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Article: Are Gold-Plated Earrings OK for Sensitive Ears?

Gold-Plated Earrings

Are Gold-Plated Earrings OK for Sensitive Ears?

ENYA Earrings by Agape Studio

ENYA Earrings by Agape Studio

Are gold-plated earrings OK for sensitive ears? We get this question a lot of times in our inboxes. It seems like there’s a common misconception that all gold plated earrings are the same and are all bad for sensitive ears. That is simply not true!

What makes ears so sensitive to jewelry? Well, the ears are a very delicate area, just the eyelids, and lips. This skin tends to be thinner and hence more prone to irritation and allergic reactions.

The ears are predominantly at risk of developing allergies from cobalt, nickel, and similar metals because the earrings are set directly against the skin and remain in place for extended periods.

These allergies and sensitivities manifest in the form of allergic contact dermatitis or ACD. This is a lighter form of eczema. It can feel like dry, itchy pink or red patches on the skin that appear after being exposed to chemicals and, in this case, nickel and other allergy-inducing metals found in jewelry.

Also Read: DO GOLD-PLATED EARRINGS TARNISH?

Are Gold-Plated Earrings OK for Sensitive Ears?

ROMEO Earrings by Agape Studio

ROMEO Earrings by Agape Studio

Gold-plated earrings are OK for sensitive ears if they are made to be hypoallergenic. Nickel is the metal that causes most skin allergies when in contact with any part of the skin. At Agapé, we produce gold plated earrings online without a nickel in the base metal, so you can rest assured that our sustainable gold-plated jewelry won’t cause any skin problems.

What are Gold-Plated Earrings?

To understand a bit more about “Are gold-plated earrings OK for sensitive ears?” we will explain our process of gold plating and how we ensure that our classy gold pieces are completely free of allergens.

The process of gold-plating earrings starts with:

  • 3D modeling of ancient-greek inspired jewelry with all their elements. Our experts reproduce the subtlety and delicacy that define ancient history artwork
  • Once our designers are ready to materialize each set of earrings, our gilding experts mold the designs in a hypoallergenic brass base with special attention to all details
  • Once gilded in brass, each piece is galvanized. We know how vital your skin's health is, so we source our noble materials from a trusted supplier with a guarantee of being nickel and lead-free, thus non-allergenic
  • The gilding technique doesn’t stop here. It is done through multiple steps before reaching its perfect state
  • Once we are delighted with our base models, we then clean them using ultrasound. This washes each detail of each piece and degreases all elements
  • Thoroughly cleaned, the earrings are now ready to be gold-plated with real, sustainable gold. We source it from trusted recycled sources that help the planet
  • To give our brass base the consistency it needs to be resilient to the wear and tear, all earrings are immersed in an alkaline tube
  • Finally, a 3-micron gold layer covers the surface of each set of earrings. This process at Agapé is different and makes your gold-plated earrings more durable and resilient because, unlike the standard 0.5-micron gold layer, we put six times more than that. Gold is the least oxidative metal, so when it covers the brass base, it seals it and protects it from reacting with water and other chemicals and tarnishing
  • To show how confident we are in our process of gold plating earrings with the shine that lasts forever, we offer a 2-year warranty against oxidation and gilding defects. This applies to our entire line of jewelry.

Also Read: ARE GOLD-PLATED EARRINGS GOOD?

How to Prevent Gold-Plated Earrings From Hurting Your Skin?

THEODORA Earrings by Agape Studio

THEODORA Earrings by Agape Studio

Poorly-made gold coated earrings with nickel as a base may not cause any problems in the first or second wear until they start tarnishing as the gold wears off. In the beginning, you may be entirely unaware that you have any sensitivity to nickel. Still, as your low-quality earrings start showing wear and tear, your sensitive ears might begin reacting.

This is why it is foremost crucial that you:

  1. Buy gold-plated earrings from a trusted source like Agapé that guarantees hypoallergenic materials.
  2. Buy gold-plated earrings with more than 0.5 microns of gold and close to 3 microns like ours. They are less likely to scratch quickly and expose your skin to the base metal
  3. Take good care of your gold-plated earrings and clean them well

Also Read: ARE GOLD-PLATED RINGS WORTH IT?

How to Care for Your Gold-Plated Earrings

To maintain your gold plated jewelry shiny and golden for as long as possible, you need to regularly take good care of them. Here are some tips and tricks on how to prevent earrings from giving you ear irritations and how to stop your gold-plated jewelry from tarnishing to maintain its shiny appearance.

This recipe and method are very gentle on the gold and all elements of your gold-plated earrings, so you can rest assured that you are doing your accessories a favor.

  1. Take a small bowl made of glass and line it with aluminum foil. The shiny side of the foil should be on top in contact with the jewelry.
  2. Add one tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of baking soda to the bowl.
  3. There should be enough water to dissolve both powders and fully submerge your gold-plated rings.
  4. Place your rings in this solution and leave them for 5 minutes at a time. If your gold plated jewelry is severely tarnished, you can leave it inside for up to 15 minutes or until black, and yellow flakes start floating on the surface of the liquid.
  5. These flakes are the sulfur that caused the oxidation of the gold layer, and they will be attracted to the foil so will move away from the rings towards it.
  6. Once most of the tarnish has left your rings, remove them from the solution and rub it clean with a soft toothbrush if your rings have details that need to be scrubbed separately.
  7. After the gentle scrubbing, wash them with lukewarm water and use a soft, lint-free cloth to dry your rings.

Also Read: WHAT IS A GOLD-PLATED RING’S WORTH?

Are Gold-Plated Earrings OK For Sensitive Ears? Final Words

THADEE Earrings by Agape Studio

THADEE Earrings by Agape Studio

People with sensitive skin prone to allergies need to shop for safe, hypoallergenic gold-plated jewelry that won’t harm their ears. If your earlobe skin is already inflamed, the last thing you need to do is aggravate it further.

If you get any symptoms of severe jewelry allergies and your skin is already red, itchy, sore, or bleeding, you need to take off all earrings and give your skin some rest until it heals. Please visit your doctor in such a case because they can prescribe a topical solution to soothe the skin.

If you notice that whenever you put your gold-plated earrings on, you get a reaction, the chances are that the earring set is made of nickel, and you can’t wear it.

Fortunately, at Agapé, we create hypoallergenic jewelry that is an excellent alternative to low-quality nickel-based jewelry or to the expensive solid gold accessories most of us can’t afford.

Our hypoallergenic earrings provide you with comfort and add sparkles to your sensitive ears.

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