WHY DID MY SKIN TURN GREEN? Solutions to keep jewellry from discoloring your skin.

Has gold and other jewellry ever left greenish or black marks on your skin? It's happened to most of us at least once or twice, and even though some people are allergic to certain materials, most staining isn't caused by an allergy--it's a reaction between our skin and the metals used in jewellry, especially when the jewelry touches areas that perspire.

Copper Jewellry

Copper reacts to turns skin green. The piece you're wearing might not be pure copper, but it might have enough copper in it to cause a reaction, and some people seem to have body chemistry that's prone to staining.


Sterling Silver

Sterling silver is 7.5 percent copper, but the most common stains from sterling silver jewellry are black, and occur when the metal tarnishes (darkens due to a reaction with gases in the air). Some sterling pieces are coated with products that help keep them from tarnishing, but the coatings will wear off in time.

Gold shouldn't cause staining, should it?

Gold itself hardly ever stains your skin, it's the other metals that gold is mixed with that do. Copper, nickel and silver can be used to alter the color of gold, and make it stronger and more affordable. Any of those metals can cause discoloration on your skin.

The lower the "K" number on your gold (Karat), the less pure gold it contains--and the more other metals. Some people never have a reaction to the metals in even 10K gold, but others must buy 18K pieces to stop the discoloration.

More About Gold

Nickel Allergies

If you are allergic to nickel, you won't just have stained skin. Jewellry that contains the metal will make your skin itchy and red where it comes in contact with your body.

Gold Plated & Gold Filled Jewellry

The thin layer of gold in gold plated jewellry can wear off, exposing an inexpensive base metal that can stain your skin

Gold filled jewellry is made with a thicker outer layer of gold, so it doesn't wear off as quickly.

Ways to Eliminate Staining

* Switch to 18 Karat gold, a more pure metal.
* Platinum is expensive, but rarely reacts with our skin.
* Ask your jeweller if the piece can be coated with a new layer of metal or a clear protective film along edges that touch your skin.
* Coat the jewellry with clear nail polish where it touches your skin.
* Choose stainless steel jewellry when possible, especially when buying body jewellry components.
* Titanium is another metal choice, for its non-staining qualities and for people with metal allergies.
* Watch for jewellry labeled hypo-allergenic. It's formulated for people with heightened sensitivities to metals.
* Keep your skin dry when wearing jewellry.
* Wear offending pieces for only a short time.
* Keep your jewellry clean and tarnish-free.

26
May
2010
Sex and the City 2 trailer features jewelry for every personality The ladies of Sex and the City know good jewelry.

Do you hear that sound? It’s the rumble of women across the nation getting ready to hit the theaters when Sex and the City 2 is released tomorrow night! We got a sneak peek at the trailer, and the main characters’ jewelry looks wonderful.

Of course, the pieces perfectly fit each of the lovely ladies’ personalities.

Miranda is the smart one, and her jewelry choices speak to her intelligence. The vibrant redhead was caught wearing a pair of golden hoop earrings that perfectly matched her gold dress, and was also seen wearing red earrings to match a beautiful conservative dress. It looks like the character has a lot of jewelry know-how, as matching the exact color of your jewelry to your outfit is a brilliant move.

Charlotte is refined and classy, and it looked like her jewelry complemented this idea. The beautiful brunette (and now mom of two) keeps it simple and with her engagement and wedding rings on her hands. She also chooses to wear simple classic pieces, such as diamond earrings or a string of pearls.

Samantha is the girl who’s bold, and she puts on jewelry to complement this trait. Throughout the trailer she’s caught wearing bold gold earrings and a bunch of loud gold bangle bracelets.

Last but certainly not least, there’s Carrie. The icon, who is known for being a combination of all her pals, donned a bold, sparkling necklace and a simple bracelet on her arm. The look was smart, classy and sexy all at once.

Considering all the fabulous jewelry pieces we saw in the trailer, we can’t wait for the film. We’ll be there at midnight tomorrow!

Sarah Jessica Parker sports diamond jewelry, tattoos, at Oscars 08 Mar 2010

Sarah Jessica Parker wears diamond bangle bracelets to the Oscars. Fans of fashion mogul Sarah Jessica Parker can always count on the blonde bombshell to scout out cutting edge threads, and she was a pioneer of jewelry trends as well on Oscar night.

The Sex and the City 2 star paired her beautiful, butter-yellow Chanel dress with a slew of beautiful diamond bangle bracelets that added texture and interest to the couture gown. They also gave what could have been an uber-girlie look a little bit of an edge.

Parker also wore diamond cocktail rings and floral diamond earrings.

In addition to the real diamonds, the actress wore skin-art on her wrist. The temporary tattoo is from Chanel’s new Les Trompe-L’oeil temporary skin art collection, and it resembles a delicate diamond bracelet.

SJP can do no wrong in our book, but we think that we prefer diamonds the old fashioned way – forever.

What do you guys think? Would you try out this temporary jewelry trend or will you stick to the real deal?