I have been contemplating using copper in my work. I have only used
it for accents in the past. But, I have a question! Does it turn your
skin green? I’ve never worn any all-copper jewelry. What would be a
good way to seal it if it does turn your skin green? Or, should I
stick with silver! Thanks in advance for your responses.
Happy Orchiding,
Vicki K
Hi Vicki K
Yes it can on some people. Green or black is a reaction to something
in the person’s skin to the copper and can be especially bad after
eating garlic. Unless there is swelling, which indicates an allergy/
sensitivity, it is something that just washes off. For people that
wear copper for arthritic problems, it is often believed to be proof
of it working.
Karen Bahr
Karen’s Artworx
Hi Vicki. I get around this by adding an inner layer of silver, so
the copper doesn’t come into contact with the skin. However you still
have to worry about that troublesome reaction between silver, copper,
and your body chemistry that Jim Binnion and others have described in
the past- which can cause some degredation where the metals meet.
Allan Mason
Does it turn your skin green?
It can, especially if the jewelry is close-fitting and the weather
is hot and muggy. But I find that oxidizing it with something like
Jax Black cuts back on skin discoloration by copper jewelry.
Judy Bjorkman