If you’ve bought a gold ring and now find your finger turning green, you may be furious as there is a common opinion that real gold doesn’t turn the skin green. While there is some truth to this, the answer isn’t quite as simple. So, does real gold turn green?
Pure 24k gold doesn’t react to oxygen and will not turn green. However, as pure gold is mixed with other metals when making jewelry, it is possible for the jewelry to turn green or turn your skin green. This often happens when the other metals in the gold react to oxygen or your skin.
Nobody likes it when their jewelry turns green, as it discolors your skin. People also often think that only cheap jewelry turns green, which is not the case. We will discuss several reasons why real gold can also turn your skin green and how to prevent real gold from turning green. In addition, we’ll discuss how to tell if gold jewelry is real gold or plated.
Why Does Gold Jewelry Turn Green?
Although it’s common for gold-plated or gold-filled jewelry to turn green, it is also possible for solid gold jewelry to turn green. There are several reasons why this occurs. Unfortunately, you cannot know if your gold jewelry will turn green before you buy it. However, there are ways to keep gold jewelry in top shape and help keep it from turning green.
Before discussing how to prevent gold jewelry from turning green, we must first establish why it turns green. Here are 3 reasons gold jewelry turns green or your skin green.
1. The Alloys React To Oxygen
While pure gold doesn’t react to oxygen and will not turn green, solid gold jewelry isn’t only made of pure gold. 24k gold is too soft to shape into jewelry. Therefore, other metals, such as zinc, silver, copper, palladium, or nickel, are added to pure gold to form an alloy that you can work with and make jewelry.
The number on the jewelry’s stamp determines how much gold is in the alloy. For example, 9k gold has 9 parts pure gold and 15 parts of another metal, such as nickel or copper. The same is true for 14k and 18k gold.
The more pure gold is in the alloy, the less likely it is for the jewelry to turn green. However, as the other elements added to the alloy do react to oxygen, they can cause your gold jewelry to turn green. This is why taking care of your gold jewelry is essential to prevent it from turning green.
2. Your Skin Is Too Acidic
In some cases, the elements added to the gold to make the jewelry reacts to the acid on your skin. While pure gold is hypoallergenic and doesn’t react to your skin, metals like copper and nickel can react to your skin’s acid, causing it to turn green.
Unfortunately, you cannot determine if this is the case until you wear gold jewelry and notice it turning green. However, gold-plated or gold-filled jewelry will turn green much faster if your skin is more acidic than it would if you have more neutral skin. Buying 18k gold jewelry is one way to ensure it doesn’t turn green from your skin’s acids.
3. You Have An Allergy To Metal
Another reason your gold jewelry can turn green or cause your skin to turn green is that you have an allergy to one of the alloy metals. As we have mentioned, pure gold is hypoallergenic. However, some people have an allergy to copper or nickel.
If you’re allergic to one of the elements in gold jewelry, you may develop a rash when wearing the jewelry. In addition, it can turn your skin green or black. Ask your jeweler about the alloy materials in your gold jewelry, and don’t buy any jewelry with an element you are allergic to.
How To Prevent Gold Jewelry From Turning Green
Suppose you notice that your gold jewelry turns green, and you have established an allergy is not the cause. In that case, you can prevent the jewelry from turning green by following some basic steps. Although gold is scratch-proof, tarnish-proof, and water safe, there are some things you shouldn’t do while wearing your gold jewelry if you notice it turns green. These are some tips for preventing your gold jewelry from turning green.
- Remove gold jewelry when swimming or showering. Although gold jewelry is waterproof, the other metals in a gold alloy can react to the chemicals in a pool or water. The jewelry will turn green much quicker. It can also cause your skin to turn green.
- Clean gold jewelry often. If debris and sweat build up on gold jewelry, it can tarnish the jewelry, causing it to turn green. Therefore, we recommend that you often clean your jewelry with a soft rag and soap. Also, have your gold jewelry professionally cleaned every 5 years to ensure the color is vibrant.
- Don’t wear gold jewelry every day. Unfortunately, if you notice your gold jewelry turning green, it might be a sign that you are either allergic to the jewelry or your skin’s acidity is reacting to the alloy. In this case, we recommend saving your gold jewelry for special occasions rather than wearing it daily.
- Remove gold jewelry when applying lotion. Lotions and makeup can cause buildup on your jewelry, which may cause it to turn green. It also causes gold jewelry to look dull or dirty. Therefore, remove your gold jewelry before applying lotion or makeup to ensure it remains fresh.
How To Tell If It’s Real Gold
Although gold jewelry can sometimes turn green, it’s far more likely for gold-plated or gold-filled jewelry to turn green. Therefore, if you notice your jewelry turns severely green after just a few times of wearing it, it’s likely that your gold jewelry isn’t solid gold. Fortunately, you can tell if gold jewelry is real gold or gold-plated.
The first way to tell if your gold jewelry is real gold is to look for a stamp. Solid gold will have a stamp indicating if it is 9k, 14k, 18k, or 24k gold. On the contrary, gold-plated jewelry will have a stamp that says GP, GEP, or HGE. This is the best way to determine if your gold jewelry is solid gold or gold-plated.
Another method to test if your gold jewelry is made of solid gold is to see if it is magnetic. Solid gold jewelry will not react to a magnet. In contrast, gold-plated jewelry will react to a magnet to some extent, depending on how thick the gold plating is.
You can also determine what your jewelry is made of by doing scratch or acid tests. However, this involves doing damage to the piece. Therefore, we don’t recommend this test unless you don’t value the jewelry.
Conclusion
Although it isn’t too common, solid gold jewelry can turn green or cause your skin to turn green. This is because of the other metals mixed with the gold to make an alloy. The more gold is in the alloy, the less the likelihood of your jewelry turning green.
Metals like nickel and copper are mixed with gold to make jewelry. These metals can oxidize, react to your skin’s acids, or cause an allergic reaction, making the jewelry or your skin turn green.
