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Self-expression, fashion, marking a special occasion, or commemorating an event – these are only some of the reasons why people wear jewellery like necklaces made of Broome pearls, diamond encrusted gold and silver bracelets, or pearl engagement rings.

There are many people who enjoy wearing jewellery every day for these various reasons. However there are some who don’t wear them as often as they would like because of the fear of getting jewellery allergy or dermatitis.

We may wonder though does jewellery really cause dermatitis? How can such a beautiful piece of adornment cause your skin to react negatively? First we need to understand what dermatitis is and what’s causing it.

Knowing What Is Dermatitis

Dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin. A person with dermatitis will experience redness, itchiness and blisters on the affected area. There are two types of this: atopic which is caused by something within the body, and contact dermatitis which is caused by something outside of the body.
For contact dermatitis, this can be caused either by irritants like detergents and solvents or by allergens like cosmetics or nickel.

Learning More about Jewellery

Fine pieces of jewellery have a radiant lustre, defined colour, and exceptional quality. These are what makes them truly remarkable and highly sought after. Lesser forms though may not have these features. For them to have an enhanced appearance and resilience, jewellers will need to add other elements like nickel, cobalt, copper and zinc to them. Those that are not pure would also need other elements to make up the rest of the metal. And herein lies the culprit to most people’s jewellery allergy.

While there’s a small amount of people who are allergic to gold or silver, most allergies are triggered by the elements added to the metals, with nickel being the most common allergen.

What You Should Do

If you’re one of the unfortunate few who get allergic to earrings, bracelets or rings you should try to be more selective in what you buy. Stay away from costume jewellery and opt for quality pieces.

Take this in mind, the lower the karat the bigger percentage of other metals alloyed with the gold or silver. For example, a pure gold 24 karat which contains 99.9% gold has only 0.1% other metal, while 9 karat gold jewellery which holds 37.5% gold has 62.5% other metal.

Even with the connection of dermatitis and jewellery, you can still wear beautiful pieces minus the jewellery allergy that can result from it. Dermatitis can only be experienced if you wear cheap products. So invest in quality pieces with the smallest traces of nickel and other elements.

Jewels of the Kimberley designs unique, exceptional and exquisite jewellery using the finest materials on earth including south sea pearls from Australia. We specialise in fine, hand-crafted designer jewellery is perfect for any occasion. Check our gallery to view our collection or call us to create a custom design.