Sometimes when you wear a piece of solid gold jewellery it will leave a grey smudge on your skin. These are simply tiny particles of solid gold which come off when we wear a piece. For some reason sometimes our skin can react to this and cause the gold to leave a black mark on the skin.
Gold in its natural 24k state is a very soft metal. The addition of alloying elements (other metals) to gold are used to increase the toughness and hardness of the metal so it doesn’t simply wear away. Gold will still gently wear
There may be concern when a piece leaves a mark or discolouring of the skin and clothing, or the jewellery itself. The most common reason is metallic abrasion, caused by makeup on skin or clothing. Cosmetics often contain compounds harder than the jewellery itself, which wear or rub off very tiny particles. Very finely divided metal always appears black rather than metallic, so it looks like a a mark. When this dust comes into contact with absorbent surfaces such as skin or clothing, it sticks, forming a black or green smudge.
Oils released by your skin can cause corrosion of gold, especially when exposed to warmth and air. This problem can be worse in urban and seacoast areas, where chlorides combine with perspiration to form a corrosive element that discolours skin. Smog fumes gradually attack jewellery and are evident as a tarnish that rubs off on the skin.We would recommend that you try switching cosmetics. If this is not possible, remove rings and other jewellery while applying them, and clean skin areas in contact with jewellery with soap and water.
This issue can come and go, for some reason it only happens to women. Chupi herself has several gold pieces that on occasion leave a mark on her skin but cause no reaction at other times, there is no explanation as to why it comes and goes but it does.
It is a natural reaction and we would normally recommend that you wear the piece for 6-8 weeks to see if the rubbing improves. If it persists please get in touch with us.