There are some people who have a less tolerance to certain metals and I have often heard they are allergic to said metals.
There is no question metals can cause problems for some people.
However, I believe many people are having problems not due to any allergic reaction, but rather to poor craftsmanship of some jewelers.
I have seen a greater number of people who claim they are allergic to metals but only so with their ear lobes.
Case in point is a lady who wanted to purchase some new earrings, but told me about her allergy to most metals.
She explained her favorite pair of earrings made of sterling silver always made her ears sore for a couple of days after she wore them.
She wanted to have another pair of earrings made like her favorite ones, but using a metal other than sterling.
An interesting fact is she had no problem wearing sterling silver necklaces and rings.
I was struggling with the fact that only earrings created the "allergic" reaction.
As an experiment to see if she would react to Argentium silver, my preferred silver, I sent her home wearing a pair of our Argentium earrings.
I told her to wear them for a couple of days to see how she faired with the different silver.
She left her favorite ones with me.
Three days later, she called to say her ears were just fine and loved the Argentium silver, and of course, wanted to have Rena make a new pair similar to her favorite ones.
I told her Rena would be very happy to make another pair of earrings, but first could she stop by for another test.
This time I had her wear her "favorite" earrings and to let me know how her ears felt the following day.
Long story short, her ears had no problems with her "favorite" earrings.
So what was the problem with the lady's "favorite" earrings? Unfinished ear wires.
Yes, it was as simple as smoothing and rounding her ear wires.
The person who created the earrings had used a flush cutter to cut the end of the ear wire.
It looked nice, but under a magnifier, I could see the edges of the ear wire were very sharp.
When the lady would put the earrings on, the sharp edges of the ear wire cut or scraped her ear lobes and made them sore and irritated.
She did not have any allergy to sterling silver! Finishing of all jewelry is very important, but the finishing of ear wire is critical to the wearer.
And it is so easy to accomplish.
Carefully round all edges of the ear wire with a fine file or a cup burr.
Then inspect for any possible problems by feeling the wire end and checking it with a 10X loupe.
It should be smooth and easy to insert into one's ear.
And yes, I did lose a possible sale, but the lady has since sent many of her friends to buy our jewelry because I was honest and helpful.
There is no question metals can cause problems for some people.
However, I believe many people are having problems not due to any allergic reaction, but rather to poor craftsmanship of some jewelers.
I have seen a greater number of people who claim they are allergic to metals but only so with their ear lobes.
Case in point is a lady who wanted to purchase some new earrings, but told me about her allergy to most metals.
She explained her favorite pair of earrings made of sterling silver always made her ears sore for a couple of days after she wore them.
She wanted to have another pair of earrings made like her favorite ones, but using a metal other than sterling.
An interesting fact is she had no problem wearing sterling silver necklaces and rings.
I was struggling with the fact that only earrings created the "allergic" reaction.
As an experiment to see if she would react to Argentium silver, my preferred silver, I sent her home wearing a pair of our Argentium earrings.
I told her to wear them for a couple of days to see how she faired with the different silver.
She left her favorite ones with me.
Three days later, she called to say her ears were just fine and loved the Argentium silver, and of course, wanted to have Rena make a new pair similar to her favorite ones.
I told her Rena would be very happy to make another pair of earrings, but first could she stop by for another test.
This time I had her wear her "favorite" earrings and to let me know how her ears felt the following day.
Long story short, her ears had no problems with her "favorite" earrings.
So what was the problem with the lady's "favorite" earrings? Unfinished ear wires.
Yes, it was as simple as smoothing and rounding her ear wires.
The person who created the earrings had used a flush cutter to cut the end of the ear wire.
It looked nice, but under a magnifier, I could see the edges of the ear wire were very sharp.
When the lady would put the earrings on, the sharp edges of the ear wire cut or scraped her ear lobes and made them sore and irritated.
She did not have any allergy to sterling silver! Finishing of all jewelry is very important, but the finishing of ear wire is critical to the wearer.
And it is so easy to accomplish.
Carefully round all edges of the ear wire with a fine file or a cup burr.
Then inspect for any possible problems by feeling the wire end and checking it with a 10X loupe.
It should be smooth and easy to insert into one's ear.
And yes, I did lose a possible sale, but the lady has since sent many of her friends to buy our jewelry because I was honest and helpful.
Source...