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What's that black line on my face?
Why does precious metals such as gold, when rubbed across a face with makeup powder, leave a black line?
Nancy Hedger- Georgia
I don't exactly understand the question, Nancy. Sorry. Are you saying that if a woman is wearing makeup on her face and she accidentally rubs her ring against her face, it will leave black scratch marks on her face? I personally am not familiar with it.
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 Ted Mooney, P.E. finishing.com Brick, New Jersey |
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WOW... ok so I was talking to my girlfriend about 10 minutes ago and she was saying that she thought that she had a low iron level... she went on to say that she knew of a simple test to determine if she had low iron or not. I asked her what it was... she said that she needed a gold ring... she said that if she took a gold ring and rubbed it across her forehead it would leave a black mark if she had low iron... I actually began laughing at her saying that her theory was stupid... she got the ring and did it... and it magically left this black streak across her forehead... I really was totally stunned... but since I am a hard headed jerk I still could not take her word for it that "some how" the gold would react with her skin if she had low iron...
lol like an idiot I began experimenting on my girlfriend trying to figure out why this was happening on her and not on me..
I even took the time to look it up on line.. and that is how I came across this thread... I then washed her face with an alcohol
acetone [linked by editor to product info at Rockler] mixture and cleaned it. I tried to rub the ring across her face again and no mark!...
I then had her put some makeup on her face again after I cleaned it and tried running the ring across her face with the makeup and PRESTO black line... not really sure why the gold is reacting with the makeup.. but it definitely does NOT work with other metals like tin or aluminum...
hope this helps out a little...
I also had never heard of this ever until I saw it with my own eyes.
- Woburn, Massachusetts
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My boyfriend told me the same thing, that I could tell if I had low iron this way, and I did it on my forehead and it worked, and yes I had make up on. But, when I wear my 14K and 10k gold rings they leave green-black marks on my fingers and I could make a black-green mark also on my hand which did not have any makeup traces on it..
Jackie Bergeron- North Attleboro, Massachusetts
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I am online looking for information about this. I cannot wear any gold anymore. My ear lobes now get a nasty grey ashy cover, my fingers look like I am wearing a fake 5 dollar ring. At first I thought it was low grade gold, but the last earrings I purchased were top of the line. They turned my lobes also. Silver does not do this to me. I do not have this problem all the time..this is why I think the people believe it goes back to low iron.
When the gold has this effect on my body, I have a strong metallic taste in my mouth, brain fog, extreme tiredness, sleeplessness and fatigue. I really have to find out what this is a reaction to. I use to think it was from not drinking enough water, but that is not it.
Note: the cleaner you washed your girlfriends face with shield the gold reaction, I can wear no make up and still have this happen, but not right after a washing. I do not wear makeup on my lobes, and can wash my hands 10 times a day, never reapply makeup and the marks come back to my fingers. I can also create these marks on my forearms and stomach. If anyone does figure this out, please let me know.
- Califrona, Kentucky
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Hi just wanted to find out why my ring fingers are turning black after years of wearing my rings. We bought them from Rogers. I was told that it could be that my body was giving off to much acid is this true. what can I do to keep this from happening.
Dion Harmonconsumer - Norwood, Ohio
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Dear Donna Marlow
It sounds like you do have low iron.
- Jonesboro, Arkansas
October 11, 2009
This is 100% true. I suffer from Iron deficiencies a lot, and weave back and forth between low iron and full on anemia. I tend to get used to the feelings of fatigue that come from it, until it gets so bad it starts affecting my life (like falling asleep in the middle of the day or getting light headed, etc.). But the gold ring test never fails. The dark line always coincides with the times I'm exhibiting symptoms of the very low iron/anemia. The worse my symptoms the darker the line. My fiancee starts to notice my symptoms before I do, and says baby check your ring face.... and sure enough black line is there. It's never failed. When I'm feeling fully energized and my iron is normal no black mark to be found. I always use my engagement ring which is 14k gold so I know it's not a junk ring. It won't work with any low quality gold plated rings or silver rings, only solid gold.
It leaves the mark on my face, my neck, my shoulders. Not so much on my hands thank goodness. The line can be easily wiped off again. I don't have to be wearing makeup either, though it won't work on a freshly washed face. It must have something to do with the oils from your pores, which are gone when you just washed your face.
- Abington, Pennsylvania
January 11, 2010
Yes this happens to me also, in fact I have heard about it from multiple sources in the past. The first who introduced it to me was my home econ. teacher who used her ring to make an x on my cheek.I never really believed it, and in fact found this thread because I was looking for answers as to whether this is true or not.
I have a 10k ring and it makes black marks on my cheek, forehead, but no where else. I have never tried it with out make up on, so maybe it could be a reaction to my mineral make-up...
I have also heard that this works best on women (in general), specifically young women and menopausal women due to the changes in their bodies, iron deficiency also shows these trends so it does connect on that note.
I have never been tested in a clinic for iron deficiency so I'm thinking I should, however I am still fishing for answers on this....
- Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
June 16, 2010
I am speaking from personal experience that this has nothing to do with makeup. I too have the same problem with gold turning my skin green. It is any kind of pure gold and any part of my body I can rub the gold on and it will leave a green mark, however not all the time only when my Iron is low. so yes there is a correlation to an iron being low and gold turning skin green
Jennifer Freeman- Berwick, Pennsylvania
November 2, 2010
I too have this problem, have a 9ct solid gold fob and every time I wear it I have this dreadful green imprint around my neck, worse when I am wearing mineral makeup, although my gold rings don't seem to leave this mark. I do seem to get a green reaction to silver as well. Should I get my iron levels checked?
Heather Lee- Sydney, Australia
October 27, 2011
I have the ability to test by rubbing on my arm any gold or silver item. Oftentimes someone is not aware if what they have is real. Well by rubbing that item on my arm if it makes a dark black line it's real. If the item is fake it will not make a black line. Is this rare or do i have a iron deficiency of some sort? I think it's kinda cool and often help others determine if what they have is real. Now if it's plated or filled the line will not be as dark. What's your thoughts?
Cynthia Sexton- Petaluma, California, United States
November 23, 2011
You guys are subject to deficit called Anemia.
Zane Hanson- Modesto, California, United States
December 7, 2011
I know for a fact that I am iron deficient anaemic I was diagnosed a month or so ago, and literally tonight I was out with my friend and my kids and she told me about this test. I was skeptical of course. I said get out of here?!
Then I said I wonder if it would work with white gold (because my wedding ring is white gold) and sure enough it worked!, big ole' black streak.
Facinated by this I started checking my kids lol. One of my daughters whom I suspected and actually said to her before we went out tonight that I wanted to get her tested for iron deficiency, I rubbed along her face and a big ole black mark again! I went to my youngest daughter and tried it on her and nothing at all. Then I tried my middle daughter and her black mark was even darker than the daughter I suspected had iron issues.
Now I am not going to go and start forcing iron supplements down their throats but between what I've read on online when I got home and what I saw tonight, I would like to officially get their iron levels tested via serology... just to make sure.
I havent tested my son or husband with the ring because he didn't come out with us tonight.. he wasn't into going to the ballet :S lol and when we got home they were asleep. But I am going to test them tomorrow.
If this is an accurate depiction of low iron, one would ask why not just do this in the Dr's office (the ring test) - but they don't and they wouldn't for several reasons. If this is an accurate way, they would lose lots of money sending money for a battery blood work... but eventually they would have to send you for blood work in the end regardless to find out what your actual iron level is and if you are actually anaemic as well, and how aggressive to treat it.
I find this fascinating.
Robin
- Brampton, Ontario, Canada