14k Gold Body jewelry: What You Need to Know
Is 14k gold body jewelry worth it?
First, let's break down how gold works. 1 karat = 1/24th of the alloy is pure gold .
Only solid gold of at least 14 karat (58.3% gold) is appropriate for body jewelry. Anything less can cause irritations. Who wants that? None of us.
Traditional gold plating sucks for body jewelry. It's very thin and can wear away from friction. Bending the plated jewelry will cause the plating to fracture and chip. This creates environments for bacteria to fester. Ion plating is a little different however. It might cause a reaction, but the odds are much lower.
Is 14k gold good for body jewelry?
Some people are sensitive to the metals present in karat gold. Examples include nickel, silver, zinc, and copper.
White gold used to use a high amount of nickel to yield the white colour. This leads to it causing more allergic reactions than its yellow counterpart. Many body jewelry manufacturers now use nickel-free gold alloys. White gold is now often alloyed with palladium , an inert metal of the platinum group. This significantly lowers your risk of a reaction. Some people who cannot wear steel alloys can wear 18k white gold palladium alloys.
Okay, so what else do you need to know?
- Some people's sweat is acidic enough to corrode the non-gold alloys in karat gold. This causes the jewelry to turn black and discolour the surrounding skin.
- Over a long period of time, gold jewelry exposed to urine may get a rough, dull surface. The acids found in urine leach into the surface and dry to form a hard crust.
- Gold jewelry will often become discolored when exposed to povidone iodine.
- Gold jewelry may become discolored when steam-autoclaved; the indicators on sterilization packaging and tape appear to cause discoloration .
- Fret not! Discolored gold jewelry is easily cleaned up with a soft buffing cloth.
Love 14k gold body jewelry but not the cost? We recommend trying ion-plating. It's more durable and lasts longer than traditional plating.