Jim and all,
This is a little off your subject Jim, but I had an issue come up
yesterday and I thought I would run it by everyone to get various
opinions.
A regular customer came is wanting to order a large, 14K white gold
fancy ring for herself, and I questioned her about the decision as I
have known for some years she has an allergy to nickel, and all her
previous orders were either platinum or palladium/white gold
mixtures. She insisted to me she could wear the regular nickel/white
gold if I just plated it with rhodium prior to delivery. I explained
to her that I didn't believe a thin layer of rhodium would supply her
that type of protection, and when wear caused the rhodium to be
removed between her finger and the nickel, the resulting allergic
reaction would be very unpleasant.
She then showed me a ring that she had purchased from another
jeweler, stamped only "14K" and a trademark, set with a tanzanite and
diamonds, and she informed me she had been wearing the ring for a
month or more and had no reaction of any kind. One sales person told
her they had added a heavy layer of rhodium, and another told her the
rhodium had been "mixed in with the gold" so there would be no
trouble with the allergy. She left my store disappointed, probably
thinking I was trying to run up the price by suggesting a more
expensive metal, and doubting my knowledge and experience in
manufacturing rings.
Has anyone out there had experience working with people with a
nickel allergy that has allowed them to wear a ring with nickel in
the mixture?
Jon Michael Fuja
