Most jewelry lovers cannot afford to buy the best kinds of fine jewelry, which means that a big bulk of what we wear is ideally the cheap fashion jewelry found all over the place.
Unfortunately, nothing cheap lasts as long as you’d like, and this is especially true with cheap fashion jewelry. On top of that, there is also the fact that cheap fashion jewelry is often the root of most skin irritation issues, allergies, and skin sensitivity reactions.
And with all these in mind, you may be wondering if you should still wear cheap jewelry. Well, in this article, we take a deep dive into the world of cheap jewelry, where we’ll explore all you need to know about this kind of jewelry and if it’s bad to keep buying. So, keep reading.
Is it bad to wear cheap jewelry?
While you end up saving a good chunk of money when you choose to buy and wear cheap jewelry, this kind of jewelry can be potentially harmful to your health.
The primary reason for this, as noted in a recent article that was published by CBS News, most of the cheap jewelry is made with cheap materials, and they often include small amounts of unsafe metals like chromium, lead, cadmium, nickel, chlorine, brominated flame retardants, arsenic, and mercury.
A large number of the cheap jewelry also contained high levels of hazardous chemicals like lead, as well as chromium, and nickel that attribute to pretty much all allergic reactions associated with cheap jewelry.
And when consumed, albeit accidentally, the jewelry made of cheap, poor quality metals can be deadly when consumed, for example, by children.
Reasons you should not wear cheap (nickel) jewelry
Over the years, numerous legislations have been passed to enhance the safety and the quality of the jewelry made across the market. Even so, a good number of the cheap jewelry will have some unsafe metals like nickel which is responsible for a large number of allergies. Below, we share with you some of the top reasons why you should avoid wearing cheap and/or nickel-filled jewelry.
1.The jewelry isn’t always well made
If you look at the posts and the locks of the super-cheap earrings, for example, you will notice that they don’t look well-made, and in most cases, the posts or locks will not fit well.
In some cases, the threading for the posts might be off, the locks too loose, etc. – all issues that point to poor quality earrings and the fact that you may end up losing the earrings sooner rather than later.
And you really don’t want to be in an interview only for one of your earrings to come lose or to realize later that it dropped even before the interview, and you’d be looking like a clown in that interview.
2.Rough edges and extra bits of metal
The other thing that shows poor craftsmanship associated with the cheap jewelry has to be the existence of rough edges or, even worse, extra bits of metal on the post or even the front of the jewelry.
This often happens because the cheap earrings/ jewelry are mass-produced, and there is no kind of attention given to the details on each piece.
So, you would easily find an earring post with extra metal or some rough bits, which never is a good thing because there is a high risk of injury from these rough areas.
Also, the rough and sharp edges may ruin your clothes, especially if they catch on your clothes.
3.The cheap jewelry doesn’t last long
The other reason why it would be a good idea to save a little more money to buy more expensive but better quality jewelry is the fact that the cheap jewelry gets ruined very easily because they are made of dubious materials.
Also, the cheap metals used for the cheap jewelry tend to rust or be oxidized really fast, and in some days or weeks, you will notice rusting, or the earring hooks may break off when wearing it – unprovoked.
The worst bit is that leaving the earrings out in the open for some days will leave you with pieces that you cannot wear anymore. The glued pieces will come apart too fast also.
High risk of skin allergies, irritation, infections, among other health hazards
The cheap metals used in earrings are often made with nickel which is a big skin irritant. These non-surgical earrings can cause very bad skin reactions, and you may even suffer from the effects of such cheap metals even if you don’t have allergies historically.
Reasons you can wear cheap Nickel-free jewelry.
With knowledge of the high risks associated with nickel in jewelry, here are the top reasons why you should only wear Nickel-free jewelry – the low cost of nickel jewelry notwithstanding.
- Nickel is a known carcinogen and is listed by The Department of Health and Human Services and The American Cancer Society as a known carcinogen. The sad bit is that nickel is found in just about everything we need/ around us.
- Nickel is a common filler meaning that jewelry with high nickel will have very little of the safer, precious metals, leaving you with pieces of jewelry that have no value.
- High allergy risk – we all know by now that nickel is a big problem for persons with sensitive skin. And according to the CDC, between 10 and 20% of the population suffer from nickel allergies which can progress from small rashes to infected skin lesions if not attended to and the allergen avoided.
Other reasons for wearing nickel-free jewelry include:
- You get to enjoy a high level of comfort all day and night
- There are numerous options of very stylish jewelry that work for all occasions
- Nickel-free pieces of jewelry are valuable
How to wear cheap (nickel-free) jewelry
- First, get surgical or medical-grade jewelry that tells you that you are looking at the safest kind of jewelry you can find
- If you are not sure, create a barrier with clean polish on the posts
- Don’t shower or go swimming with the jewelry
- Store the jewelry in a cool, dry spot
- Invest in high-quality nickel-free jewelry like the ones made of 18k gold, sterling silver, surgical stainless steel, plastic jewelry, biocompatible titanium, platinum, and palladium jewelry.
- Don’t sleep in the jewelry.
Conclusion
If the cheap jewelry is not causing you any trouble and you are sure that it’s made of safe metals only, then you could wear the jewelry. But if the jewelry has unsafe metals like nickel and lead, you should not wear them.
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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.