Earrings for sensitive ears: what to look for before you buy
If earrings leave your ears red and itchy a few days after you put them in, nickel is a common cause. What dermatology sources say, and how to check the part of an earring that sits inside the piercing: the post.
In this guide
Some people can wear any earrings they like. Others put in a new pair, forget about them, and a few days later have a red, itchy earlobe and no idea why. If you are in the second group, this is worth reading before your next order, because pierced earrings can't be returned.
This is general information, not medical advice. If your ears react, the person to see is a dermatologist, and we say more about that below.
What may be going on
A common cause is nickel. DermNet, the New Zealand dermatology reference, calls nickel allergy one of the most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis. ASCIA, the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, says about 8% of the population are allergic to nickel, and lists costume jewellery, watch straps, bra clips and jeans studs among the places it is found. It describes an itchy rash that can blister and weep, appearing a few days after contact. Because of that delay, it is easy not to connect the rash with the earrings at all.
DermNet names the earlobes, from earrings, as one of the most common sites for nickel dermatitis, along with the wrist under a watch strap and the lower abdomen under a jeans stud. It also says that once a nickel allergy has developed, it persists for many years, often for life. It is worth working out early rather than putting up with.
How it is diagnosed
From your history and by patch testing. ASCIA says patch tests are usually done by a medical specialist, either a dermatologist or a clinical immunology and allergy specialist. Small amounts of the suspected allergens are put on the skin, usually on the back, covered with tape, and checked for a reaction after a few days. DermNet describes the same two steps: your history and patch tests.
The American Academy of Dermatology's advice is to see a dermatologist for a proper diagnosis if you think you have an allergy, or if a rash blisters, becomes infected, or keeps coming back.
DermNet also describes a spot test for metal items, using a chemical called dimethylglyoxime (DMG). A drop goes on the metal and is rubbed with a cotton bud. If the bud stays clear, the item has no free nickel. If it turns pink, the item contains nickel and may cause dermatitis in someone who is allergic to it.
Which metals dermatology sources suggest
The two lists we found are close, but not identical:
- American Academy of Dermatology: jewellery that is nickel-free or hypoallergenic, or made from metals such as surgical-grade stainless steel, 18, 22 or 24 carat yellow gold, pure sterling silver, or platinum.
- DermNet: stainless steel described as hypoallergenic, solid gold of 12 carat or more, and silver jewellery should be safe. It adds that nine-carat gold and white gold contain nickel.
Silver is on both lists: DermNet says "silver jewellery", and the AAD says "pure sterling silver". Neither list mentions plated jewellery, where what touches your skin depends on the plating and on whatever is underneath it.
Gold or silver?
Both sources put gold on their lists, but only solid gold of a high enough carat: 18 carat and up for the AAD, 12 carat and up for DermNet. DermNet also says nine-carat gold and white gold contain nickel. Gold plating isn't solid gold, and neither list covers it. So 925 sterling silver is the closest match to both lists, while "gold" on its own could mean something that is on neither. Read which gold, and how much of it.
Check the post first
The part of an earring that sits inside the piercing is the post, or on a hoop, the wire that passes through, so it is the first part to check. It isn't the only one: the AAD lists earring backs among the biggest culprits, and none of these pages names the metal of the back.
So when you read an earring page, look for the metal, named. Of these four, the first two name the post itself, and the other two name the metal of the whole piece:
- Pearl Stud Earrings: S925 sterling silver posts, which is in the title as well as on the page. The pearls come in 8 to 14mm, in white, pink or cherry pink.
- Freshwater Pearl Stud Earrings: 925 sterling silver posts, with a freshwater cultured pearl of 10 to 12mm.
- Sterling Silver Stud Earrings: genuine 925 sterling silver, a plain round bead in 2, 3, 4 or 5mm.
- Moissanite Stud Earrings: solid 925 sterling silver.
When a page says nickel-free or hypoallergenic
Some pages go further than naming the metal. Under the Add to cart button, the Sterling Silver Stud Earrings and Moissanite Stud Earrings pages carry our short "Genuine 925" note: "Stamped sterling. Nickel-free posts." Two more pages carry the same note, and their descriptions go further again. The Freshwater Pearl 925 Silver Earrings page describes them as hypoallergenic and nickel-free, though one buyer review on that page calls them silver plated, so treat the page's claims with extra care. The 2CT Moissanite Huggie Hoop Earrings page describes their 925 sterling silver as hypoallergenic.
Read those words as a description, not as a test of your ears. None of these pages says how those claims were checked, and we can't promise any metal suits every wearer. What they tell you that is genuinely useful is the metal: 925 sterling silver, the closest match to both lists above.
A page that names the finish but not the metal
Be more careful with a page that tells you the colour or the plating and stops there. The Cubic Zirconia Stud Earrings page describes rose gold plating and doesn't say what the plating covers. That doesn't make them a bad pair of earrings. It makes them the wrong pair to test a sensitive ear on.
The same goes for words like "gold-tone" and "silver-tone" anywhere you shop. They describe a colour. They don't tell you what is in the post.
Before you order
- Find the post metal on the page, named, and check it against the lists above.
- Treat "hypoallergenic" on any page as a description, not a guarantee.
- If your ears have reacted before and you don't know why, get it diagnosed rather than working through pair after pair. ASCIA's point is that once the cause is confirmed, avoiding it should prevent the symptoms.
- If you already know you react to nickel, ask whoever treats you about a specific metal before you buy.
- Pierced earrings can't be returned, for hygiene reasons, so read the page before you order rather than after.
If you are browsing with all of this in mind, the earrings collection has the studs, hoops and drops in one place, and each page names its metal where the maker gave it.
