An allergy to metal may seem rare, but its not. Maybe even you have scratched your ears or wrists a little after wearing certain costume jewelry, for instance. And for obvious reasons: the jewelry sits on your body for prolonged periods of time causing the irritation to worsen.
The most frequent metal allergen? Nickel, which is known to cause significant local contact dermatitis (skin reddening and itching).
Other frequent metal allergens include: cobalt, copper and chromium, not only found in jewelry but also cell phones and clothing items.
Some may think they are allergic to gold and silver but that’s almost always not the case. More likely, it is the alloy ingredients (the other metals, along with gold and silver) that are causing the irritation.
Here’s a list of the basics when choosing non-allergenic metals for your custom design jewelry.
Source for table: eBay