If you’ve gone through the hassle, pain, and discomfort that comes from poorly or unprofessionally done piercings, especially where the piercing jewelry left you with a bad irritation that got an infection, you know that you would never let yourself live through that kind of pain, ever again.
To make sure that doesn’t happen again, you are now researching what the best kinds of nose piercing jewelry are.
In this article, we’ll help make your search much easier by looking at sterling silver and whether it’s a great option for nose piercings or not. So, let’s jump right into it!
Is sterling silver good for nose piercings?
When thinking about the jewelry for nose piercings, it’s important to think of the individual elements that make up the metal. This is important because even metals like sterling silver and gold that make excellent jewelry are not made of pure silver or gold, which means that in as much as gold or silver is the best metal option for jewelry, these metals are alloyed with other metals.
Alloying is essential for enhancing the durability of primary metals like gold or silver because these precious metals are too soft for use on their own in making jewelry. While alloying of sterling silver, for example, ensures a durable metal for stunning and durable jewelry, there is always a risk of allergenic metals like nickel find their way into the alloy, increasing the risk of allergies, skin irritation, and in extreme cases, infections.
So, should your nose piercer make use of sterling silver for your nose piercing? Well, to answer this, we’ll start with the basics of sterling silver.
Sterling silver is an alloy of pure silver made of 92.5% pure silver and only 7.5% of metal alloys. Often, copper is a metal that is alloyed with pure silver. Since copper doesn’t cause irritation on your skin and because of the hypoallergenic state of pure silver, sterling silver is generally a good choice of metal for most kinds of jewelry.
However, sterling silver wouldn’t be a good choice of metal for you if you need a nose ring, for example. The reason for this is that while sterling silver is largely hypoallergenic, this metal is not an ideal choice for new piercings.
This is because the silver is sterling silver gets oxidized, and it would also tarnish, with both of these processes hastened when sterling silver is in contact with your bodily fluids.
Once in contact and the chemical reactions begin, the sterling silver nose ring, for example, will turn black.
When in contact with the skin, the oxidized black specks can not only give your skin a permanent black stain, but also it would cause a reaction or an infection if you scratch it. So, to avoid a stain that is impossible to remove, you need to avoid wearing sterling silver jewelry on your nose piercing, at least until the piercing is healed completely.
In other words, sterling silver is not the most biocompatible metal for use in jewelry making – this means that although this metal is not toxic or harmful to your skin, it can still cause irritation of your skin. At the same time, metals that aren’t biocompatible tend to be harmful, and in extreme situations, they cause not only irritation but also infections. So, to completely minimize the chances of an infection or extreme irritation, you should know what metals are the best for nose piercing jewelry.
But first, what are the pros and cons of sterling silver for nose piercings:
Pros and cons of sterling silver for nose piercing
Pros
- Only safe for nose piercing once the piercing is healed completely
- It looks greats
- Great jewelry designs available
Cons
- High risk of irritation and allergies
- It tarnishes, and the dark staining might be permanent
- Not ideal for unhealed nose piercings
Is pure silver good for nose piercing?
No. For starters, pure silver is too soft to be crafted into high-quality and durable jewelry, which means that it wouldn’t make the ideal kind of jewelry for your nose piercing. Then there is the fact that silver gets oxidized when exposed to sulfur in the air from hydrogen sulfide, which means that it is not the ideal metal option for nose piercing jewelry.
What Is the Best Metal for Nose Rings?
The best metals for starter nose jewelry are:
- Titanium– if you are getting a nose piercing and you have very sensitive skin, you may want to get starter nose jewelry made of titanium. And not just any other kind of titanium metal, but the implant-grade titanium G23 – this is the biocompatible version of titanium, which means that it is agreeable with your body because of its resistance to body fluids, and also the fact that it is 100% nickel-free. The only catch is that the medical-grade titanium is relatively expensive, but it is completely worth it since you don’t want to deal with irritated skin around the new nose piercing, especially because these are some of the most painful body piercings.
- Niobium– Titanium’s alternative is niobium. It is heavier, softer, and costs more than titanium, but it’s 100% inert, which makes it the ideal choice for starter nose jewelry. Just make sure that the nose ring is made of 99.9% niobium.
But these two are not your only options, especially if you are on a budget. The other metal options that make great nose piercing jewelry include:
- Surgical stainless steel (SSS) – It’s cheaper than titanium but heavier and comes as 316L or 316LVM, and it is one of the safest options for your nose piercing, especially as it heals. But you need to be extra careful because some versions of surgical stainless steel contain nickel, which wouldn’t be a good option for you if you are allergic to nickel. The best SSS for nose jewelry is medical-grade or implant-grade and is hypoallergenic.
- Gold– But not just any gold – higher karat solid gold. The high-karat solid gold alloys have a low risk of allergies because there is often no nickel added. So, opt for 14k or 18k gold jewelry for your new ear piercing.
Conclusion
Sterling silver is not an ideal metal of choice for new nose piercings, and you should avoid nose rings made of sterling silver.
Visit here to read more jewelry metal information or here to read more piercing tips! Do not forget to check our homepage!
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.