Causes of blackening of gold.
Gold is a very malleable, soft, yellow metal. This metal is considered to be noble, which is why gold jewelry is highly valued and is considered a sign of wealth and luxury. Indeed, the presence of gold and gold jewelry can be considered as a kind of wealth and prosperity, because this metal costs much more than, for example, silver and other metals.
In addition to the beauty that all gold jewelry carries, sometimes it also brings trouble. These troubles are manifested in proper care of the products, since very often gold jewelry turns your hands, neck and ears black. Today we propose to find out the possible causes of such phenomena and find a way to avoid it.
Scientific explanation of why skin turns black from gold
Science has officially explained why gold leaves a black mark on the skin.
- Product ligature. One of the main reasons why gold can cause skin to turn black is wearing low-grade gold. The 375 sterling chain will most likely leave marks on the body. The gold from which the jewelry is made contains many impurities: nickel, zinc and copper. The darkening of the skin is simply the coloring of the metal ligature. It is recommended to wear products of at least 585 standard.
Interesting!
In Turkey, where the production of gold jewelry is not controlled at the state level and there are no standards, the market for low-quality jewelry is thriving. Low quality Turkish gold will oxidize, leaving marks on the body, or cause allergies.
- Sweating. Blackening of gold jewelry can occur as a result of oxidation. The catalyst for oxidation is human sweat, which contains many acids and salts. They negatively affect the precious metal. Therefore, gold darkens with changes in seasons, weather or climate. During periods of increased sweating, it is better for a person to avoid gold jewelry. If a person has hyperhidrosis (constant sweating regardless of climatic conditions), you need to look for the causes of the problem and get treatment.
- Hormonal imbalance. Sweating occurs when medications are eliminated from the body. If a person takes medications, then dark stripes may well appear on the ears, neck - places where the skin comes into contact with gold jewelry. During pregnancy, women's hormonal levels change, which can cause increased sweating. In addition, pregnant women often experience swelling, and the rings may simply be small in size and rub the skin of the fingers.
- Allergy. In addition to gold, the ligature of high-quality gold products usually contains palladium or platinum. Unscrupulous manufacturers replace these metals with cheaper nickel, which is a powerful allergen. The owner of the jewelry often does not even realize that he is wearing low-quality gold, and cannot understand the reasons for the black spots on the body.
- Interaction with hand creams. Leftover black marks from rings or bracelets may be the result of the metal reacting with the cosmetic treatment. The same traces may remain when interacting with detergents. Advice: during water procedures, when washing dishes, when washing, gold should be removed.
- Polishing paste for gold. The finished product is treated with polishing paste. It may leave dark marks on the skin as it contains chemical components.
- External influences. Perhaps the decoration is simply dirty. Therefore, it leaves a dark stripe on the finger. The decoration's coating may deteriorate when exposed to water. It is better to swim in the sea without jewelry; water procedures are allowed if we are talking about medical gold.
- Wrong size. A ring that leaves marks behind itself may simply not be enough. The blood flow to the finger stops and it turns black. The ring also becomes small with edema, when a person gains excess weight. Wearing a small ring is very dangerous. There are cases where gold can be removed only by sawing it.
Extrascientific theories
Man by nature is a creature who seeks a mysterious background in everything. This feature did not bypass the question of the reasons for the body’s reaction to gold. The most incredible signs include:
- Evil eye . People believe that gold attracts evil glances. Ordinary envy and an unkind word can be interpreted as an unprofessional conspiracy for failure. And the gold jewelry, having darkened, thus “warns” the wearer of danger;
- Negative energy . The person himself accumulates unpleasant emotions: evil, envy, discontent. And noble metals supposedly have the ability to absorb negativity. Particularly suspicious people believe that if gold turns black, then this is a reason to go to church to cleanse the soul;
- Mystic . Every “fortune teller” will confidently confirm that a person has damage. And especially if the place under the jewelry has turned black or, in general, the product has cracked. It's even worse when it comes to a wedding ring. Naive persons are ready to give their last to take away the homewrecker, or to lift a plot to death.
