Sensitive ears and silver

Folks,
I'm planning a new piece based on a silver abalone shell casting that will
be an earring.
What I plan is not actually an earring, but rather an ear ornament. The
idea is for the earlobe to fit in the space on the back of a Donkey's ear
abalone shell and for the shell to ride up over the back of the ear. The
top of the shell will be about the level of the ear canal. No, I won't tell
the customers its a Donkey's ear abalone. I'll just say abalone.

You can see the casting at www.eliasbing.com/049_en.html

The problem: when I put it up to my ear and held it there for a while to
measure, my ear turned red and felt...well, it burned. I've heard of
sensitivity to silver (my mother can't wear silver earrings), but my
industry chums tell me not to worry about it. They say that's only for
high-nickel stuff. The casting in question is sterling silver.

Should I stick to high-carat gold?
What's the inside word?


PW

Paul WIlson wrote:
Folks,
I'm planning a new piece based on a silver abalone shell casting that will
be an earring.
What I plan is not actually an earring, but rather an ear ornament. The
idea is for the earlobe to fit in the space on the back of a Donkey's ear
abalone shell and for the shell to ride up over the back of the ear. The
top of the shell will be about the level of the ear canal. No, I won't tell
the customers its a Donkey's ear abalone. I'll just say abalone.

You can see the casting at www.eliasbing.com/049_en.html

The problem: when I put it up to my ear and held it there for a while to
measure, my ear turned red and felt...well, it burned. I've heard of
sensitivity to silver (my mother can't wear silver earrings), but my
industry chums tell me not to worry about it. They say that's only for
high-nickel stuff. The casting in question is sterling silver.

Should I stick to high-carat gold?
What's the inside word?


PW



Hmmm....could sterling be rhodium plated?


Carl


--
to reply, change ( .not) to ( .net)

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 03:44:36 GMT, "Paul WIlson"
wrote:

Folks,
I'm planning a new piece based on a silver abalone shell casting that will
be an earring.
What I plan is not actually an earring, but rather an ear ornament. The
idea is for the earlobe to fit in the space on the back of a Donkey's ear
abalone shell and for the shell to ride up over the back of the ear. The
top of the shell will be about the level of the ear canal. No, I won't tell
the customers its a Donkey's ear abalone. I'll just say abalone.

You can see the casting at www.eliasbing.com/049_en.html

The problem: when I put it up to my ear and held it there for a while to
measure, my ear turned red and felt...well, it burned. I've heard of
sensitivity to silver (my mother can't wear silver earrings), but my
industry chums tell me not to worry about it. They say that's only for
high-nickel stuff. The casting in question is sterling silver.

Should I stick to high-carat gold?
What's the inside word?

Are you sensitive to other sterling? If not, it's something to do
with the weight and positioning of the piece.
--
Marilee J. Layman
http://mjlayman.livejournal.com/

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 03:52:59 GMT in rec.crafts.jewelry Carl 1 Lucky
Texan , intended to write something intelligible,
but instead wrote :

Paul WIlson wrote:
Folks,
I'm planning a new piece based on a silver abalone shell casting that will
be an earring.
What I plan is not actually an earring, but rather an ear ornament. The
idea is for the earlobe to fit in the space on the back of a Donkey's ear
abalone shell and for the shell to ride up over the back of the ear. The
top of the shell will be about the level of the ear canal. No, I won't tell
the customers its a Donkey's ear abalone. I'll just say abalone.

You can see the casting at www.eliasbing.com/049_en.html

The problem: when I put it up to my ear and held it there for a while to
measure, my ear turned red and felt...well, it burned. I've heard of
sensitivity to silver (my mother can't wear silver earrings), but my
industry chums tell me not to worry about it. They say that's only for
high-nickel stuff. The casting in question is sterling silver.

Should I stick to high-carat gold?
What's the inside word?


PW



Hmmm....could sterling be rhodium plated?

Only if it's nickle plated first.
Some folks wouldn't bother going past the nickle.
It's really quite easy to put a nice bright nickle plating on silver.
One need not even polish it all the way. But rhodium is a bit trickier
and I doubt the average person would bother with it.

Carl

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 03:44:36 GMT in rec.crafts.jewelry "Paul WIlson"
, intended to write something intelligible,
but instead wrote :

Folks,
I'm planning a new piece based on a silver abalone shell casting that will
be an earring.
What I plan is not actually an earring, but rather an ear ornament. The
idea is for the earlobe to fit in the space on the back of a Donkey's ear
abalone shell and for the shell to ride up over the back of the ear. The
top of the shell will be about the level of the ear canal. No, I won't tell
the customers its a Donkey's ear abalone. I'll just say abalone.

Heck man, I thought for a second there you were making jewelry for
donkeys!

You can see the casting at www.eliasbing.com/049_en.html

The problem: when I put it up to my ear and held it there for a while to
measure, my ear turned red and felt...well, it burned. I've heard of
sensitivity to silver (my mother can't wear silver earrings), but my
industry chums tell me not to worry about it. They say that's only for
high-nickel stuff. The casting in question is sterling silver.

