Quality Nose Studs Blog

Sterling Silver Discoloration

It is normal that Sterling Silver jewelry (including nose studs) will turn color over time as they tarnish.  Normally the stud will darken, and this is due to gasses that are in the air and the percentage of copper in the jewelry.  Sometimes your skin will also turn color because of the chemical reaction between your skin, the alloys in the metal and gasses in the air.  There are lots of sterling silver jewelry pieces that are coated to help them from discoloring, but even the coating will wear off in time.

The good news for your jewelry is that it can easily be restored back to its original state by using a Sterling Silver Jewelry Cleaner.  You can normally buy this at any store that sells jewelry.  Walmart, grocery stores, Pharmacies.

If you experience your skin turning colors you can try putting clear nail polish on your nose stud which will prevent the metal alloys from coming in contact with your skin, but again this will wear off.

Our best suggestion if you are in the small percentage of people who have sensitivity to sterling silver is to purchase a nose stud of a different material.  Some customer’s reactions are stronger than others, but there are people whose skin is permanently black around where their nose stud was due to the reaction.