Do you like metal rings because they look nice, but hate the fact that some metals can make your fingers turn green. So why bother getting a ring made with one of those metals?
Why Certain Metals Turn Your Fingers Green?
When certain metals comes into contact your with skin, over a period of time it will cause your skin to turn green. The metal may be copper, silver, gold, nickel or an alloy (mixed metals).
The reaction is harmless and will disappear with washing your hands. However, if you experience any unusual symptoms as a result of wearing a metal ring, such as aches and pain, it is important to seek medical attention in case you have a metal allergy.
What Common Jewelry Metals Turn Your Skin Green
10k and 14k gold, silver, brass, copper and nickel are the most common jewelry metals that can turn your skin green.
- Copper on it’s own or mixed with other metals such as gold and silver
- 10k and 14k gold: contains just enough copper to cause oxidation
- Sterling Silver: has a presence of copper
- Brass: combination of zinc and copper
How to Stop Your Fingers from Turning Green with Metal Rings
There things that can be done to help prevent your fingers turning green, but it’s not always a good idea.
For example: if you are wearing pure copper for healing purposes, if the ring was coated with a sealer, you’d lose the healing properties. If this is the case, the next tip will help.
Switch Up Your Fingers
If you want to take advantage of the healing properties of copper, but want to avoid your ring finger turning green is to wear your ring for shorter periods of time on different fingers throughout the day. Another tip is to keep your fingers and ring dry.
This tip applies to any metal ring you’re finding turns your fingers green.
Use Nail Polish
You can also apply some clear nail polish to the inside of your ring in order to avoid any reactions with the metal in it. Not a permanent solution, but works really well.
How Sliver of a Tree Rings are Made to Address this Issue
Because the majority of the rings we make include exotic wood, there is a lot of flexibility on what we can do.
- Copper rings are initially made unsealed. Upon request, we can apply a sealer to the entire ring, including the copper surface to help prevent your skin from turning green. The sealer doesn’t last forever, so you can use clear nail polish or use a polishing wax such as Renaissance Wax when the sealer has worn down.
- Some rings we craft are:
- 100% wood, so there is no metal core and no green fingers
- made with Titanium and Stainless Steel, so you get the look of metal/silver without green fingers.
- made with a wood sleeve, so you get a metal ring, but the additional core made of wood won’t turn your fingers green
Conclusion:
There are a few things you can do to prevent your metal rings from turning your fingers green.
- One option is to seal the ring’s copper or metal surface where it would make contact with skin.
- Another is to get a carbon fibre, ceramic, tungsten, titanium or stainless steel ring, which will not turn your fingers green.
- Finally, we offer options that include a wood sleeve instead of a metal core.
Follow these simple tips and you’ll be able to keep your ring from turning your fingers green.