Metal Allergies and Nickel Free Jewellery: Which Ring Metals Are Safe

What causes a metal allergy from jewellery?

Most jewellery rashes are allergic contact dermatitis: an immune reaction to metal ions that sweat dissolves out of the alloy (a mix of metals melted together) and carries into the skin. Nickel is by far the most common trigger. Once your immune system is sensitised to nickel, the sensitivity is usually lifelong, so the aim is to keep nickel away from your skin rather than to build up tolerance.

The reaction is delayed. Redness, itching and small blisters usually appear 12–48 hours after contact, which is why many people don't connect a rash with a ring they put on yesterday. Ear piercings are a common starting point: a cheap stud post sits in a healing wound for weeks, and that is how many people become sensitised in the first place.

Nickel is not the only allergen. Cobalt and chromium cause reactions in a smaller group of people, and some people who react to nickel also react to palladium. True gold allergy exists but is uncommon. A dermatologist's patch test (small discs of each metal taped to your back for about two days) is the only reliable way to know which metals you react to. Any unfamiliar term here is also explained in our plain-English jewellery glossary.

Which jewellery metals contain nickel?

A carat stamp only tells you how much gold is in the metal. 9 carat is 37.5% gold, 14 carat is 58.5% and 18 carat is 75%. The rest, between 25% and 62.5% of the ring, is other metals, and that is where the allergy risk lives. Our guide to 14 carat gold and its alloys explains how that mix changes colour and hardness.

Even metals sold as nearly pure are alloys. Platinum 950 can be alloyed with ruthenium, iridium or cobalt, and the choice affects hardness and how cleanly it casts, which our comparison of platinum 950 and 900 covers. For someone with a confirmed cobalt allergy, a ruthenium or iridium platinum alloy is the safer request.

Is white gold nickel free?

Not always, and it is the question people ask most. Gold is naturally yellow, so white gold is made by adding whitening metals. For most of the 20th century the whitener was nickel: it is inexpensive, hard and bleaches gold well. Nickel white gold is still widely used, particularly in 9 and 14 carat and in mass-produced jewellery.

The alternative is palladium white gold, which uses palladium (a platinum-group metal) as the whitener. It is nickel free, softer and easier to work, a little heavier, and has a warm grey tone. It costs more because palladium is a precious metal. Europe has limited how much nickel jewellery may release since the 1994 Nickel Directive (applied from 2000, now under REACH): no more than 0.5 micrograms per square centimetre per week for items in long skin contact, and, since 2005, 0.2 for piercing posts. That pushed many European makers to palladium alloys. Australia has no equivalent limit, so you need to ask.

Both kinds are usually finished with rhodium plating, a thin bright-white layer of rhodium, a platinum-group metal, often well under a micron (a thousandth of a millimetre) thick. While the plating is intact it acts as a barrier, which is why a nickel white gold ring can feel fine for months. On the palm side of a daily-worn ring the plating commonly wears through within about 6–18 months, and the nickel alloy then sits directly against the skin. Our guide to rhodium plating and replating explains how often it needs redoing.

Two-tone rings need the same check. A yellow gold band with a white gold head can still put nickel against your finger if the white part is nickel-based. Our guide to combining metals in one ring covers how the two alloys are joined.

Which metals are safest for nickel free jewellery?

For people with a confirmed nickel allergy, these are the metals dermatologists and jewellers usually point to, with their practical trade-offs:

• Platinum 950: 95% platinum, naturally white, no plating needed. Very dense (about 21.4 g/cm³), so a ring feels heavy. It scratches, but the metal is pushed aside rather than lost, building a soft patina. See our platinum jewellery guide.
• Palladium 950: naturally white, nickel free and roughly 40% lighter than platinum (about 12 g/cm³). Its price has swung widely in recent years. Our guide to palladium rings covers wear and resizing.
• 18ct yellow or rose gold: 75% gold with silver and copper. Low risk and easy to resize and repair. Pure gold is only about 2.5–3 on the Mohs hardness scale; alloying makes it harder.
• Palladium white gold: white gold without nickel. Usually still rhodium plated for a brighter white, but nothing irritating is underneath when it wears.
• Titanium: very light (about 4.5 g/cm³), strong and used for medical implants. Hard to resize, and stones are harder to set securely. Read more on how titanium rings wear and age.
• Tantalum, niobium and zirconium: specialty metals that skin tolerates very well, used for bands and body jewellery.

For hypoallergenic engagement rings, hardness and repairability matter as much as skin comfort, because the ring has to hold a diamond securely for decades. Claws in platinum or 18ct gold can be retipped; titanium claws cannot. Our comparison of engagement ring metals, side by side weighs durability, colour and cost alongside allergy.

