Why do earrings and rings discolor and stain our skin?

It often happens that you buy rings or earrings from a famous clothing chain. Exceptional design, but often after wearing them for a while they start to discolor. Not only that, they also leave the skin stained with a black halo. Or for earrings , creating a strange greenish patina. Don't worry, it's not an allergy to nickel or other components. It's just a chemical reaction.

Exactly, this strange effect is caused by the interaction of our sweat with the material of our jewelry . In fact, it means that our jewelry will have a high percentage of copper in the alloy it is made of. Sometimes it is just an effect of the interaction of our natural pH with various materials.

This phenomenon is more visible in earrings and rings precisely because they remain in direct contact with the skin for a long time. If we think of bracelets or watches for example, they move more frequently so it is difficult to see the effects.

In contact with the skin, copper releases a kind of salt that discolors jewelry , staining the skin. If we realize that almost all the jewelry we own has this effect, the solution is to buy steel jewelry . In fact, stainless steel is stainless. So, in contact with sweat, it does not react. You can also buy 925 sterling silver jewelry , which contains low amounts of copper, if you want something more expensive.

In the meantime, to remedy the discolouration, you can try cleaning the jewel with a solution of water and lemon, or with baking soda. But often it will not go back to how it was before. The only thing we can do with our favourite ring is to apply a layer of transparent polish on the inside. In this way, this part in contact with the skin will be protected from the polish and will no longer discolour, avoiding those unsightly halos on the fingers.

And that's why earrings and rings discolour and stain our skin. And we know how to fix it, at least in part. So that we can wear our fashionable jewellery without any problem.

In some cases, costume jewelry may contain metals that cause allergies. Read our article on this issue.

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