What should I do if I have an allergic reaction to the ring metal?

Pull the ring off and wash the area with mild soap. This is not a time for jewelry. Most reactions are irritant contact dermatitis - soap, lotion, or the fine dust from gym chalk trapped under the band - and not a true metal allergy. But sometimes it is the metal, and you'll know within a day or two whether the skin calms down on its own.

Nickel is the usual culprit. White gold alloys, especially 14k nickel-white, leach enough to trigger a rash in maybe 15% of people. Yellow gold can do it too, from the copper or silver in the mix, though that's rarer. Platinum allergies are almost unheard of - I've seen one in 22 years. Palladium, same story. Titanium and niobium are biologically inert; if you react to those, it's almost certainly something else trapped underneath.

A client named David walked in last February with a 10k white gold wedding band that was leaving a red, itchy band around his finger even after a replate. The plating had worn thin, exposing the nickel alloy. We recast the ring in 18k palladium-white - same bright white, half the weight of platinum, zero nickel, about $1,200 for a plain comfort-fit band at the time. No reaction since. His wife's 14k white gold band never bothered her, which is typical. Sensitivity varies person to person, finger to finger.

If it's a reaction to a yellow or rose gold that you love and don't want to replace, we can try a high-purity alloy - 22k yellow largely eliminates the problem because there's so little base metal. But 22k is soft. For an engagement ring with a stone, I'd rather use an 18k palladium-white or platinum setting and keep the gold as an accent.

One thing that surprises people: rhodium plating can cause a reaction on its own, though rarely. More often, it's the base alloy exposed through scratches. A fresh rhodium plate might buy you six to twelve months, but if the sensitivity is strong, you'll be back in the same spot. I won't plate a ring more than twice without having the conversation about remaking it.

If you're not sure which metal is the problem, a dermatologist can do patch testing. It costs around $300-$500 out of pocket, but it's worth it before you spend real money on a new mounting. Bring the ring with you to the appointment; they'll appreciate the context. Meanwhile, coat the inside of the band with clear nail polish as a temporary barrier - it's an old trick that works for a few days. Not a permanent fix.

Most of this comes down to knowing your alloy. A jeweler who can't tell you whether your white gold is nickel-white or palladium-white isn't the one you want remaking the ring.