(The W.H.O.,FYI believes Novalsan to be the most effective
disinfectant available for surfaces and animal keeping groups, and
dwellings, and communal toileting facilities -where they exist- which
is a very small part of the globe- and tuberculosis exposed
households,…I could go on listing the applications of the product
.Hydrogen peroxide is more appropriate for dermal uses.One thing I
can assure you of is that isopropyl alcohol may sound official, but
it is in fact a refrigerant above all- any nurses out there want to
back this one up???) When administering injections to sub- cutaneous
areas in remote and diverse populations isopropyl alcohol is much
more available, cheaper, individualized, packetized and universally
recognized as far as scent- therefore one could say universally
acceptable to those receiving injections…It is admittedly handy to
have around, but for every bottle of alcohol in my household I have
perhaps 4 of peroxide, or peroxide gel…If i need to reduce body
temperature I grab the alcohol, If i need to disinfect or prevent
infection I reach for the peroxide…I suppose it all comes down to
personal choice and belief systems- which are as diverse as artists
and jewelry makers…

R.E.Rourke

44 
quarter-cup of household bleach in a gallon of water will kill
most nasties (including HIV) in seconds.

(or gold for that matter) in bleach unless you feel like polishing
them all again from scratch…

Gwen.
(we just had the first snow in Johannesburg in 20+ years)

45

Listening to a bunch of Jewelers make medical decisions makes about
as much sense as hearing a bunch of drunks discuss relativity.

If anything other that Autoclave Sterilization was effective for
cleaning instruments and associated hardware, it would be in use in
Tattoo shops.

You may or may not be able to contact HIV from dirty earring posts,
but from reading the below links, it is easy to contact Hepatitis.

http://www.infection-control.com/Ohio-Body-Art-Guidelines.html
http://tattoos.lovetoknow.com/Hepatitis_Symptoms
http://www.link.med.ed.ac.uk/RIDU/Hvb.htm
http://www.hepc.org.nz/index.php/Hepatitis_C_FAQ

“I have been in the business for 89 years and have never heard of
any problems…” is not a good reason for not following sanitary
procedures.

I am 65 years old, and have never met a serial killer, but that does
not mean they don’t exist.

And boiling is not sufficient to remove bacteria.

http://tinyurl.com/yrwxlp

And don’t believe tattoo artists and body piercers who insist
boiling their tools is enough to sterilize them, said Dr. Chris
Rodarte, medical director of the Family HealthCare Network clinic on
Oak Avenue in downtown Visalia.

That’s because some bacteria can resist the heat of boiling, but an
autoclave uses a combination of heat and pressure that more
thoroughly sterilizes things. Haston said he sterilizes portions of
his tattoo “gun,” the device that bobs the needle up and down to
insert ink into the skin.

And finally:

“Sharing nonsterilized earrings may increase the risk of
transferring viral hepatitis.”

http://tinyurl.com/24mwb3

We recently became aware of a practice which has potential for
transmission of bloodborne diseases: sharing of nonsterilized
earrings. Both young adult-aged children of one of us (P. W.)
confided that they had shared earrings with friends. Although both
children were aware of the risks associated with the sharing of
needles and sexual activity, neither associated sharing earrings
with any health risk.

46 
The W.H.O.,FYI believes Novalsan to be the most effective
disinfectant available for surfaces

Will earwires be fine in terms of metallic structure after a soak in
Novalsan? It does sound better than alcohol for germs & stuff, IYHO
(in your humble opinion, R.E.!). I know that bleach is not great for
silver, but maybe in dilution it wouldn’t hurt. Your HF (humble
friend),

M’lou

47 
Looked at a bottle of rubbing alcohol lately..it says clearly on
the label "refrigerant"..the WHO can get it cheap and is donated to
the like..hersheys candy was in WWII..point is, it does not
sterilise anything..it cleans debris off, cuts oily residues,
exposes veins for injections,and makes the skin cold

OK, you are invited to produce some references which support your
thesis that alcohol will not kill germs. I don’t mind if you use
Google to find them.

My rubbing alcohol doesn’t say “refrigerant” on it, but does
describe its use as an antiseptic. Perhaps you’re looking at a can of
Freon?

Here’s a reference from the Pfizer division of Johnson and Johnson,
giving the product description of Lavacol brand rubbing alcohol as
“First Aid Antiseptic.” (I did use Google to find it. Sorry about
that.)

http://www.pfizerch.com/product.aspx?id411

“Antiseptic”, btw, is defined by the Encyclopaedia Britannica as
“any of several substances used to inhibit the growth of or destroy
infectious microorganisms. See antimicrobial agent.”

Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ

48 
simply give the customer the wires as a gift after they have tried
on the earrings

This is such a good idea, that it gave me another good idea. I will
just change out the earwires (I use a lot of the same style, not
soldered on.) and take the tried-on earwires home for a good soak in
alcohol and a bit of action in the ultrasonic. Of course this will
only work for things that are not integral to the piece, and not
unique earwire styles.

M’lou

49

I have to jump back in on this one. The level of revulsion I’ve read
regarding a customer trying on earrings caught me a little by
surprise, since I’ve been so casual about it myself.

Now I’m wondering how many earring sales I might have lost because I
haven’t made this an issue or recognized the customer’s unspoken
concerns. I hang my earrings on a custom revolving rack,
free-swinging, not on cards. I’ve already wondered about the
perceived value of earrings displayed in this way, versus on a
hanging card. I might be shooting myself in both feet!

I’d love to hear from anyone with a thought on that aspect of this
discussion. Thanks!

50

Those of us that repair jewelry all day know the devastation bleach
causes on gold jewelry. It eats the alloy and makes it brittle. Don’t
use bleach!

51

I was interested to read of the disinfectant qualities of hydrogen
peroxide. I’d like to know the most “efficient” way of using it on an
occasional basis. H2O2 starts to decompose into water and oxygen
rather rapidly, as soon as the bottle is opened. Is there any simple
way of testing its strength and of keeping it from decomposing so
rapidly? It’s not expensive, but if I use it only once every week or
so (I belong to a small Gallery), should I be buying a new bottle
each time?

Judy Bjorkman

52

actually, i wouldn’t soak them in novalsan, or a dilution thereof,
as it would turn the metals colours from grey and black( silver) to
bluish and browns (gold) with only a very brief immersion
period…like minutes at most… But for dwellings, structures,
equipment, surfaces, public transportation vehicles, etc it is as
effective of a sanitizer as one can get.

It surpasses bleach ( which actually tends to just coat over
problems in wood for instance, changing the colour and lignin
structure by removing stains or "bleaching " as in exposure to sun
and that reaction ), but also just alkalizes the surfaces…After
hurricane Katrina the american red cross -eventually - began passing
out bleach by the truckloads…and found it, after the fact, did not
effectively kill many of the problems associated with the
floodwaters…formic acid , and formalins being one compound
unaffected and leached out from above ground graveyards that did
unbelievable things to all types of goods from stainless steel bowls
eaten through with holes, to clothing looking as though they were
doused with battery acid to molds and slimes that were back within a
week after treatment. Novalsan was the “secret” ingredient many home
cleaning services began using, along with UV light, and silver
nitrate to kill all sorts of things dead in their tracks…as well as
removing the tracks!.. If i had to be outdoors and wanted to let
people try on earrings ( which would never happen in my case
anyway!) i would get a battery operated small crock pot with a lid
without holes (as some potpourri pots are riddled with), and that
reached at least 120 degrees F if not 209F optimally, or a battery
operated ultrasonic unit and put a solution of peroxide and water in
it and immerse the earring wires for about 5-10 seconds in the
ultrasonic, or up to 9 minutes in the 120 dgree pot or 3 mins in the
209 gegree pot to at least make an effort at removing any problems
that may have stuck to the surface of the metal…bacteria is unlikely
to penetrate the metal particularly silver and gold- which were used
in the past as anti-bacterials and anti-microbials before other
compounds became available…

someone mentioned heat and pressure…

In an outdoor venue- as that is the subject here originally: a 6. 00
solar shower heats water to 226 degrees in under an hour in full
noonday sun- it will scald you… it has a simple hose delivery with
a cut off clamp on one end, and hangs easily-but is heavy when
full… it is an excellent hot rinse to remove whatever has clung to
the earwire -just hold with tweezers!..alternatively take the
superheated water and put it in a sterile container, with a few drops
of hydrogen peroxide or: 1.4 tsp to 1/4 c. water and place in a car
in the sun with rolled up windows and let stand for twenty
minutes…that gives you the heat and pressure you need to rough it
and clean it…sounds bizarre but it is effective… cars are very
overlooked for dehydrating, cooking, canning, and a variety of other
uses-drying PMC/Art Clay rapidly… living without electricity has
taught me many things… and reminded me of more and caused me to
research antiquated methods that are effective for a vast amount of
practical life affairs…