Should I stick to high-carat gold?
What's the inside word?


PW

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 23:20:32 -0800, in rec.crafts.jewelry Frosty
wrote:

Only if it's nickle plated first.
Some folks wouldn't bother going past the nickle.
It's really quite easy to put a nice bright nickle plating on silver.
One need not even polish it all the way. But rhodium is a bit trickier
and I doubt the average person would bother with it.

Yeah, bright nickle isn't hard to do. But it's about the last metal I'd suggest
putting in direct contact with skin that's already demonstrated a potential
metal sensativity. Nickle is terrible for that, with a substantial percentage
of people sensative to it. If you nickle plate jewelry intended for skin
contact, cover it over with gold, rhodium, or something of the sort. It's a
fine underplate for those, but as a final plate, not always the best idea,
especially when metal sensativity may be the issue here.

Peter

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 07:29:38 GMT in rec.crafts.jewelry "Peter W..
Rowe," , intended to write something
intelligible, but instead wrote :

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 23:20:32 -0800, in rec.crafts.jewelry Frosty
wrote:

Only if it's nickle plated first.
Some folks wouldn't bother going past the nickle.
It's really quite easy to put a nice bright nickle plating on silver.
One need not even polish it all the way. But rhodium is a bit trickier
and I doubt the average person would bother with it.

Yeah, bright nickle isn't hard to do. But it's about the last metal I'd suggest
putting in direct contact with skin that's already demonstrated a potential
metal sensativity. Nickle is terrible for that, with a substantial percentage
of people sensative to it. If you nickle plate jewelry intended for skin
contact, cover it over with gold, rhodium, or something of the sort. It's a
fine underplate for those, but as a final plate, not always the best idea,
especially when metal sensativity may be the issue here.

Peter


I agree, but unscrupulous silver makers in Thailand probably use it
quite regularly along with (it seems) hard chrome plating.

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 08:13:32 -0800, in rec.crafts.jewelry Frosty
wrote:


I agree, but unscrupulous silver makers in Thailand probably use it
quite regularly along with (it seems) hard chrome plating.

Perhaps, though i've seen non-nickle, non-rhodium (or chrome either) white and
yellow finish electroplating baths advertised. Possibly copper based alloys,
still not perfect, but at least not nickle...

In this case, however, I think Paul was discussing a piece he himself was
making, so there's not a question of an undetected existing electroplate. The
problem is simply one of possible sensativity to sterling silver itself. That,
in my experience, is possible, but not at all common. Personally, I'd start
with wondering about the weight of the piece or sensative/thin skin in unusual
contact areas of the ear, or perhaps contaminants, such as residues from
polishing or cleaning agents. But it's just a guess...

Peter

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 16:17:26 GMT, "Peter W.. Rowe,"
wrote:

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 08:13:32 -0800, in rec.crafts.jewelry Frosty
wrote:


I agree, but unscrupulous silver makers in Thailand probably use it
quite regularly along with (it seems) hard chrome plating.

Perhaps, though i've seen non-nickle, non-rhodium (or chrome either) white and
yellow finish electroplating baths advertised. Possibly copper based alloys,
still not perfect, but at least not nickle...

In this case, however, I think Paul was discussing a piece he himself was
making, so there's not a question of an undetected existing electroplate. The
problem is simply one of possible sensativity to sterling silver itself. That,
in my experience, is possible, but not at all common. Personally, I'd start
with wondering about the weight of the piece or sensative/thin skin in unusual
contact areas of the ear, or perhaps contaminants, such as residues from
polishing or cleaning agents. But it's just a guess...

Peter

I wonder if the sensitivity could actually be to copper. If so, I
wonder if the Argentium alloy would be better - it apparently ties up
the copper to the extent that there's no firescale.

--
Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ

Paul,

I've had pierced ears for many many years but I never wore earrings. When I
started wearing earrings about 5 years ago, I found that I had to acclimate
myself to sterling silver. Wear for an hour one day, wear for two hours the
next, wear for three hours the day after... etc. I finally built up a
tolerance to it. Before that, my ears would get hot, red, and sometimes
itchy.
It was only to my ears that this happened since I wore plenty of bracelets
and nothing like this had happened to my wrists. Perhaps you are the same?
Now, I wear SS earrings 24/7 with no problems.

Sterling


"Paul WIlson" wrote in message
...
Folks,
I'm planning a new piece based on a silver abalone shell casting that will
be an earring.
What I plan is not actually an earring, but rather an ear ornament. The
idea is for the earlobe to fit in the space on the back of a Donkey's ear
abalone shell and for the shell to ride up over the back of the ear. The
top of the shell will be about the level of the ear canal. No, I won't tell
the customers its a Donkey's ear abalone. I'll just say abalone.

You can see the casting at www.eliasbing.com/049_en.html

The problem: when I put it up to my ear and held it there for a while to
measure, my ear turned red and felt...well, it burned. I've heard of
sensitivity to silver (my mother can't wear silver earrings), but my
industry chums tell me not to worry about it. They say that's only for
high-nickel stuff. The casting in question is sterling silver.

Should I stick to high-carat gold?
What's the inside word?


PW