Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
September 17, 2010
My boyfriend bought me a beautiful engagement diamond nose ring but I'm afraid I might be allergic to it, so I haven't put it on yet. Is there any way to tell beforehand? I've heard about terrible stories about infections... If that happened to me it would really put a downer on the whole engagement thing. Oh, I didn't mention that my nose is not pierced. My boyfriend and I were joking about it. I've always kinda wanted to get a nose ring but I was scared, so we made a pact that said if he bought me a diamond nose ring, I would get my nose pierced. I can't believe he actually did, and proposed with it. But I really don't want an infection, and I'm prone to allergies as it is. What should I do?
September 22, 2010
Hi! So congrats on the engagement, that's really cool! I'm hearing about more and more nose ring engagements lately, I really like it. I also think it's really neat that your fiance is holding you to your agreement by proposing, especially since this is something you always wanted to do, and he's giving you that push. Really nice. And with a diamond on top of that! :) Regarding the allergy thing. Well, everybody's different, so please don't take this a s a sure thing, but generally speaking, if the diamond nose ring is made out of high quality materials, there shouldn't be allergy related issues. If the insert metal is titanium or niobium or a different pure metal. it shouldn't be a problem. Most allergy to metals is caused by nickel. Check and see if you have any nickel rings or belts and put them on your skin. See if you get a rash. If so, avoid all nickel in nose rings as well. In general it might be a good idea to do so especially if you suspect that you are in fact allergic, because nickel allergies are very common. But of course, you should ideally check and see whether you're allergic to any metal you insert in your nose.
Having said that, I repeat, high quality metals are usually safe, and I'm assuming if your nose ring is a diamond, the insert metal isn't of poor quality.
September 19, 2010
Whether or not you'll have an allergic reaction depends on the metal which makes up your engagement ring. Generally speaking, the purer the metal, the safer it is. Semi-precious metals such as copper, steel, brass and iron, can induce an allergic reaction (especially if they are inserted into your body). It is especially important that your pierced engagement ring be made out of a hypoallergenic metal since it's not like a regular engagement ring, which can be easily slipped on and off of your finger. The best and safest thing you could do is the have your nose engagement ring electroplated with a hypoallergenic metal. If the ring is made out of white gold or silver then you could have it plated with a thin layer of platinum, palladium or titanium. If your ring is plated with a gold-toned metal, and you want to conserve the warm golden color of the metal then you could have it plated with a coat of high karat gold. And, don't forget to periodically take out the ring and clean it off with a disinfectant. The ring's metal can accumulate bacteria, even if it is made out of a hypoallergenic metal.
September 19, 2010
Depends. Are you allergic to silver? Do you usually have an allergic reaction when you're wearing cheap or costume jewelry? If you do then you're probably allergic to nickel. And you're not alone. A large percent of the population is allergic to nickel and can't wear jewelry containing that particular metallic alloy. Lesser metals are commonly mixed with nickel and with other base metals such as copper, brass, steel etc. Nickel is usually added to improve the durability and the hardness of a given metal. For example, silver in its pure form is rather malleable and is not commonly used in jewelry. Silver that is used in jewelry is silver more commonly known as sterling silver, which is a combination of silver, nickel, iron or steel. You should check what metal was used in your nose engagement ring. If it's silver, low karat gold or a base metal then you would probably be allergic to it. If your engagement nose ring is made up of high karat, pure gold, platinum or palladium then it should be hypoallergenic and you shouldn't experience allergic reactions. If you're not sure what metals were used in the making of your engagement nose ring and you don't know how to check then I recommend you take it to a local jeweler and he'll be able to tell you what materials your ring is made of.