And if one keeps horses, livestock, etc. absolutely no better
substance can be had than Novalsan. Apres katrina we treated our
gutted homes and studios with it, from floor to ceiling and not one
single mold, mildew, slime, bacteria, or virulent anything returned
compared to neighbors still battling the problems because they wont
spend the 22. 00 for a bottle of concentrate that has now become a
standard that home cleaning services have adopted as their “secret
ingredient” in the war against katrina patina… my household gets
pissed that I spend time playing the 'aisle game" in stores, but
knowing what’s in what’s on the shelves and where the shelves are in
what small town near our current residence in exile…It makes me not
only a better consumer but aware of what potential compounds are out
there to begin with and where I can get them and for how much…
should i need a battery operated ultrasonic cleaner, novalsan, or
water glass…

humbly, R. E. R.

53

Alan,

sounds like a fine way to display earrings…beats a preprinted
,plastic flocked card by a long shot and the perceived value of a
custom made display increases the perception of your care for the
product…don’t reach for the bullets yet…

for me personally, if i’m at a jewlers and see them letting any
customer try on earrings…i’m watching to see what happens with them
after the customer takes them off…no matter if the pair is with a
favorite stone of mine or metals…or even a piece i may covet by
Elizabeth Gaultieri, John Donivan, Tim Mathis,or JL collier…so the
piece becomes secondary to the treatment it gets after coming out of
someones ear…If it goes back in a case unretouched, that’s when i
ask for the discount (wink!)…

R.E.Rourke

54

First of all freon is no longer available on the market…and I
certainly know the difference between a can of it, and a familiar
translucent plastic bottle of “rubbing alcohol” My bottle which is in
my hand at the moment says on the label : refrigerant for
over-exertion and muscular aches" and then goes into detail as to how
to apply it…

It also says" decreases the presence of germs in minor
cuts"…manufactured by Aaron Brands, Clifton SC… It does not
sterilize anything.

It is a mild, if at all, anti-septic, tough better than nothing, and
is questionably as good as chlorinated tap water…in reducing
"germs"…What I know to be true is that hydrogen peroxide is perhaps
100x more effective at removing microbes and “germs” from skin than
alcohol,and if given a choice between being stranded on a desert
island ( or where I am living at the moment!) I would choose the
casaae of peroxide over the case of alcohol without thinking… I
know my anti-bacterials, anti-biotics, anti-fungals, and
anti-germicidals…but more importantly I know how to make
jewelry!..novel notion jewelry making…

55 
Those of us that repair jewelry all day know the devastation
bleach causes on gold jewelry. It eats the alloy and makes it
brittle. Don't use bleach!

Good point. I don’t know how much of a problem the low concentrations
(1/4 cup of 5% concentration per gallon) required might be, but a
good rule of thumb would be if you wouldn’t wear it in a swimming
pool, don’t wipe it with bleach solution. And of course avoid wearing
it while doing laundry, using bathroom cleaners, etc. In some areas,
even soaking in tap water for long periods might cause problems.

Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ

56 
If anything other that Autoclave Sterilization was effective for
cleaning instruments and associated hardware, it would be in use
in Tattoo shops.

So then basically what you are saying is that every jeweler in the
world needs to buy autoclave sterilization equipment so that they can
properly sterilize the jewelry they sell??? I’m sorry but we’re not
talking about sticking needles into someone, nor about the piercing
process, but if it was that dangerous then it would be mandated that
all jewelers have this piece of equipment in their shop. I don’t know
a single one that does (other than body piercing shops). The odds of
your bumping into a serial killer are about the same as the odds of
your contracting some terrible disease from shared earrings—which
despite what the media would like you to believe, are about the same
as your winning that 100 million dollar lottery.

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140

57

I have been following this thread and no one seems to have mentioned
the earring viewers that I use. They are inexpensive and made of
clear plastic. The customer can hold the earring in the correct place
without their hands getting in the way and see how the earrings would
look. I have never had anyone ask me to actually try the earrings on
instead of using the viewer I offer them. You can buy them from H S
Walsh here in the UK.

http://www.hswalsh.com/itemdetail.aspx?i=HE200&a=E

Joy Funnell

Senior Art Clay Instructor
Associate Craftsman of the Guild of Enamellers

58

http://www.hswalsh.com/itemdetail.aspx?i=HE200&a=E

I order some of the earring viewers from England and they just
arrived. They are larger than I thought they would be from the photo,
about the size of a large emery board.

But I think my customers will think they are great.

Thanks for the tip
Joan