Why Does Gold Change Color of Fingers?
Why does a new piece of jewelry change color or cause my finger to turn black?
Makeup is a prime cause of dark smudges from jewelry. Make up often contain compounds harder than the jewelry itself, which wear or rub off very tiny particles. Very finely divided metal always appears black rather than metallic, so it looks like a jet-black dust. When this dust comes into contact with absorbent surfaces such as skin or clothing, it sticks, forming a black smudge.
Another real danger to jewelry is chlorine. This means bleaches in cleansers and washing supplies, treated hot tub water or chlorine in swimming pools. Chlorine will actually damage the jewelry, mostly with white gold items. Yet, in some cases chlorine will tend to put a “patina” or darkening on the yellow gold items and that dark stuff is rubbed off onto the skin.
Another cause is metals corrosion. Gold itself does not corrode, but its primary alloys of silver or copper will do so—forming very dark chemical compounds—under moist or wet conditions.
When you perspire fatty acids released by your body can cause corrosion of 14-karat gold, especially when exposed to warmth and air. This problem can be worse in seacoast and semitropical areas, where chlorides combine with perspiration to form a corrosive element that discolors skin. Smog fumes gradually attack jewelry and are evident as a tarnish that rubs off on the skin.
One way to prevent this is to remove jewelry often and use an absorbent powder, free of abrasives, on skin that comes into contact with jewelry.
If you are continuing to have discoloration of the jewelry or skin, switch to 18-karat gold or platinum. The lower alloy content of 18-karat gold—25%, versus almost 42%—significantly reduces the problem, and the use of platinum should eliminate it completely.
Cleaning you jewelry everyday or at least 3 times a week can help prevent any buildup of chemical salts, cosmetics, lotions, etc. This is highly recommended for better life for jewelry but also to help prevent smuges. |
