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Nickel and 24kt gold allergy, help?

Hi,
My 9 year old is allergic to nickel and gold. She has been tested and definitely has a true nickel allergy. She developed a gold allergy over time from her earrings and the ones that seemed to spark it were 24 kt gold at 4 years old. Of course her ear holes closed up and now that she's becoming a "big girl" she really wants her ears pierced again. Okay so my first problem is, since most sterling silver is plated with or has nickel in it, I'm not sure how I'll be able to do that... The second problem is once it's done, what on earth type of jewelry could she possibly where? The doctor said platinum is probably our best bet since palladium has gold rolled in some how... Ummm, need I remind you that she's 9 years old! Platinum? I don't think so! Please help.

Naketa Thigpen
- Lansdowne, PA, United States
November 4, 2009

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Hi, Naketa. I doubt that her earrings were 24 kt gold, as pure gold is about as soft as butter -- so perhaps her allergy is not to gold but some other metal. Titanium is used both in implants and in jewelry, and it is not a precious metal so it is not outrageously expensive; but it offers great decorative effects, so that's what I would look into. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
November 5, 2009

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The earrings were a gift, so I won't pretend to be certain they were 24 kt but that's what they told us :p Oh well. Do you think that she'll be able to wear palladium covered jewelry at some point then? I will definitely research some titanium options for now.

Thanks

Naketa Thigpen
- Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, United States
November 4, 2009

Look at "surgical stainless" for the part that goes thru the lobe.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
November 5, 2009

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Naketa,
Just a quick response to your first posting on 11-4-09. Sterling Silver should not contain nickel or be plated with nickel. It should be 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper or it isn't Sterling Silver. The jewelry will be marked "Sterling" or ".925". If it isn't, don't buy it.

Mark Baker
Fellow Plater - Syracuse, NY USA
November 10, 2009