Allergic to my eternity ring!

[franch]

DH bought me a lovely ruby-&-diamond eternity ring when DD was born and every time I wear it the skin underneath goes all bright red and sore, and eventually flakes off.

I'd love to be able to wear it all the time. Any ideas? I'm fine with my wedding and engagement rings, which are solid gold - I guess this ring might not be (but it's still lovely!).

You need to find out what the metal is that the ring is made of.

Is it hallmarked?

same thing has happended to me but with my wedding ring which is 18ct gold and has been worn for years with no probs - but now - red and sore and flaky - bizarre - my engagement ring causes no problems

You might be able to have the inside coated with a thin layer of pure gold, or something else neutral. I know someone who puts clear nail varnish on any metal that touches her skin, like the rivets in jeans.

Does it fit ok. Sometimes if they are too tight or too big they can cause irritation especially if your using products on your skin like soap, hand cream etc.

Franch, check out the hallmark inside, there should either be the numbers 375 for 9ct, or 750 for 18ct. these numbers mean that theres 375 parts of gold in 9ct & the rest is made up of other metals such as copper & iron, the same with 18ct, 750 parts gold, rest other metals. Its sometimes the other metals that people are allergic to. Sometimes these react with the acids in our skin, & lotions or chemicals we use.
Check the ring is the same carat as you wedd/engagement.
Hope this helps.
Probably

Yes it is hallmarked, and we had it altered so it fits perfectly. Hmm. Interested in the coating thing - but if it's hallmarked I guess it's pure gold, so what would I use? Nail varnish wouldn't last, would it? Interested to hear you've experienced the same thing with a ring you've worn for years, JoolsToo. V puzzling.

Cross-post, Clare - that's useful info, thanks - will get a magnifier out!

i have the same problem, both my wedding & engagement ring caused reaction on my skin,making it red and sore. so last year dh bought me a white gold 18ct plain band (previous rings were 9ct) but that causes the same thing, only have to wear it for a few hours and it flares up. really annoying as i hate not wearing a wedding ring. we have now been pricing up platinum rings in the hope this sorts the problem out,

Unfortunately, white gold has an ingredient in it called rhodium, this makes gold white. Rhodium causes nasty reactions.
Platinum, silver or 24carat gold are the most purest metals, without other matels included.
Think the chemist used to do a liquid to paint on inside of rings.
Good luck

Sometimes my rings cause a reaction to me

I usually leave them off for a few days and clean them really well (esp under the stones) with a toothbrush - then I can wear them again

It's usually cos something got caught underneath - like soap, handcream or washing up liquid (which I'm quite allergic too)

I get allergies like this. DP brought me a beautiful watch, but I've not really ever been able to wear it. I have tried coating the underside with nail varnish, and even tegaderm, a clear thin dressing I get from work. Nothing worked. It is now retired to my jewelary box . It upsets me everytime I see it, but it gave me open sores on my wrist everytime and wasn't safe for work. Interesting about the gold dipping idea, I would ask in the jewelers about that.

It's the alloy nickel that is mixed into the white gold that causes the allergic reaction. Some white gold rings have palladium which is more common in Europe and more expensive as an alloy than nickel. Nickel is commonly being phased out because of the number of people with reactions such as yours. It is nothing to do with the rhodium coating, which is placed onto some white gold rings to simply make them appear whiter. This rhodium coating will eventually degrade and white gold rings will need to be replated frequently.

I am very badly allergic to nickel and get a reaction from my jeans buttons after less than an hour wearing them. My engagement and wedding rings are white Gold (18ct) and I have no problem with them. I have a yellow Gold signet ring though which I get a rash underneath if I don't take it off when I get my hands wet, I presume this is some sort of eczematous reaction as it clears up very quickly.