Psychologists have also developed a theory regarding darkening of the fingers. According to her, a person may avoid bright and sparkling things due to stress. And the stripes that appear are a reflection of internal nervous tension.
There is no doubt that for every seemingly incredible thing there is a rational explanation. And if the situation seems mystical, then it is better to simply change the jewelry and continue to follow the rules for wearing precious items.
How to Avoid a Black Thumb Situation
To prevent your fingers from turning black under your rings, and to prevent dark streaks on your skin from chains and earrings, gold must not only be worn correctly, but also purchased.
- Don't skimp on the quality of gold. Jewelry made from low-grade precious metal necessarily contains impurities. The metals contained in the ligature can oxidize or cause allergies, causing the skin to turn black. The decoration must have a stamp in accordance with GOST.
- You should buy jewelry only in specialized stores and jewelry stores that can provide a certificate for the product.
- Study the composition and manufacturer in the jewelry certificate. Trust well-known manufacturers whose products have already been worn by you or your acquaintances, friends, and relatives. If gold is not certified, its quality should be questionable.
- Take into account the “internal” reasons for the appearance of dark spots from gold items.
- monitor your health, watch for allergic reactions;
- if there is increased sweating, it is necessary to take tests for hormones, this may be a signal of some kind of disease;
- During pregnancy, women gain excess weight and swell; The rings need to be removed temporarily.
- It is necessary to properly care for your jewelry regularly:
- avoid interaction with chemicals: remove before cleaning the house;
- remove during water and cosmetic procedures;
- care for gold: clean, polish;
- Store in a metal-friendly environment.
Darkened skin after gold is not the norm. And gold is not “to blame” for turning black. It is advisable to look for the root cause and eliminate it.
Application of protective rhodium coating. Average cost of service
A reliable way to prevent blackness from gold jewelry is to cover it with a protective rhodium film. In jewelry, rhodium plating is a common process of protecting a piece by applying rhodium, a platinum group metal that is similar in appearance to silver.
What to do if a silver or gold ring turns black?
If your silver ring has turned black, you need to clean it up immediately. A blackened silver ring on your finger can be restored to its original appearance at home, without resorting to the services of a jewelry workshop.
There are a lot of gentle cleaning products that are likely to be found in any housewife’s arsenal: ammonia, soda and foil, food vinegar, and so on. But if you really want, you can get a special product for caring for jewelry: from the time-tested penny GOI paste to more modern and expensive cleaning compounds.
Black magic is often blamed for blackening silver on a finger. Allegedly, the person was jinxed or was deliberately damaged - that’s why the energy field protecting him turned black. Therefore, it is not surprising that the owner of the blackened jewelry subsequently falls ill.
What is most interesting is that there is a rational grain in this sign, explainable from a scientific point of view. The fact is that when a person gets sick, his hormonal levels change and his natural secretions contain more sulfur. Sulfur has a detrimental effect on silver: it becomes covered with a layer of sulfide, which forms a thin black film.
Silver ring in the SUNLIGHT catalog
Blackening of silver, especially high-grade silver, is a serious signal from the body about danger transmitted through the jewelry. You may not believe in all kinds of damage and evil eyes, but it is necessary to undergo examination by a doctor.
But if the gold ring turns black on your finger, there can only be two options, which we have already mentioned. This is either a low gold content in the alloy, or banal dirt.
Solving the problem of blackness
Tarnished gold jewelry, black skin spots - all this can be avoided.
A recipe from superstitious people that gets rid of damage and evil
Superstitious people saw signs for themselves in everything. If there is a black mark left on the neck after the chain - the evil eye, the gold earrings have darkened - damage. It was believed that gold has its own energy and takes energy from its owner. Hence the sign: you cannot wear jewelry that is not new, you cannot appropriate found rings or bracelets. Our ancestors noted: they will not bring happiness.
Gold was left as an inheritance - it was necessarily consecrated in the church, cleansed of foreign energy.
