More Beauty & Style Questions

Why did my gold earrings turn green after a long period of time?

I didn’t store them in high humidity or anything. Just in room temperature. I just need to know if this is safe to use because my sister has an extreme sensitivity to stainless steel and cheap metals. We got her ears pierced a week ago and now today her earlobes are bleeding and are irritated. The first time we got her ears pierced, they got infected too and they closed. The only thing she can use are pure gold, hypoallergenic earrings. We thought 14k or white gold would suffice… I know this is a separate question as to the one above, but it goes highly related to the situation, but are there any suggestions as to how my sister can wear the earrings?

Become an Expert →

Answer #1

Although “base metals” (like iron) corrode easily in normal atmospheric conditions, real gold is almost totally immune to any similar form of atmospheric corrosion. Gold should retain its bright lustre in almost all everyday conditions.

Copper is a base metal and when it suffers atmospheric corrosion, its surface turns to green “verdigris”. Greenish verdigris also forms on alloys of copper like bronze and brass.

Brass, in particular, can be polished to look quite similar to gold, at least until it loses its bright lustre due to corrosion.

My guess is that your “gold” earrings are actually made out of brass and I would not be at all surprised if brass earrings were to turn green and cause skin irritation, because verdigris is technically poisonous, though it has a fairly low toxicity.

Answer #2

Thanks for responding, but I already got my question answered.

More Like This

How to stop green hair from turning white? - 1 Answers
is there a way to stop your green hair from turning white with out dying it all the time??
Fake earrings are turning my ears green! .. what can I do? - 6 Answers
My 7 year old cousin gave me these really cute earring for my birthday but now they are turning my ears green .. what can I d...
Would a silver/gold-clad diamonique ring turn my finger green? - 2 Answers
I'm looking at diamonique rings and I'm noticing that they say silver-clad or gold-clad on some of them, so I was wondering i...
Will a 100 dollar necklace turn a girls neck green ? - 2 Answers
Will a 100 dollar necklass turn a girls neck green ? Lol help me please
Why do your earrings take so long to heal? - 2 Answers
Why do earrings take so long to heal? I heard it was because of a foreign object in your ear and your body is constantly tryi...
Will bleached hair turn green if you dye over it? - 4 Answers
If you all ready have bleached hair, will it turn green if you dye over it?
Who knows if Hazel eyes can turn more green with "age"? - 4 Answers
I've had hazel eyes all my life. (duh) But lately I've been noticing they're more green than hazel or brown. Hopefully most p...
14K gold rings are turning dark, how to clean it? - 3 Answers
Hi! I got a couple of nice rings, well I thought they were nice, but as I wear them certain spots on the ring are turning da...
Is it healthy for hair to be wet for a long time after taking a shower? - 5 Answers
i take a shower and then when i'm done, i wrap my hair in a towel and hold it up and keep it like that for a long time. shoul...
How do i stop my ring turning my finger green? - 5 Answers
There has to be some way of stopping my finger from turning green :/

Ask an advisor one-on-one!

Why did my gold earrings turn green after a long period of time?

Turn Curvy

Layali Gold & Diamonds

Hoa Viên Nghĩa Trang Sala Gar...

Tips Achieving Perfect Wardrobe

Rockford Collection