Do you have a ring that is turning your finger green?
If so, you’re not alone.
This is a common problem with jewelry that contains certain amounts of copper or brass.
No, this is not an indication that you have a disease or cancer, but it is a chemical reaction to the metal when it becomes in contact with skin.
In this article, we will explain why rings turn your skin green and what you can do to prevent it.
We’ll also tell you how to tell if a piece of jewelry is likely to cause this issue and what to do if you already have green on your fingers!
Check Out Our Rings That Wont Turn Your Finger Green!
Table of Contents
What Causes Rings To Turn Your Finger Green
It is not only rings made with copper that causes green to appear on skin.
Any jewelry that has a combination of metals can do this.
Tin, brass, bronze, nickel and sterling silver all seem to have one thing in common. They contain copper alloy and this is the most common culprit.
Copper will oxidize and form copper oxide.
This stains your skin with a green color.
Wearing lotions and perfumes with certain chemicals will accelerate the oxidizing process of copper, causing the green to appear faster on your skin and sterling silver to tarnish.
Here are the most common types of jewelry that can cause your skin to turn green:
Antique Jewelry
Some of the most beautiful antique jewelry that survived time was made in the 1800’s.
This jewelry often had a combination of metals that were sure to turn the skin green. Brooches, necklaces and earrings were most often made from these low price metals, because of the scarcity and affordability of gold or platinum.
Plated Jewelry
Our market is flooded with jewelry that is made cheap but is also made to look expensive. In order to look like the “real deal”, it will have a gold or silver plating on it.
This does not drive up the cost to do, simply because the plating is so thin that it is not expected to last long if worn at all.
The problem is that the plating will wear off quickly and then expose the underlying metal to your skin, often causing it to turn green.
Costume Jewelry
All costume jewelry, as plated jewelry, will corrode and even rust. Some jewelry brands that are often found in department stores are built heavier to make them seem more robust for long term wear. They will still turn your skin green over time and wear.
Silver Jewelry
Sterling silver has copper alloy in it. Some people who have more acidic skin or are more prone to perspiration will find even their sterling silver jewelry making a green tinge on them.
Earrings That Have Steel Posts
Cheap earrings may look great and can last a long time since they don’t get much contact with the skin if they dangle from a post. But the thing that causes them to end up in a jewelry graveyard is the posts that go inside your earlobe. These have a strong tendency to turn green and even cause infection due to the moisture and acids in your skin.
pH/Acidity
Are there any physiological reasons that can make jewelry turn green on some people faster than on others?
Yes.
A common reason why jewelry metals will turn your skin green is because of the pH level of your body. If you have a high level of acidity, the acid salts will cause metal to begin to oxidize faster on contact.
If your diet is highly acidic, such as consuming a steady stream of coffee, meat, junk food, soda and dairy products, then you can expect to not be able to wear most types of jewelry other than high carat yellow gold, palladium or platinum.
The same goes for when you are perspiring and are acidic.
Your skin will turn green due to the acid salts excreted in your sweat.
Another reason that comes to mind is that some professionals believe that a lack of sufficient iron in the body causes your body to become acidic.
So even if your diet may not include a high level of acidic foods, having too low iron levels can cause jewelry to turn green also.
This sometimes happens when pregnant women do not take their supplements and become iron deficient, they suddenly notice one day that their ring finger has turned green whereas it normally wouldn’t have.
How Long Does It Take For A Ring To Turn Your Finger Green?
It can take only a couple hours for the green to show up and then can progress to black by the end of the day!
How To Tell If Jewelry Will Turn Your Skin Green
The only sure way to tell is by knowing what the jewelry metal content is made from.
The other way to tell is by wearing it for an extended period of time and often.
When you buy jewelry, you will pay much more for metals that are gold or platinum, or even sterling silver, than you would for all others.
This excludes Antique era jewelry however, because even though that jewelry is often made of cheap metals or very low carat gold, it can still be expensive due mainly to rarity and age.
Generally speaking, cost will be a pretty good indication otherwise.
Additionally, it would be fair to say that some people who are not acidic, rarely perspire, and don’t wear their jewelry very long (maybe a couple hours) or very often can get away for years without having their jewelry turning green on them.
Still, you need to know what your jewelry is made from before having an educated guess about whether or not it is likely to turn your skin green.
How To Prevent Rings From Turning Your Finger Green
Let’s just say that you absolutely insist on keeping and wearing a particular cheapo ring simply because you love it, regardless of its tendency to potty on your finger, or it has other sentimental value.
What then can you do to prevent it from turning your finger green and causing a bit of disappointment?
Keep The Ring Out of Water
Take it off when you wash your hands or whenever you need to have your hands immersed in water.
Water is corrosive to metals and your ring has the types of metal alloys that cause a ring to leach.
However, maybe you are just cleaning the house and not swimming or showering? Remove the ring, the chemicals, even vinegar, will destroy it.
If you do insist on using hand creams or lotions, apply those before putting the ring on, and wipe off the lotion from the finger the ring goes on as well as to the ones that are next to it entirely.
This will help for a while, say, long enough to go out for dinner, but it won’t stop it because you won’t be able to get all of the lotion out of the deep pores of your skin.
Keep Your Ring Clean and Polished
After you remove your ring, take a moment to wash any dirt or grime off of it, especially on the inside, dry it thoroughly, and then grab your polishing cloth and give it a good buffing. If the ring is a cheapo, this will wear it out sooner, so perhaps only wear it once in a while.
Store Your Ring Properly
Wrap it in flannel and stuff it into a box that is snug. This will help keep moisture out and reduce the air flow around it, which causes tarnishing.
Use “Jewelry Shield”
This is a formula coating (Amazon) that you paint on to the metal to seal the metal from your skin. It also will stop oxidation until it begins to wear off. Some people use clear nail polish too, but we cannot know what that would do to all metals.
It costs around $10 for ½ ounce.
Krylon UV (Amazon) resistant clear acrylic coating in a spray can. This will last a lot longer than the Jewelry Shield will.
Get Your Ring Rhodium Plated
This will cost around $40-50 depending on how big and gaudy the ring is or not. Rhodium is in the platinum family of metals and will keep your ring from corroding until it eventually wears off on the inside.
You may have to do this twice a year if you are wearing the ring 24/7 after seeing how well it works.
But if you only wear it a couple days a week, you may go an entire year before having it plated again.
Your finger will tell you when.
FAQ’s About Rings That Turn Your Finger Green
Is it bad if a ring turns your skin green?
It does not look nice, unless of course that’s the look you are shooting for. Who knows these days? It is only bad if you develop an allergic reaction such as redness, burning, blistering or peeling of skin.
Why do cheap rings turn fingers green?
Cheap rings are a mix of cheap metals.
When you mix metals, most of them contain copper for strength so that the jewelry can be formed. Copper will oxidize with air and humidity which is what our environment is, and this will then get on your skin when in contact.
Why is my Tiffany ring turning my finger green?
If your Tiffany ring is turning your finger green, check to see if it is made from white gold or sterling silver.
Those two metals have either copper or nickel in them.
You may want to change your jewelry purchases in the future to higher carat yellow gold or platinum if your diet is acidic.
Does 925 Silver Turn skin green?
Even though 925 silver is 92.5% pure silver, the other metals in it will still oxidize and turn your finger green.
Final Thoughts
Rings that turn your finger green are not only a nuisance, but they can also be quite painful if you have an allergic reaction.
If you find yourself in this situation, don’t fret!
There are many things you can do to prevent it from happening again.
Other than purchasing higher carat gold or platinum jewelry, you can coat the ring or get it rhodium plated to prevent certain alloys from coming into contact with your skin.