Energetic cleaning of jewelry
It was important which hand you could wear the rings on - left or right. Thus, wedding rings were and are worn only on the ring finger of the left hand. A ring on the thumb is a sign of will, spirit, and strong character. Wearing gold on the index finger means gaining wisdom, intelligence, and creative ideas. It is known that the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin loved to decorate his index fingers with rings.
Recommendations for caring for gold from skeptics
Unlike esotericists, skeptics do not believe unscientific versions of blackening of the skin under gold rings. Superstitious and magical beliefs, in their opinion, are the result of a lack of knowledge among people. But if our ancestors were truly poorly educated, today there are scientific explanations for all manifestations of the properties of gold. Proper care, timely cleaning and a protective coating are all that is necessary to prevent gold from turning black.
Does medical gold darken?
Perhaps every person knows that medical gold exists. However, what kind of gold this is and whether it is gold at all, few know.
IMPORTANT: Medical gold is nothing more than an alloy of certain metals, namely magnesium, nickel and chromium.
It is also worth saying that medical gold is used to make not only exquisite jewelry, but also medical instruments.
- If you look at medical gold and ordinary gold, the differences cannot be immediately seen. In principle, this is exactly what scammers take advantage of, passing off products made from base metals as real gold.
- As a rule, medical gold does not darken, and this is all thanks to special polishing and coating.
- This type of metal is great for people who are allergic to regular jewelry and silver.
- This is also a good way out of a situation where there is no financial opportunity to purchase an expensive item made of silver or gold.
- The appearance of products made from medical gold is very attractive. These are always shiny, durable jewelry.
Does medical gold darken?
- This type of product is very practical for daily wear, because medical gold is not afraid of scratches or abrasions. It requires minimal maintenance, unlike gold and white gold.
- By the way, it is stud earrings made of medical gold that make primary ear piercings, and such products are also used for piercing.
- To make jewelry made of such metal look aesthetically pleasing and attractive, it is enough to occasionally wash it with alcohol or wipe it with an alcohol wipe.
Gold jewelry is the dream of every woman and girl, because it is gold jewelry that subtly emphasizes beauty and femininity. Now, when choosing jewelry, you will know exactly which metal you prefer.
Silver, medical gold, regular gold, or maybe white? It's up to you to decide, because everything depends on your preferences and capabilities. However, having chosen a product, be prepared to provide it with proper care, because this is the only way it will delight you with its beauty.
Ways to clean gold jewelry
If a gold item leaves dark streaks not only on the skin, but also on clothes, it is most likely just dirty. It is recommended to clean your gold regularly, especially if it is worn frequently. Jewelry should be stored in boxes or caskets away from moisture and sunlight.
Cleaning gold items
Washing jewelry in a solution of soap and peroxide
Clean gold with a soft cloth soaked in a prepared solution with the following composition:
- liquid soap – 2-3 teaspoons;
- hydrogen peroxide and ammonia - a teaspoon each;
- a glass of hot water.
Heavily soiled jewelry can be placed in this solution for several hours. Then wipe with a dry, clean cloth.
Water bath with dishwashing liquid
Add a little detergent to 200 ml of water and put on fire. Place the gold items on a sieve and place it on a saucepan of boiling water. Keep steaming for 20-30 minutes.
Velvet cloth or clean white eraser for the stone ring
If the ring is set with a gemstone, you need to be careful. It is cleaned with a soft cloth, for example, velvet. A regular white eraser, preferably a new one, will also help remove dirt.
Caring for a gold ring
Ammonia
Ammonia not only cleans jewelry from dirt, but also returns it to its former shine. Ammonia is used in aqueous solutions and mixtures. You need to mix ammonia, glycerin, and magnesia in equal parts. The decoration is rubbed with this composition and dried.
Soda
Regular baking soda is mixed with warm water until a paste forms, applied in a thick layer and left until completely dry. The frozen soda is washed off under running water. Do not rub the product; abrasive particles can scratch it.