Are stainless steel, tungsten and cobalt rings hypoallergenic?

'Hypoallergenic' has no legal definition in Australia, so treat it as a marketing word rather than a test result. The alternative metals vary a lot:

• Stainless steel: 316L 'surgical' steel contains about 10–14% nickel, but it is locked into a stable structure and releases very little. Most nickel-sensitive people tolerate it; highly sensitive people may not.
• Tungsten carbide: very scratch resistant (about 9 on the Mohs scale) but held together by a binder metal. Cobalt and nickel binders both exist, and nickel-binder rings are a common source of reactions. Our tungsten jewellery guide explains the grades.
• Cobalt rings: usually a cobalt-chromium alloy. Fine for many people, but a poor choice if you react to cobalt or chromium. Tantalum is a gentler dark-grey option; see cobalt, tantalum and carbon fibre bands compared.
• Mokume gane: layered metal with a wood-grain pattern. Some traditional layer combinations include nickel-bearing alloys, so ask what each layer is; a gold or platinum lining keeps the pattern off your skin. Our page on mokume gane shows the common combinations.

Tungsten, cobalt and titanium generally cannot be resized the way gold and platinum can, so if your finger size may change, weigh that up alongside the allergy question.

Does rhodium plating stop a nickel allergy?

Only temporarily. Rhodium itself very rarely causes allergy, so fresh plating can calm a rash for a while. But a typical jewellery plate is a fraction of a micron thick, and the inside of a ring rubs against skin, soap and other rings every day. Replating every 6–18 months is a maintenance cost, not a cure, and the rash tends to return each time it wears.

The same applies to plated fashion jewellery and to silver. Inexpensive plated earrings often have a brass base or a nickel underlayer, and once the top coat goes, the base metal touches your skin. Sterling silver is rarely a nickel problem, but it tarnishes, and rhodium-plated silver wears back to metal that darkens; our guide to why silver tarnishes and how to treat it explains the difference between tarnish and allergy.

Clear nail polish or barrier sprays painted inside a band are a stopgap some people use. They wear off within days and are no answer for a ring you wear every day.

How do you check if jewellery is nickel free?

Start with the stamp inside the band. Common Australian stamps are 375 or 9ct, 585 or 14ct, 750 or 18ct, PT950 or PLAT for platinum, PD950 or PALL for palladium, and 925 or STG for sterling silver. Australia has no government assay office, so these marks are applied by the maker or importer rather than tested independently. Our guide to reading Australian hallmarks and metal stamps decodes each one.

The catch is that no stamp says what the rest of the alloy is. '750' on a white ring tells you it is 18 carat, not whether it is nickel or palladium white gold. So:

• Ask the maker which alloy was used. A workshop that casts its own metal can tell you exactly.
• Use a DMG spot test: a swab with dimethylglyoxime turns pink when nickel is being released. Kits are inexpensive. On a rhodium-plated piece, test where the plating is worn, or the result can read falsely clear.
• See a dermatologist for patch testing if you react to more than one metal, or to palladium or cobalt as well as nickel.

How much does nickel free jewellery cost in Australia?

Nickel free does not have to mean expensive. The approximate ranges below are for a plain 4 mm wedding band. Weight, width, profile and finish all move the price, and precious metal prices change week to week, so treat these as a rough guide only.

Palladium white gold usually costs a little more than nickel white gold of the same carat, because palladium is pricier than nickel. Over many years, though, a nickel white gold ring that needs replating every year or so can cost more to keep comfortable. For nickel free wedding bands worn every day, our wedding band metal comparison sets price against long-term wear.

How do you choose a ring if you have a metal allergy? Step by step

1. Confirm the allergy. A GP or dermatologist patch test tells you whether it is nickel, cobalt, palladium or something else, and rules out irritation from trapped soap.
2. Rule out metals. Cross off nickel white gold, nickel-binder tungsten and unidentified plated pieces; add cobalt alloys to the list if you react to cobalt.
3. Pick from the safe group. Platinum 950, palladium 950, 18ct yellow or rose gold, palladium white gold or titanium, depending on budget, weight and whether the ring holds stones.
4. Ask for the alloy in writing. Have the metal and alloy (for example, 'platinum 950 with ruthenium') noted on your receipt or valuation.
5. Check every part. Claws, heads, solder joins and any metal added during resizing should be nickel free too.
6. Wear it well. Take rings off to wash hands and apply hand cream, dry under the band, and choose a comfort-fit (rounded inside) profile if a wide band traps moisture.