White gold is an alloy containing metals (palladium and nickel) that are prone to metal allergies.
Today I would like to write more about white gold metal allergies.
Perhaps the reader of this column may have chosen white gold, which was more affordable than platinum at the time of purchase, and suffered from metal allergies.
But now that the materials for white gold, palladium and gold, are skyrocketing, it’s safe to assume that the purchase wasn’t a failure. I think that the price will probably be quite high now, so if you can’t wear it due to metal allergies, you may consider remaking it.
I would like to tell you more about that later.
There are three major causes of metal allergies in white gold jewelry
- Nickel contained in old white gold
- Palladium contained in recent white gold is also prone to trouble.
- Many white gold products are rhodium-plated, so be careful of the nickel used as the base for plating!
I think that it will be roughly divided into these three.
But lately, as the raw materials for white gold, gold and palladium, have skyrocketed, white gold jewelery has suddenly become less common. Developed as a cheaper alternative to platinum, white gold is now more expensive than platinum.
What is white gold? Is it different from platinum?
Some people often confuse white gold with platinum, so I’d like to start with this explanation.
First, platinum is an element with atomic number 78 (element symbol is Pt).
On the other hand, white gold is a completely different thing. White gold is a mixture of gold and a white color. In the past, cheap nickel was used for adulterants, and recently, palladium was used due to the regulation of nickel.
In the 1990s, when platinum was used in industrial applications (especially automobile exhaust filters) and prices rose sharply, the jewelery industry was moving to promote white gold as a cheaper alternative to the more expensive platinum. ..
Both nickel and palladium have a decolorizing effect that eliminates the yellowish tint of gold when mixed with gold and alloyed. Mixing 25% nickel or palladium with 75% gold by weight produces a white alloy.
Nickel is not used in jewelry because it is regulated as a substance that causes metal allergies, but palladium is still used as an additive. I often see 14K white gold and 18K white gold.
However, as I will explain later, nickel and palladium mixed in this white gold often cause metal allergies.
Nickel, palladium and copper should be avoided in jewelry metal allergies
A metal allergy is a condition in which metal ions dissolved from metal products such as jewelry cause rashes such as redness, itchiness, swelling, and eczema.
There are many types of metals that cause metal allergies, but there are three types of jewelry materials that you should pay particular attention to: nickel, palladium, and copper.
These are found in many jewelery items and should be looked carefully.
Nickel allergies to watch out for in white gold
The first thing to watch out for is the old white gold.
As a guide, white gold made before the PL Law (Product Liability Law) that came into force in 1995 may contain nickel.
Since the PL law raised the issue of the safety of nickel-containing jewelery, it has been used much less often, but for example, the old white gold that was handed over may contain nickel. You need to be careful.
Beware of metal allergies to palladium in white gold!
Palladium is a metal that has come to be used as an additive for white gold instead of regulated nickel.
However, reports of this palladium metal allergy have been increasing recently.
Palladium is a metal often used in dental metals, so-called “silver teeth”.
Metal mixed with palladium is a useful material as a dental metal because it is less likely to rust and discolor.
However, recently, the harmful effects of palladium used in dental metals have been talked about. It has been reported that palladium dissolved in saliva is absorbed from the digestive organs and circulates in the blood, causing metal allergies to spread throughout the body, causing “systemic metal allergies.”
In fact, in the Western dental industry, there are movements of regulations and recommendations along with mercury, such as “Do not use copper-containing palladium alloys and mercury / silver amalgam alloys for infants and pregnant women.”
In the jewelery world, there is no movement to regulate palladium, but you should be aware that palladium in white gold causes metal allergies.
Also pay attention to rhodium plating that makes up for the shortcomings of white gold!
Another thing to be aware of is metal allergies due to plating.
White gold is one of the darkest silver bullions. It is a darker color than platinum.
So white gold jewelery, especially wedding jewelery, is rhodium-plated to look pure white.
However, please note that many people have metal allergies to this plating. Rhodium itself is less likely to cause metal allergies, but this is because most of the rhodium plating is nickel-plated as a base.
In the process of peeling off the plating, the underlying nickel is exposed and melts with sweat, causing metal allergies.
By the way, I often see rhodium-plated platinum rings to make them look whiter. Nickel plating is also used as the base here.
It may be a good thing to protect the pure white image of the wedding ring, but unfortunately the image of the word plating is not good, so there is no explanation about rhodium plating in the product. They are lined up without being done. At first glance, I can tell if it’s the color of white gold or platinum itself, or the color of rhodium plating (although I don’t bother to point out that), so it’s a little disappointing. It makes me feel. This is the case with that world-famous brand. I hope the industry will be corrected.
Nickel is a useful and hard-working metal in the metal world, such as plating substrates, catalysts, and additives. It is widely used in industrial products, but it also has many health problems that cause metal allergies.
Palladium soaring, gold soaring, white gold disappeared
Although it is such white gold, it is rarely seen in jewelry shops because the market price of palladium has skyrocketed and gold has skyrocketed recently.
For example, to make one ring, you need about 15g of platinum.
On the other hand, white gold has a specific density of about 2/3 of platinum, so about 10g of white gold is enough to make one ring.
And just 20 years ago, palladium was about one-tenth the price it is today, so it cost less than half that of platinum.
This is also the reason why cheap white gold has become popular as an alternative to platinum, but now (as of July 2020) platinum has dropped significantly to about 3,000 yen per gram, while palladium has dropped to about 7,000 yen. Yen and gold have also soared (soared) to about 7,000 yen.
Then, even with the large volume, making it in white gold is more expensive than platinum.
This is a reversal of value and price due to the influx of speculative money due to the replacement of platinum with cheaper palladium as the catalyst material for automobiles.
With this, there is almost no reason to use white gold, which is darker in color than platinum and contains a lot of palladium, which is prone to cause metal allergies.
Perhaps it’s okay to sell white gold jewelery when this price is unusual.
By the way, as of 2011, I was writing a blog post about the current price trends of platinum.
→ https://ameblo.jp/ringology/entry-10821104828.html
From that time, I heard from the technical side that the catalyst for the exhaust gas filter would be replaced by palladium.
I wonder if the price of platinum will come back. Rather, it may be more likely that the technology that can replace palladium with nickel will become widespread for the catalyst of the exhaust gas filter. I don’t know the future. I don’t even know if the petrol car is still running around that time.
Proposal for remaking white gold jewelry
For those who are having trouble with metal allergies to white gold wedding rings, I would like to give you a suggestion for remaking.
You don’t have to worry about metal allergies, and you can remake the exact same design using a metal called “hafnium” that looks like platinum.
With hafnium, you don’t have to worry about metal allergies, so you can wear it with confidence.
We often receive orders for white gold and platinum rings purchased at the time of marriage that cause metal allergies and want us to make the exact same design as the ring with hafnium. Everyone is saying, “I wish I had known earlier.”
Hafnium is also a durable material (strength is about twice that of white gold), so even if you handle it a little rough, it is resistant to scratches and deformation, so you do not have to worry about rings in your daily life! It is also popular with men.
It may be okay because it is possible to take over the attachment by removing the diamond that is fastened from the original white gold ring and transplanting it to the newly made hafnium ring.
Please contact us.
