White gold is routinely alloyed down with nickel. Nickel causes allergic reactions in a lot of people. It’s probably showing up now, because your ring was plated in rhodium (the whitest member of the platinum family) when you bought it. This is normal, as white gold always has a little warmth to it, so it is almost always plated in rhodium. The rhodium has worn off. The white gold, alloyed with nickel is in direct contact with your skin. You are reacting to the nickel. One easy solution is to bring the ring in to the jeweler where you purchased it and have it replated with rhodium. Or, you could trade the ring in for mens wedding rings and bands that do NOT contain nickel, a palladium ring or a platinum ring. The metal rhodium is essentially inert to the skin, hypoallergenic, no reaction. What the reaction could be is a basic metals reaction and that SHOULD NOT be happening if the rings have a real rhodium plate.

Platinum – Platinum is known for being the rarest and the heaviest of the precious metals. It’s also the most expensive. It’s typically 90-95% pure and weighs twice as much as gold. It also contains other alloys including copper, zinc cobalt and palladium. It doesn’t tarnish like gold and doesn’t loose its luster over time, but it can be scratched and patina over time. There are many positives for platinum, but it’s not for everyone. Price is a barrier to many, and some men don’t like the heaviness of platinum, others love it. Titanium Rings – titanium mens wedding rings are becoming more popular. Titanium is 99+% pure and is inert and therefore completely corrosion resistant. It does not react to salt water, sunlight, or any body chemistry and it is 100% hypoallergenic. Titanium rings never tarnish like silver or gold and are more durable than any other element.

Titanium is also extremely lightweight, and more affordable than platinum. Platinum, gold and silver must sacrifice style and function to reduce weight and costs. With more and more people are finding they are allergic to certain precious metals, specifically nickel alloys used in many mens wedding bands and everyday jewelry, it only makes sense to start opening our eyes to alternative metals like titanium and platinum. According to a Mayo Clinic study done last year on contact dermatitis, which causes itching, redness, and blister, the top two causes are nickel and gold. Titanium provides the stylish rich tones of platinum at a much more attractive price for men’s wedidng bands. Titanium rings are at the forefront in the designer jewelry community. No other metal has experienced such a dramatic rise in popularity as titanium.

Millions of people experience unexplained skin irritations and itchy rashes. Many times people who suddenly get these irritations don’t have any idea what caused them. Rashes can be caused by a number of things. Some experts say that jewelry allergies are not onl very common, but very simple to prevent. If you have problems with a skin rash, redness, swelling, itching or burning in areas where you are wearing jewelry, you may have a nickel allergy. Nickel is commonly used in most jewelry, since it’s cheap and strong, but around 15% of the population is allergic to nickel. If you have recently had your ears or another part of your body pierced and are experiencing allergic symptoms, you may have become sensitized to the metal your jewelry contains. White gold and other gold that is less than 14 carats can bring on a reaction, since white gold is made with nickel and other forms of gold contain some amount of nickel as a hardening agent. Sterling silver is plated with nickel, which stays shiny and bright when silver might tarnish, and so is frequently used in silver jewelry.

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