Sterling silver allergy?

Jewelry Discussion
1

I had a customer ask for a chain made of surgical steel due to her
allergy to sterling silver. She says she can wear it anywhere below
her shoulders, but her ears and neck are getting rashes from
sterling. Any suggestions?

Cindy Leffler
Newberg, Oregon

2 
    I had a customer ask for a chain made of surgical steel due to
her allergy to sterling silver.  She says she can wear it anywhere
below her shoulders, but her ears and neck are getting rashes from
sterling. Any suggestions?

It sounds like she has become sensitized to the either the copper or
silver in the sterling. She should definitely not continue to wear
sterling as it will only make the problem worse. I would worry about
surgical (stainless) steel due to the high nickle content in it
since she has already developed one allergy to metals and nickle
dermatitis is one of the most common ones to get and it is your
likelihood to develop the reaction gets greater the more contact you
have with the metals that cause this kind of problem. This also
applies to nickle based white golds.

Unfortunately for white metal chains that really only leaves
platinum or if you can find it palladium white gold.

Jim Binnion

James Binnion Metal Arts
Phone (360) 756-6550
Toll Free (877) 408 7287
Fax (360) 756-2160

@James_Binnion
Member of the Better Business Bureau