Nickel

I didn't have anything that started with N so I decided to do this blog on Nickel which is something that irritates me... literally.. I am allergic to it.

Nasty Nickel.. but the stupid stuff is kinda pretty.

Nickel is used in most pieces of jewelry out there today... still..because it's cheap. Even if you are buying Sterling Silver it is generally still plated with Nickel because it will stay shiny and bright when the Silver might tarnish.

	Nickel is found in many metallic items either electroplated or as alloy. They often have silvery appearance and include the following: 1 Costume jewelry (especially earring, silver or white gold) 2 Wearing apparel(snaps, buttons, zippers, etc.) 3 Coins and keys 4 Tools utensils and instruments 5 Metal parts of furniture 6 Batteries 7 Machinery parts 8 Metal-cutting fluids and coolants 9 Nickel plating for alloys such as new silver, Chinese silver and German silver.

There are some foods that contain Nickel too! just click on the last paragraph I wrote it will link you to the site I got the information from.

Ok so now you know that Nickel is evil .. what can you do if your jewelry, belt buckle or zipper has Nickel in it? And trust me your belt buckle has nickel in it :|
What I have done in the past is coat my stuff with clear nail polish but that doesn't always work - and if you are not vigilant with applying the polish every few times you wear it then it will have worn off and well your back to the Nickel.

So is there anything safe? Yes! I can say by my own personal experience that Rhodium, Surgical Stainless Steal, Niobium, Gold, and Sterling Silver are of with me! - just be aware because some of these still have Nickel lurking in them.. its just not as high of a % as others.
Before you go out and buy jewelry why not borrow a friends necklace that is Sterling or Stainless or plated, or the other things I listed.
Most jewelry can be plated with things like Rhodium so if Rhodium works for you then your good to go.

How do I know if there is Nickel in my jewelry? Well ask the seller first - if they are not sure then they should state that. I know I have some pieces which I am unsure of so I will not claim them to be Nickel free. If they say they don't know but you really like it remember you could probably have it plated!

But there is a test for Nickel and the information was on that link I had above but here it is again
Nickel Test

Something I am going to try that I found online is to put a coating of urethane floor coating on the unknown metals. Do I know if it will work? No .. Do I know if its toxic? Not yet I don't have the product to read about it.
Something to remember prior to using this coating is that everal types of accessories come with a thin lacquer layer to keep the finish from oxidizing while the product is being shipped or inventoried in stores. This should be removed with Mineral Spirits before you do the urethane so it sticks.
But before you do that... read this It's important to be safe and aware of what your dealing with.


Not that I enjoy linking people to other people who sell jewelry.. but sometimes there are places that specialize and until I learn how to be sure my stuff is safe I think its only fair to send people where they are sure Simply Whispers has a guarantee it will not cause irritation.. guarantees are good.

I do have Nickel free items available - in fact most of my stuff is but there are a few I need to find out more about.