Green fingers from 14 kt gold rings

A. Hi Kelly. Your finger is turning green because the salty sweat moisture under the ring reacts with copper and nickel in the ring. Few rings are pure 100% gold. Most, like yours are karat jewelry. 10K means it's 10 parts gold out of 24, and 14 parts copper & nickel, etc. out of 24.

One potential fix is to coat the inside of the ring with clear nail polish. Another thing to try is the ammonia treatment suggested by Mark Baker. Many women on this and other threads here report that their body chemistry has a lot to do with the issue.

Luck & Regards,

A. Hi Misty,
I have heard some people complain about green fingers from rings, but most of them were wearing cheaper type jewelry. As you probably know, 14K is 14 parts gold out of 24 parts. the other percentage could be Copper, Zinc, Nickel and a number of other cast alloying metals. You could take them to a jeweler that can test the rings to see if they are gold. Being stamped 14K does not always mean they are. There have been reports of fly by night jewelry stores selling plated rings stamped on the inside 14K. Most of them are in prison now. If they are gold you may have an allergy to the cast alloy, maybe nickel or copper. A good dermatologist can test for those allergies. You could try cleaning the rings in a small [on eBay or Amazon]. Good Luck

A. Sterling silver is an alloy of silver 92.5% and copper 7.5%. When it is worked by a jeweler it will be heated if it is soldered. As a result it may become coated in red copper oxide. Usually this is removed by pickling in a solution of sodium bisulphite which produces a weak sulfuric acid solution. If you have a ring that has not been properly pickled prior to polishing it may still have copper on its surface that will react with your perspiration to make a green copper compound that stains the skin.

I would suggest soaking your rings in a mixture of household ammonia [on eBay or Amazon] and water (50/50)for a day or two. The ammonia solution will turn blue as it forms a copper ammonia ion and this will not hurt the silver. After that, your rings will not turn your skin green because the copper has been removed from the surface of the sterling.

Another problem with sterling silver is that it can turn black if you eat a lot of garlic. Again perspiration attacks the silver and in this case I am not sure of the chemical reaction. Proper pickling and polishing will remove the black and restore the silver to its glory.

If possible get your silver plated with rhodium and it will never tarnish and cause problems.

A final note: Some people just have very strong perspiration that chemically attacks even low (10) karat gold alloys and slowly dissolves a ring from the inside out.

A. Hi Diane,
Yes the solution of 50/50 ammonia and water will also work for gold. When I worked with jewelry manufacturers they would advise me on quick cleaning solutions. They liked straight heated ammonia (just below the boiling point), hanging the ring below the solution level on stainless steel wire for about ten minutes. You would need to cover the pot and have adequate exhaust. Let the solution cool before removing the lid and ring to save havoc on your nasal passages. This cleaning method is for 10k - 18k gold, with or without precious stones. I would stay away from cleaning PLATED JEWELRY this way. Good luck!

A. Mark is far more knowledgable that me, but I'd add the warning that pearls may be as precious as stones, but they are not stones; what is safe for stones may no be safe for pearls.

Luck & Regards,

A. I used to have the same problems with my rings, I learned a trick, after soaking them in half ammonia half water, let them dry and then cover the outsides and insides of the ring with a coat of clear nail polish, let them dry and them wear them, they should no longer turn your fingers green, as for getting the green off, mix a teaspoon of baking soda [on eBay or Amazon] with a little water to make a paste, coat the area that's green and let it stay for about 10 minutes. the green should be gone, and depending on how green it is, you may do it again.

A. After I began taking Vitamin B complex, my fingers stopped turning color from jewelry. I learned this from an old jeweler in Rochester, MN when I lived there.

We appreciate you letting us know what worked for you, Sonja, and I believe it. Still, I'd feel better for you if you had learned this from an old doctor than an old jeweler :-)

I'm not enthused about people trying to determine appropriate vitamin regimens by making their body chemistry conform to their jewelry :-)

Good luck!

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007

Ted:
My doctor (s) and many nurses did confirm that several years later.
Feel better? :)

---

March 24, 2009

Yes, Sonja, I do. Thanks so much for the update.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

A. They are probably real white gold, made with nickel, and that's what you are allergic to. White gold can be a bit "gray"; it's the rhodium plating on most white gold today, not the white gold itself, that is that brilliant color.

Please see our Rhodium Plating and White Gold FAQ.

If they are labeled 14k, I'd feel confident that that's what they are. Good luck.

Your fingers sweat, Kell, and rings usually fit snugly -- much more so than other jewelry. This salty water reacts with the copper or nickel in the rings and creates the green salts. The degree of sweat & saltiness may vary due to exercise, anxiety, or hormones.

I didn't see any "bias against the idea that physiological makeup has something to do with the occurrences", Juliet; to the contrary there are numerous references to hormonal balance, etc., on this page. You do, however, see bias against the idea that people should base their diet and vitamin supplements on advise from their jeweler :-)

Plus it's very possible for a healthy person to get green fingers from troublesome jewelry, and for an unhealthy person to never get green fingers if there is no copper in the jewelry; so the jewelry can have an effect on the issue. But salty sweat (and consequent green fingers) might, as an example, be a sign of cystic fibrosis. So I feel better when people discuss these issues with their doctor, not just their jeweler :-)

A. I was once told by a physician that this was because I had a deficiency of iron. I do think that there are some truth to that, as I have a history of anemia and this only happens to me when I am showing other signs of being anemic. My ring doesn't turn my finger black 100 percent of the time. I realize that this is controversial but perhaps will give you a place to start researching. I would definitely ask my doctor and get his opinion.
I hope your condition gets better.

A. I think the iron thing may be right also. My ring turns my finger green so I take extra iron then it doesn't do it for a while. If it starts turning green again. I take some more.

A. You also have too much acid in your body. There are foods that can control it. My rings do this about every 3 mos. and I can take my 14 kt. gold ring off and write on my arm. The acidity will cause your fine jewelry to turn your fingers green.

A. Yes, if alloy is not good it will turn green or black and make your skin problem. Biggest problem is White Gold must be made with palladium, not with Nickel. Most jewelers use without palladium: not good.