Why Gold Chains & Jewelry Are Good Options for Sensitive Skin

Metal allergies are actually very common, but you may not even know that you have one until your skin has been exposed to nickel or other types of affordable metals. For those with sensitive skin, shopping for jewelry can be difficult and frustrating since many cheaper, everyday pieces are made from these less expensive metals.

Gold chains are the perfect accessory for sensitive skin, but you don’t need to break the bank to find jewelry that doesn’t irritate your skin. Gold plated jewelry can reduce irritation just as much as solid gold. If you think you may be allergic to nickel, learn more about why gold chains eliminate breakouts and get some tips on shopping for hypoallergenic jewelry.

Jewelry Sensitivities

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, somewhere between 10 to 20 percent of the population has a skin sensitivity to nickel, making allergic reactions a common problem. Although a reaction to nickel is not life-threatening, it can be quite irritating, as your skin tends to itch, break into a rash, become dry, and turn red or other colors.

Jewelry is an important part of our personal expression, as many people wear these accessories to show their individual style, display signs of status, or even honor a friend or family member, so it can be frustrating when your jewelry is regularly aggravating your skin. The best way to avoid these flare-ups is to reduce your exposure to jewelry made from nickel and seek out hypoallergenic jewelry or pieces made from real gold or silver.

Solid Gold vs. Gold Plated

It’s often thought that you need to purchase solid gold jewelry pieces if you want to avoid an allergic reaction to metal. This is false, as virtually no jewelry is made from pure gold.  The metal is far too malleable to be worn. The metal’s inherent softness would cause it to become easily damaged, which is why gold jewelry is mixed with stronger metal alloys to make it more durable without losing its pure luster.

Unfortunately, nickel is often one of the alloys used to strengthen gold, which means you could still have a reaction with a piece of gold jewelry. The key is to seek out pieces that are made from more gold than alloys. Pure gold is 24K, which means it is made from 24 parts of gold. 10K is 10 parts gold, 14 parts other metals, so the higher karat pieces you can get, the less nickel they will contain.

However, when purchasing a gold chain, it can be either solid gold or gold-plated. If you opt for a gold-plated piece that is 14K or more, you’ll still be able to eliminate your rash even though the jewelry itself is not solid gold.

Tips to Eliminate Skin Irritation

Avoid Nickel

This may sound like an obvious tip, but stay away from any jewelry made from nickel. When shopping for cheap, everyday jewelry, always check the packaging to see if it says “nickel-free” anywhere. Because nickel allergies are so common, many companies are now producing affordable jewelry made from other metals to attract customers with sensitive skin. If you’re looking to make a more expensive purchase like investing in some gold chains for men, you should be paying attention to the purity of the gold to avoid buying a piece that is high in nickel.

Use a Metal Testing Kit

If you’re unsure about the quality of a jewelry piece that you bought, you can always use a metal testing kit to determine the percentage of nickel that is present. This can be useful if you’ve recently bought something that was supposed to be nickel-free yet you still had an allergic reaction. These kits can be easily purchased online or in stores and will help you identify the exact purity of a gold chain or silver piece.

Buy 14K Gold Jewelry

Now that you understand how gold purity is ranked with the karat system, you have to understand which types of gold are best for sensitive skin. Pieces made from 10K gold are beautiful and valuable, but, unfortunately, because the majority of the piece is made from alloys and not gold, it is more likely you’ll still have a skin reaction. If you purchase your gold chains at 14K or higher, you’ll have a much better chance of eliminating any reaction.

Frost NYC: Gold Chains You Can Trust

At Frost NYC, we only want to bring you the best-quality gold chains on the market. For anyone dealing with sensitive skin, we have an extensive collection of 14K gold chains that will have you looking flashy and fly without the annoying skin rash. Shop our collection today and get yourself a piece that makes you look and feel like the baller you are.