Salt
A product in every housewife's arsenal can help in cleaning your favorite ring or earrings. In a glass of warm water you need to dilute a tablespoon of salt until completely dissolved. Place gold in the solution and leave it there overnight.
What to do?
If a person sees a dark mark on the skin left under gold jewelry, then he should try to wash this area of the skin with soap and water. It happens that a dark stripe on the leather is associated with dirt and dust getting under the jewelry, but not with the quality of the product itself. The mark associated with the poor quality of the decoration is not washed off, but remains for several days.
Since the main reason for the darkening of gold is its dubious quality, every person should know how to avoid becoming the owner of jewelry made from counterfeit metal. To do this, all gold items should be purchased from well-known jewelry stores and showrooms. Real gold jewelry has a tag containing complete information about the product - the manufacturer's brand, article number, real price per gram of metal, price per product, hallmark and stamp of an appraiser. As for the hallmark, it is clearly visualized and has clear boundaries.
However, only an expert appraiser can confirm the 100% authenticity of gold. Determining the quality of an alloy requires appropriate knowledge and experience, as well as special equipment and reagents.
Section question - answer
Why does a gold ring leave a black streak on my finger?
Expert opinion
Pribrezhny Gennady Valentinovich
Jeweler 6th category
There are many reasons, and we are not talking about magic. Poor-quality alloy of the product, hormonal disorders or an allergic reaction to a certain metal in the ligature - each case is individual.
If you run a gold ring across your face, a black streak remains, why, what could this mean?
Expert opinion
Grishanov Mikhail Petrovich
Jeweler, director of the Grishanov and Co. workshop
Many people have noticed that if you run a ring over your face, a black stripe will remain. This has nothing to do with signs. The mark will remain on any part of the skin if you rub it with a hard object. When pressed, blood flows to this place, it darkens. It is for this reason that bruises and abrasions remain after bruises and blows.
Why does the skin under gold jewelry darken and leave a black mark?
Expert opinion
Andrey Seleznev
Chemist-technologist, Volgograd
Another reason for black marks on the skin: the product is small in size. For example, the ring presses, squeezes the finger, blood rushes. Perhaps the gold item is dirty and needs to be cleaned.
Gold ring with a stone on the finger
Does gold turn black on any part of the body?
Expert opinion
Pribrezhny Gennady Valentinovich
Jeweler 6th category
Pure gold does not turn black because it does not have the ability to oxidize. Blackness appears due to impurities in the composition of the jewelry, due to hormonal imbalances on absolutely any area of the skin.
A little about gold
Archaeologists and historians have come to the conclusion that this precious metal appeared a very long time ago - approximately in the 5th millennium BC. It was since then that it began to enjoy popularity, and also became a kind of measure of value.
Today, this precious metal is no less in demand - a large number of jewelry made from precious metal are sold on the market, which the fair sex is happy to buy.
Not only girls and women buy jewelry - men also love to decorate themselves with exquisite jewelry made from expensive metals, which require careful treatment and careful care.
Since ancient times, yellow metal jewelry has been preferred by both men and women.
By carefully caring for jewelry, you can maintain its presentable appearance for a long time, but an expensive ring or chain does not always correspond to these qualities. It happens that jewelry and gold leaves a black tint or mark on the skin. What does this depend on and why does this happen?
Jeweler's opinion
Molokanov N.M.
Jeweler, 26 years of experience in jewelry production.
Why does a gold ring or other jewelry leave a black streak? In addition to the noble metal itself, copper, nickel, platinum or palladium are added to the composition of gold jewelry. It is from them that the dark stripes remain. These metals are necessary, first of all, to impart hardness to the metal. With the help of impurities, jewelry acquires different color shades. The addition of additional metals to the alloy is justified, but in a reasonable amount according to GOST. If there is very little base metal in gold jewelry, it is considered low-grade and of poor quality. Unfortunately, manufacturers pass off such products as original ones. Paying a high price for low-quality jewelry is not so bad. The most dangerous thing is that “gold” can cause allergies.
Why are other metals added to gold jewelry?
