What Metals Can Cause Skin Discoloration?

What Metals Can Cause Skin Discoloration?

One of the problems many people associate with cheap jewelry is getting green fingers. What many fail to understand and appreciate here is that it is the material used in your white diamond rings and other jewelry items which causes this. There is no point in linking skin discoloration to the price you paid for your jewelry item.

Several metals have the tendency to oxidize when they are touching skin, with copper being the most notorious in this regard. A lot of people try and avoid copper jewelry at all costs, but then, even sterling silver can cause a similar effect. Any metal plated over with silver can form tarnish and leave a black or dark gray smudge on your skin.

Avoiding This

Instead of avoiding “cheap” jewelry, check out which metals are hypoallergenic, and choose one of those for your diamond ring band. Stainless steel is a good option, and so are rhodium and platinum. Since rhodium is commonly used as plating on a lot of metals which tend to react to skin contact, your options became even broader if you are not particular about a sole metal type through and through.

Back to blog