Daily Wire Tip Nov. 13: Green Fingers and Wire Wrapping
Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
November 13, 2010
Question:
What kind of wire should I use so that my finger doesn’t turn green after wearing a wire-wrapped ring?
-Molly in Santa Rosa, California
Answer:
Molly, the only metal that I know of that will turn skin green is copper. My advice would be to use either gold filled or Argentium wire (and depending on the acidity of your skin, gold-filled wire could turn it black after time).
For a quick and very temporary fix, you could paint the inside of the ring with clear nail polish.
Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong
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acidity, argentium wire, copper wire, gold filled wire, jewelry wire, rings, wire tips
Filed under:Daily Wire Jewelry Tips‚ Wire & Wire Wrapping
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There is also a product called “Jewelry Shield” for people with allergies. It is suppose to be like clear nail polish only thicker. It is suppose to last for approx 3 months. I have not tried it yet myself, but I have heard it is very good and last much longer than just nail polish.
Hi Dale thank you for your personal email answering my question about cz’s and metal clay, I appreciated your advice. This question for today is one that I deal with too. I use almost entirely copper for my jewelry for myself and others. Copper does turn your skin green but it is a beautiful shade. Kidding aside, the green is indicating the copper is real and for those of us who have arthritis that is good. Copper helps in reducing the pain by reducing the inflammation in the joints by helping circulation of the blood. I wear copper for that reason and it works for me. I also wear magnets in combination with the copper and gold. I just wash my hands and wrists and the green is gone. Nail polish works for awhile but then is wears off. I use that for nickel metal as I am highly allergic to that metal. Just my two cents for whatever its worth. Copper is a beautiful color and I am glad it has become popular as a jewelry metal both in wire and in metal clay.
I always take off my rings at night and I don’t have that problem. Maybe because I’m not wearing it all the time.
I wonder if a light coating of Renaissance Wax would help?