This question worries many, but only a few know the answer. Perhaps this is precisely the reason why the skin turns black from gold jewelry. Unfortunately or fortunately, it is quite difficult (almost impossible) to find jewelry made from pure gold on sale. The reason is simple and obvious - gold is a very soft metal, which means that it is quite difficult to wear jewelry made from it. It is precisely so that the jewelry can be worn freely and admire its appearance, various metals are added to the alloys, which make the product suitable for use.
Alloys of different metals not only give different shades of gold but also often cause dark marks on the skin.
Also, adding various metals to the composition of gold allows you to achieve the desired color, and this is an important factor for manufacturers. So, if you add silver to gold, the product will receive a slightly greenish tint, and the copper included in the composition will get a pinkish tint. By creating gold-based alloys, jewelry makers can reduce the final weight of a piece of jewelry, since gold itself is very heavy.
Sweating
There are several more options why gold darkens. If a person eats a lot of meat, then blackening is possible on the body. Many people do not believe in this factor, but in vain. Meat eaters produce sweat that contains nitrogen. When it comes into contact with gold, dark spots appear.
Sweat is produced not only due to nutrition, but also due to heavy drinking. Therefore, before asking experts why gold darkens, you need to pay attention to your health, both emotional and psychological.
Sweat is produced when a person is under extreme stress, has a cold, or lacks sleep. Its composition may also change. It all depends on various factors.
Some doctors provided their evidence as to why the jewelry darkens. If a person has diseased kidneys and liver, the gold on the body changes color. It can be either slightly gray or black.
Some consumers buy products as cheaply as possible. They think they can save a lot of money on this. Having bought, for example, cheap earrings, they begin to wonder: “why does gold darken?” The gold in the ears often darkens, since it is in this place that frequent dirt and sweat appear. That is why you should not buy cheap jewelry.
Adding Impurities
People believe that the decoration begins to darken due to damage or the evil eye, but experts say that this is not so. Why is this happening? Sometimes gold leaves faint black traces due to the poor quality of the metal. Everyone knows very well that other metals (ligature) are also added to a gold product. If copper is present, it tends to oxidize. When it comes into contact with skin or oxygen, the product gradually begins to change color. The more copper added, the faster the jewelry will darken.
If you bought a gold item with a large amount of copper added, it is considered to be of poor quality and must be returned immediately to where it was purchased.
White gold is a chic and very expensive product to which silver or palladium is added. To create competition and a cheap price, nickel is sometimes added. This is the answer why gold turns black. It not only leaves marks on the body, but also on the product. In addition to the above, nickel can also cause severe allergies, which can cause itching in the place where the jewelry is worn.
Evil eye, damage
Gold and silver have long been considered the best indicator of negative effects on the human energy field. Attempts at such intervention lead to the fact that the finger under the ring turns black almost immediately after communicating with bad people. Many may say that this is prejudice, but I have encountered a similar phenomenon in my life.
Immediately after the wedding, my wife and I vacationed in the same company, where there were many people from my bachelor past. Upon returning home, the wife was surprised to discover that a black stripe had formed on her finger under the wedding ring. Underneath the other decorations everything was clean. Interestingly, neither before nor after this has anything like this ever happened again. This led me, a completely non-superstitious person, into some confusion and made me think. If you encounter similar situations, try to limit your circle of contacts to trusted people.
Fakes
The high cost of gold is an excellent incentive for all sorts of scammers. The art of creating imitations amazes with its perfection. It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish quality products from counterfeits.
The simplest and most widespread deception is the sale of gold-plated products. Over time, the coating is wiped off, the cheap metal begins to come into contact with the skin, which leads to the darkening of the finger under the ring.
- Read: How to determine the authenticity of gold
Choose reliable stores for expensive purchases. Avoid offers to buy gold inexpensively, “from hand”, while on vacation in exotic countries. Then you are guaranteed to save yourself from disappointment.
Now you know all the reasons why your finger under a gold ring turns black. Proper care of jewelry, eliminating all the factors outlined above, will save you from unnecessary worries and unnecessary worries.
