“Please tell me the earrings that you can wear even if you have metal allergies.”
I received the question.
In the case of piercings, it is a raw expression, but since it is a state where metal is rubbed against the scratches on the body, you have to be more careful about the material you choose than in the case of rings.
Of course, choosing plastic earrings that do not use metal is good for safety, but it is undeniable that the atmosphere will be cheesy.
After all, when combined with jewels, the shining atmosphere of metal suits you.
So, today, I would like to write about how to choose earrings that people with metal allergies can wear with peace of mind, based on accurate information.
What is a metal allergy?
To put it simply, metal allergy is a condition in which metal that comes in contact with sweat or body fluids is corroded and melted, causing the body to have an excessive immune response.
Excessive immune response causes swelling, redness, itching, eczema, and sores.
In addition, metal allergies caused by jewelry often occur only around the attached site, but metal allergies caused by dental metals and other implants are caused by the circulation of metal ions, which are the causative substances, from the digestive organs and body fluids, and the whole body. It is known to spread to.
Reference paper:
Metal allergy and systemic contact dermatitis: an overview
In the case of piercings and body piercings, although they are accessories, since metal is inserted inside the body tissue, it is necessary to consider measures against metal allergies in a position close to the implant.
Are titanium earrings safe?
Therefore, when choosing from commercially available products, it is better to choose titanium, which is less likely to cause metal allergies, but in the so-called “titanium earrings” that are on the market, the post part is titanium but the catch part is. Please note that it may be another metal.
And sometimes, at online shops, even non-titanium products are sold as titanium, which is a problem.
In fact, if you read a well-written sentence about a product that hits by searching for “titanium pierced earrings” on amazon, the post is titanium, but the head is brass, the catch is stainless steel, and so on. To do.
There is a reason for this. The reason is that the catch part, in particular, needs to be made by pressing with a complicated shape, so if titanium, which is difficult to press, is used, the cost will increase significantly.
Be careful of brass and surgical stainless steel!
Therefore, the catch part of the piercing is made by plating surgical stainless steel (iron x chrome x nickel x molybdenum alloy), brass (copper x zinc alloy), and nickel silver (copper x nickel alloy), which are easy to press, with rhodium plating. It is often made of such materials.
Speaking of nickel, it is a metal that is a typical cause of metal allergies, and aluminum, zinc, and copper are also easily dissolved and ionized, so if you wear pierced earrings made of such metals, you will get an allergic reaction and trouble. It will be natural to become.
Surgical stainless steel, which is said to be medical stainless steel, also has a big name, but it is stainless steel. The alloy composition is iron, chromium, nickel, and molybdenum. It contains as much as 12% nickel, and from a metallurgical point of view, it’s unbelievable that it’s okay for medical use.
As a medical device, there should be few problems if it touches the human body for several hours at the longest. However, surgical stainless steel is rarely used as a metal to be embedded in the body semi-permanently like implants.
Therefore, you should look at the material of the pierced earrings and avoid those that say “brass”, “stainless steel”, or “chrome”.
There are also those that say “rhodium plating” or “rhodium plating (plating is plating)”. Even if rhodium itself is less worried about metal allergies, the plating will come off quickly, so be careful. Nickel is almost certainly used as the base for rhodium plating.
By the way, titanium alloys are also on the market, but most of them are shape memory alloys titanium x nickel alloys and high-strength titanium x aluminum x vanadium alloys (Rokuyon titanium), which contain nickel and aluminum. Causes metal allergies.
After all, pure titanium is safe.
Choose all-pure titanium earrings.
Therefore, if you are suffering from metal allergies, we recommend that you choose pure titanium for both posts and catches.
Be careful if any of the materials contain words like brass, stainless steel, or rhodium.
There are few places that sell pierced earrings made entirely of pure titanium (all titanium), but these pierced earrings are all made of pure titanium for both posts and catches.
→ MARE pure titanium earrings
Furthermore, there is a metal material called tantalum that can be worn by anyone who has metal allergies, even with titanium, without worrying about metal allergies.
Even in the medical field, catheters and artificial bones are made of tantalum because of their high biocompatibility. It is also used by coating tantalum to improve the corrosion resistance of titanium artificial bone.
At TOKYO DIAMOND, it is possible to make tantalum earrings, although it is completely made to order.
If you would like to order or consult with us about pierced earrings that do not cause metal allergies, please contact us from .
Addendum: Q & A about pierced earrings for metal allergies
After publishing this article,
“How much does it cost to make pierced earrings with tantalum? How long is the delivery time?”
“I want to know what designs can and cannot be done with tantalum.”
I received quite a lot of inquiries and emails.
When I answered by e-mail, most people said that the price was not worth it.
In fact, both tantalum and hafnium have very high bullion prices and cannot be welded, so they must all be machined out, resulting in high material costs.
I would like to post the question and answer below.
Question 1: I would like to know the designs of pierced earrings that can be made with tantalum and hafnium, and the designs that cannot be made.
Answer:
Due to the nature of tantalum and hafnium materials, there are restrictions on the shapes that can be formed. Basically, the design that can be done is the shape that can be made by bending the wire or the shape of a ring.
The shape that can be made by bending the wire is, for example, a design like this
→ https://tokyo-diamond.jp/%e3%82%b4%e3%83%bc%e3%83%ab%e3%83%89%e3%81%ae%e6%8c%87%e8% bc% aa / pirece-geometrica /
Or, a design that can be found by searching for images with “wire art earrings” like this
→ https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=%E3%83%AF
Click here for the shape of the ring, for example
→ http://amzn.to/2vwwnxA
In addition, this shape is also possible.
→ http://amzn.to/2vwWB33
Question 2: What is the estimated price of tantalum and hafnium earrings?
Answer:
Regarding the price, for example, here
→ https://tokyo-diamond.jp/%e3%82%b4%e3%83%bc%e3%83%ab%e3%83%89%e3%81%ae%e6%8c%87%e8% bc% aa / pirece-geometrica /
When using tantalum, around 35,000 yen
When using hafnium, around 45,000 yen
For example, if it is φ4mm
→ http://amzn.to/2vwWB33
If you use tantalum, it will be around 30,000 yen.
If you use hafnium, it will be around 40,000 yen.
On the other hand, if you want to make earrings with this kind of design
→ http://amzn.to/2vwUE6M
The amount of material is almost the same as when making a ring, so
For tantalum material, 100,000 yen (excluding tax) ~
If it is a hafnium material, it starts from 120,000 yen (excluding tax)
It will be a price like that.
Question 3: What is the delivery date for custom-made tantalum and hafnium earrings?
Answer:
Regarding the delivery date, we are currently quite busy ordering rings, and it is necessary to see about 4 months.
After reading the above, most people think that making earrings with tantalum or hafnium is certainly not realistic.
I would like to help those who have troubles, so I am very distressed by the above situation.
If a certain amount of quantity is collected and requests are concentrated on one design, it is possible to make it from a mold and reduce the price, but …
It’s a future issue.
Addendum 2: We have newly developed tantalum earrings.
The other day, we have newly developed tantalum earrings, so we will inform you in an additional note.
Since it is made from pure tantalum and machined in one piece that does not contain impurities, all the elements that cause metal allergies are eliminated.
If you are interested, please see the details here.
→ https://tokyo-diamond.jp/tantalum-diamond-pierce/
