Sterling silver leaving a mark on skin

[Littlewhitefeathers]

Hi, I have been making sterling silver cuff bracelets. I have had them tested and hallmarked so they are definitely sterling silver.

Once I stamp quotes on them I use platinol oxidising solution to define the letters then polish off the excess with a polishing pad.

I polish the bracelets by using sanding pads of various grits then polishing with a polishing pad.

One of my customers recieved their bracelet yesterday and wore it over night. It has letters on the inside.

This morning she says it has marked her wrist but I am confused as to why? Any ideas?

See pic attached. Thanks

[Littlewhitefeathers]

Meant to add, after I oxidise, I rinse the bracelet with water and dry it before polishing the excess off.

[Goldsmith]

Some people, like my sister, cannot wear silver jewellery. My sister's body produces acids that create dark skin marks when silver jewellery is worn against it, so she only wears gold jewellery now.


James

[enigma]

Yes there are people whose skin reacts to sterling silver and it leaves a mark.
Ive only had it happen twice with rings and they are both fine if they coat the inside with clear nail varnish.
It does wear off and need redoing occasionally but they have both been ok with that.
People can get upset if they think its not silver so do point out to them about the hallmark being 100% proof of that.
Sometimes they will have worn silver before and not had a problem because it was in less contact or they didn't wear it for as long.

Its possible also that it could be the oxidisation coming off though? I wouldn't use it inside an item.

[Lucie]

My skin reacts terribly to silver. I get the same black marks, followed by inflammation, blisters and bleeding
Everyone's skin is different, so she may only ever get the black marks - Although in this case, as has been suggested above, it does sound like it's the oxidation coming off.

If it's a silver allergy, some people get around it by rhodium plating, but it would have to periodically re-plated as it does wear off.

[pearlescence]

You could consider fine silver for this person...I've had success with fine silver rings with people who couldn't wear sterling.
But it might be some residual oxide from inside the lettering
Irritation is usually red not black though
The only thing to do is to ask for it to be returned and examine it

[ajda]

Another vote for Argentium - I no longer use any other silver.

would you still have an issue at the solder join if using sterling solder?

I would recommend fusing without solder wherever possible, just a little Auflux or the Argentium flux sold by Cooksons - in my experience it's easier (and neater) than soldering, though I sometimes use solder for really small items where there's a risk of meltdown when fusing. I would not recommend using a standard sterling solder - it may look fine to begin with, but will tarnish faster so a contrast will appear over time.

My skin reacts terribly to silver. I get the same black marks, followed by inflammation, blisters and bleeding

That sounds pretty nasty. Have you ever tried wearing Argentium, or would you rather not take the risk? There's plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest people who can't tolerate traditional silver alloys can tolerate Argentium. As far as I can understand, the passive layer of germanium oxide that prevents tarnishing also shields the skin from direct contact with the metals/oxides that cause the problems. So it would be best to be sure that it has been properly heat treated for passivation - fresh from pickling and/or polishing, I imagine it would be little different from traditional sterling because the passive layer hasn't had a chance to build up.

Alan