One of the biggest challenges faced by jewelry lovers is finding high-quality jewelry that is safe on the skin. And it makes sense because the last thing you want to deal with after spending your savings on what is perceived as the best and the most stunning earrings is to find that you are allergic to them from the reddened skin and the rash.
So, in your search for the best jewelry, you will be advised to look at the actual metal components that make that piece of jewelry. And out of all the metallic components in the gold jewelry, you’d want to watch out for nickel. The truth is that most people aren’t allergic to gold or silver jewelry but to the nickel incorporated into the precious metal.
Now, before we look at gold jewelry and whether or not it has nickel, it’s important to note that nickel might be the leading cause of skin allergies from jewelry, but it’s often used because of its properties. Though it’s allergenic, nickel is mixed in as an alloy for gold to strengthen the gold. Notably, pure or 24K gold is too soft, and it cannot make jewelry of any kind. So, to harden and strengthen the gold and to create the durable solid gold used in the high-end pieces of jewelry, nickel is added in.
But do different kinds of gold contain nickel?
Does 10K gold have nickel in it? Why?
Yes, all gold alloys contain nickel.
As mentioned above, pure gold in its natural form is too soft to be used in jewelry, which means that it has to be mixed with other metal alloys to make it stronger. 10K gold is one of the lower purity pieces of gold, and it only has 42% pure gold; the rest is made of other metal alloys.
One of the metals that are added to the gold to make the 10k gold is nickel, and it’s added to make the gold harder and more durable.
Essentially, the low carat, low purity gold will have a higher quantity of the metal alloy, which means more nickel.
Does 14k gold have nickel in it? Why?
14K gold contains 58.5% pure gold, and the remainder is alloyed with other metals. Often, the other metals alloyed to the gold include nickel, zinc, silver, and/or copper. Note that the proportion and the type of additional metals added to the gold will vary, although the percentage of gold often remains 58.5% for it to be certified as 14K gold.
14K often contains nickel, which is a common allergen, but not all 14k gold will have nickel as some have copper or silver as the metal alloy. As a result, 14k gold may or may not have nickel in it.
If you struggle with metal sensitivities, you may want to confirm with the jeweler the actual metal components incorporated into the gold and avoid the pieces with nickel, opting for the ones with copper or silver alloyed in instead.
Does 14k white gold have nickel in it? Why?
14K white gold refers to a mixture of pure gold plus white metals like nickel, silver, plus palladium. It is also rhodium plated.
The 14K white gold is also a great metal option if you are looking for a safe metal option. For the most part, the alloys added to white gold are safe, well, unless nickel is used as the metal alloy for white gold and not palladium or silver.
So, if you have metal sensitivities, it might be a good idea to talk to the jeweler about the 14k white gold free of nickel. It’s also important to keep in mind that the rhodium plating might have nickel, although this isn’t always the case, which is why the white gold 14k rhodium plating jewelry may be a good option for you if you struggle with metal allergies/ sensitivity reactions.
That said, you can only keep the irritation from the nickel at bay by replating the piece of jewelry regularly. Generally, you’d be safe from nickel allergies only for as long as you have the protective and shiny rhodium-plated layer.
So, unless your white gold jewelry is mixed with other metal alloys besides nickel, then it would be safe to say that the white gold jewelry is not hypoallergenic. That said, it’s important to keep in mind that the nickel in the white gold is usually incorporated to strengthen the pure gold.
Does 18k gold have nickel in it? Why?
Like the other gold alloys, 18k gold contains nickel, albeit at lower levels than what’s present in the other types of gold alloys, 18K gold is made of 75% pure gold, and the remaining 25% is often made of metals like silver, copper, and nickel among other types of metal alloys.
Essentially, the nickel incorporated into the gold is meant to harden and strengthen the pure gold to ensure that this high-purity gold makes solid and durable jewelry.
Does 18k white gold have nickel in it? Why?
Maybe. Like the 14K white gold, the white gold may or may not have nickel since other white metal alloys like silver or palladium may be used to strengthen the pure gold.
There are other cases where nickel would still be used, and you’d have to be extra careful to get the piece rhodium plated to prevent allergic reactions.
Does rose gold have nickel in it? Why?
Rose gold is made of gold and alloyed with copper and silver for the lush rose gold color finish.
It is free of nickel, which means that you won’t be allergic to rose gold unless you are allergic to copper or the trace amounts of nickel that may find their way into the rose gold manufacturing process.
Conclusion
And there you have it – everything you need to know about gold.
If you are looking for safe and hypoallergenic options, this article will guide you. Thanks for reading. To read more fashion jewelry posts, please read here or here!
Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.