One of the side effects of pregnancy that you don't find out about unless it happens to hit you is that sometimes your sensitivity to different metals changes. For example, I used to wear all kinds of cheap costume jewelry with nary a problem. No longer. I first noticed a problem when I was pregnant with Juliette- my ears became itchy and red after wearing cheap earrings. Course, by the time they were itchy enough and red enough for me to actually pay attention to it I couldn't get the earrings in my ear anymore; so I stopped wearing them. And my holes closed up.
A couple of years later, before my sister's wedding, I decided to get them repierced. But, maybe because at the time I was breastfeeding Cosette, the senstivity was still there.
Now I am not pregnant, I am not planning on becoming pregnant, and I am not breastfeeding- so I decided to get my ears pierced for the third time.
And the sensitivity is still there. But this time I am determined to work through it. I miss wearing earrings. Also, I am running out of ear lobe to pierce new holes in- you can't just pierce over an old hole because of the scar tissue and keloids. So I am becoming somewhat of an expert on ear lobe piercings and metal sensitivity.
Do you know that most jewelers don't really know a damn thing about metal? For example- several of them told me to wear a minimum of 14K gold; no silver; and if the yellow gold was causing irritation, try white.
Hmph. It turns out that what most people are sensitive to is nickel. There is a lot of nickel in white gold. I am better of with sterling silver- which has other metals in it but not much nickel. I am even better off with rhodium plated sterling silver. I am even better off with platinum.
Notice a trend here? Sterling silver: $. Rhodium plated sterling silver: $$. Platinum: $$$$.
Now, here comes the chemistry lesson. Platinum is the strongest and most pure metal used in jewelry these days. Iridium, osmium, palladium, rhodium and ruthenium are in the platinum family. Platinum jewelry is usually 95% platinum alloyed with 5% iridium, palladium or ruthenium. Sterling silver jewelry has copper in it (no nickel). Stainless steel sometimes has nickel in it, but the chemistry which makes it stainless is a thin layer of oxidized chromium on the surface; if you scratch it the exposed chromium quickly oxidizes; therefore no nickel comes in contact with your skin. Yellow gold is alloyed with copper; white gold with copper, silver or nickel. So when those several jewelrs all told me to try white gold, they were suggesting the one metal that I would be the worst off with. Idiots. Maybe I should call them up and educate them. I mean, they didn't even push the expensive platinum! All around bad salesmanship.
At the end of the day I could try the expensive platinum earrings which are very hard to come by; or yellow gold; or sterling silver. Greg says: buy what you need. So, I have bought a pair of platinum, a pair of gold, and a pair of sterling silver earrings. Yes, I do have many other pairs in my jewelry box, but on most of them there is no stamp so I can't determine what it is I am dealing with. And the rest have small posts that won't fit in my swollen ear. Right now I am wearing the sterling silver- which Peter Indorff "thinks" is rhodium plated; and they seem OK. My platinum earrings haven't arrived yet. My gold ones don't fit into my swollen ear lobes. (I knew they wouldn't but they were so pretty that I couldn't resist. Oh, yeah, and, they matched the gorgeous gold necklace I bought at the same time.)
Meanwhile, I am grossing everyone out with my red irritated ear lobes, and my short hair cut is put on hold until I won't be embarrased to expose my ear lobes. No, they are not infected, Yes I have seen the doctor. It's just another one of those things you go through when you become a mother.
Now we'll see what happens when Greg gets the AmEx bill.
A few pairs of earrings and one necklace still doesn't compare to him buying a Porsche, though.
How long do you think I can milk that one?
4 comments:
Grammar question: Which is correct: sisters wedding, sister's wedding, or sisters' wedding???
First of all, I love that you commented your own post. I'm asking Russ (who is quite good at grammer after teaching it to 6th graders for a few years. I'll get back to you on that one.) Secondly, you used way too many words that I can't even pronounce in this post, although I think that I got enough to say that you should stick the platinum earrings in and hunker down until your ears are better. Finally, you haven't even BEGUN to milk the porche thing yet! Oh, and one more thing, if the gold earrings and necklace don't work for you, I do have a 30th birthday coming up! ;) JK!
You know what's funny, is that before even experiencing pregnancy & all that comes with it - is that I have sensitive ears too. I didn't get my ear pierced until I was 13 and of course, I wanted to wear all the cheapie stuff from Claires. My ears used to be irritated all the time.
I've found that sterling silver works for me (although I haven't ever tried platinum...if I do I might never go back.)
Sorry about your ears but am envious of your new "excuse" for new earrings!
PS- It's sister's wedding--which is what I thought but Russ confirmed it for me.
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