Rose gold is the trendiest jewelry variety today. It works with all skin tones, is stylish, and you can wear rose gold jewelry with just about everything in your closet. But can you wear rose gold earrings or necklace without worrying about hot, itchy ears/ neck at the end of the day? In other words, is rose gold jewelry hypoallergenic? Keep reading to find out more.
In this article, we explore all that you must know about jewelry made of rose gold, and whether it’s worth your money or not. By the end of this article, you will have a clear picture of rose gold jewelry and also guidance on whether this is an option to the high-quality/ expensive jewelry or not.
What is rose gold?
Rose gold refers to a blend of pure gold and another metal to form a rose alloy. The blending/ mixing of gold with other metals is not only necessary for the creation of more gold varieties, but it’s also crucial for the hardening of gold. Pure gold is very soft, and it cannot create jewelry in its pure form. Therefore, the only way for us to have fine gold jewelry requires the blending of gold with other metals. The blending process creates three types of gold – white gold, rose gold, and yellow gold.
Rose gold is more popular of these three, and it’s quite beautiful; hence its popularity as the go-to jewelry type.
Rose gold is a gold alloy made of pure gold and copper. The colors will, however, vary depending on the concentration of these two components particularly copper, and depending on the content of copper, rose gold falls into other color classes ranging from pink to red-pink gold to red gold. The rose gold pieces that look redder than rose tend to have a higher content of copper than the pink and rose options.
Also, note that the use of copper in the manufacture of rose gold is the reason for the rose gold color.
The most common rose-copper mix is the one with 75% gold (also 18K gold) and 25% copper.
Its beauty aside, is rose gold hypoallergenic?
Well, no. Unfortunately, even with the high gold content, rose gold is not hypoallergenic, and it might leave your ears or neck in a hot, itchy mess. The reason for the loss of its hypoallergenic properties stems from the presence of copper and its role as an essential component of rose gold. Therefore, rose gold is allergenic.
So, even with its timeless beauty, the classic flair, and affordability, rose gold will not be a great fit for you if you have sensitive ears and skin. The interesting bit is that you cannot have the rose gold jewelry pieces rhodium-plated.
The only time you might not react to rose gold is if your rose gold jewelry is made of more gold and significantly less copper. A low copper-content is unlikely to spark a reaction. For this information, you need to talk to your manufacturer about their manufacturing process.
Is Rose Gold-Plated Jewelry Hypoallergenic?
Unfortunately, the gold-plated rose jewelry is made of a thin later of a gold-copper alloy which will react with your skin if you are allergic to gold. Therefore, these plated jewelry is not hypoallergenic.
Keep in mind, however, that we all have different types of body chemistry and someone else might not react to what you react to.
Like rose gold jewelry, the reactiveness of the rose gold-plated jewelry will largely depend on the copper content in the gold alloy. Reducing the copper content in the mixture reduces the chances of an allergic reaction.
What should you be aware of when you wear rose gold or rose gold plated jewelry?
Before you start shopping, keep in mind that rose gold jewelry is not always readily available, and the pieces at your jewelers might take long to be restocked after they run out.
- If you buy a 14K rose gold, and an 18K rose gold, and you have sensitive skin, you will find that you are less reactive to the 18K or the 22K rose gold than the 14K rose gold. 18K or 22K rose gold has a lower copper content, and they might not cause an adverse reaction. In comparison, the risk of allergies is higher, with the 14K rose gold because this piece contains only 50% gold and 50% copper. With such a high copper content, the chances of a reaction are pretty high.
If you are allergic to metals like copper, you might want to follow these tips:
- Invest in hypoallergenic pieces of jewelry like the rhodium-plated or jewelry made of surgical stainless steel.
- If you suspect that a jewelry piece will cause a reaction, you should take some preventive measures like covering your skin. Protective options include Vaseline, Neosporin, or coconut oil.
- If you have an adverse reaction to rose gold jewelry or any other type of jewelry, you might want to use steroids and/ or antihistamines to get over the discomfort.
- Talk to a doctor/ dermatologist if you are unsure what to buy or use, especially if you’ve had several previous fails.
- Ask the manufacturer for details of the copper/ gold content in the jewelry.
- Rose gold jewelry will tarnish with time. That beautiful rose luster will be lost after some time. So, if you think that buying a rose gold piece of jewelry means not worrying about tarnishing, you are wrong. Rose gold will tarnish, even though it will not get chipped (unless yours is a rose gold-plated piece). You can tell that the rose gold piece is tarnishing if you notice that some areas are darkening and the pink luster is disappearing. Also, if the piece is redder, than it was when it was still new, it’s tarnishing.
Conclusion
Rose gold jewelry is not hypoallergenic. So, even though rose gold jewelry is the trendiest type of jewelry on the market today, you should avoid it if you are allergic to copper. But if you must have a piece of rose gold jewelry, despite your skin sensitivities, opt for the high-karat rose gold pieces. Also, avoid the rose gold-plated pieces.
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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.