A wedding ring is a ring that you purchase with the intention of wearing it every day. Some people who have never been in the habit of wearing jewelry every day, who have had itchy skin from some metal before, or who are allergic to food, may be concerned about metal allergies in their wedding rings. This article summarizes MITUBACI's approach and how to choose a wedding ring for those who are concerned about metal allergies.

Concerns about wedding rings and metal allergies

What is metal allergy?

Metal allergy is an allergic dermatitis that occurs when certain metals come into contact with the skin, causing soreness and itching at the point of contact. There is also a systemic metal allergy, in which metal is introduced into the body through diet or inhalation, causing redness and itching all over the body, but in this article we will discuss metal contact allergy caused by wearing jewelry on the skin.

Causes of Metal Allergies

Metal allergies are thought to be caused by the ionization of metals that bind to proteins in the human body. People with metal allergies are not allergic to all metals, but may have allergic reactions to specific metals on an individual basis. Allergic reactions to certain metals may occur on a day-to-day basis.

Metal as a material for wedding rings

Materials for rings that are less likely to cause metal allergies

As mentioned above, ionized metals cause metal allergies, so metals that do not ionize easily are less likely to cause metal allergies. Metals used as materials for rings that are less likely to cause metal allergies include platinum and gold.

Materials of rings that can cause metal allergies

Metals that tend to cause metal allergies are those that ionize easily. Nickel and palladium are among the metals used to make rings.

The metal used to make the ring is an alloy

Jewelry, including wedding rings, is usually made from an "alloy" of two or more metals.

There are two main reasons for using alloys.

1. to create color

2. to make it strong enough to be processed

For this reason, jewelry made of pure gold or pure platinum is not often made except for the purpose of "using only that metal to make it.

A "platinum" ring may contain a small amount of palladium, and a "gold" ring may contain silver.

You can read more about alloys in jewelry in this article. https://www.mitubaci.co.jp/news/6858/

Platinum alloys

For a platinum wedding band, it would be marked Pt950 or Pt900.

This is,

Pt950 -> 950/1000 (95%) is pure platinum

Pt900 -> 900/1000 (90%) is pure platinum

That is to say. The metal (called split gold) used for the remaining 5% or 10% depends on the store or brand.

Gold alloys

For gold wedding rings, I believe K18 is the most common.

This means that 18/24 (75%) is pure gold and the remaining 25% is other metals (split gold). In the case of gold, the type and percentage of metal you put in the remaining 25% will greatly change the color.

MITUBACI ring material

The materials of handmade wedding rings that can be made with MITUBACI and the alloys are as follows

Platinum is made with Pt950 and gold with K18.

Yellow, pink, and lime gold all have the same split gold, but the proportions are different, so different colors of gold appear.

The zinc in champagne gold is used to make the alloy, so it is believed that very little of the component remains in the ring.

When we receive inquiries, we are asked which metals are in what % and how many grams are in the ring, but the weight of the ring as a whole is several grams and varies depending on the width and size (ring size). Metal allergies are a matter of composition, and in the case of rings, it is a matter of where the ring is in contact with the finger, so the amount does not really matter.

If you have a medical diagnosis of NG for a particular metal, we recommend avoiding rings that use even a small amount.

Although not available in handmade wedding rings, we also offer platinum Pt999 and K18 white gold in addition to the above in artisan-crafted wedding rings.

Platinum (Pt999) can be considered pure platinum. This is the same metal that was previously labeled Platinum 1000 because of the international decision to label pure metals as "999".

MITUBACI allergy test ring

MITUBACI offers "allergy test rings" on loan to those who think they have a metal allergy but are not sure what exactly it is, but would like to order a handmade or artisan-made wedding band from MITUBACI. MITUBACI's allergy test rings are available as a set of seven free-size rings in platinum (two types) and gold (five types), which are available at MITUBACI. We provide the allergy test rings in the hope that you will try them on for a few days and consult a dermatologist if you have any skin problems.

Good point about the MITUBACI allergy test ring.

There are two good things about the MITUBACI allergy test ring.

1. Metal allergy can be confirmed without purchasing a ring.

Platinum and gold rings are too expensive to purchase just to check allergies, but at MITUBACI you can rent them for a deposit of 35,000 yen. When you purchase your wedding or engagement ring, we will keep the deposit as a deposit, or if you decide to hold off on the purchase, we will refund it after confirming your return.

2.1Test the actual metals used in TP1T.

Allergy test rings are available in the same metals that are actually used in wedding rings at MITUBACI. Even though they are called the same "K18 gold," different colors and brands use different metals other than pure gold, so this can be helpful for those who are considering using MITUBACI and are concerned about metal allergies.

Please refer to this article for information on how to rent MITUBACI allergy test rings. https://www.mitubaci.co.jp/news/5810/

To check for metal allergies

The most reliable way to test for metal allergies is to have a dermatologist perform a patch test. Generally, a patch test for metal allergy involves applying a tape to the back or arm with a reagent of the metal that is thought to be the cause of the allergy. Since metal allergies may not react immediately, the patient is asked to return to the hospital several times, once after 2-3 days and once after a week, to confirm the results. The number of times and intervals vary from hospital to hospital and doctor to doctor. Basically, you are not allowed to sweat or take a bath while this tape is being applied. I did not take the test, but my hospital advised me to do it in winter if I am not in a hurry, because it is difficult to do the patch test in summer. Some dermatologists don't do patch tests for metal allergies, so it's a good idea to check beforehand. Reagents are available for each metal, so try to tell your doctor what kind of metal is contained in the ring that you have an abnormality with the allergy test ring.

In a Nutshell

If you are vaguely concerned about metal allergies, rent an allergy test ring and spend a few days with it. If there are no problems, feel free to look for a wedding band. If you have experienced redness, itching, or pain on your skin, we recommend that you consult a dermatologist for a thorough examination to determine which rings have caused your reaction. If you know which metal you are allergic to, you can find a ring that avoids that metal. MITUBACI's handmade wedding rings are made of yellow gold, pink gold, and lime gold, which are the only three metals that do not contain palladium. If you are allergic to palladium, you can make a handmade wedding band. We do not offer handmade wedding rings in Pt999 platinum, but "artisan-made" wedding rings can be made in Pt999 platinum, so those with allergies to metals other than platinum can also use our service. We are committed to ensuring that our customers can purchase wedding rings with peace of mind, so please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.