How to Keep Sterling Silver From Turning the Skin Green

Certain pieces of jewelry, such as sterling silver rings, can oxidize as a reaction to the acidity in your skin, thus leaving an unattractive green stain behind. Many people blame cheap materials such as nickel for the green skin; while this is often true, sterling silver and even gold jewelry also can cause green staining to occur. Avoid the problem altogether with stainless-steel jewelry, or take some preventative measures to ensure that your skin stays stain-free.

Instructions

1

Purchase sterling silver jewelry with rhodium plating if possible; this material is ideal for people who suffer from allergic reactions to the alloys in sterling silver or gold pieces of jewelry.

2

Keep your hands and fingers as dry as possible when wearing a piece of sterling silver jewelry. Avoid the use of lotions, soaps and other liquid materials while wearing the jewelry; remove the piece when using these products.

3

Remove the sterling silver jewelry whenever possible; for instance, do not wear the jewelry to bed or for extended periods of time.

4

Limit your intake of acidic foods to prevent spikes in your skin's acidity that can cause oxidation to occur more rapidly.

5

Polish sterling silver pieces of jewelry on a regular basis to prevent oxidization from occurring and to prevent the subsequent green stains on your skin. Clean the jewelry with a polishing cloth; you should see results within one to two weeks of regular cleaning.

6

Coat the piece of sterling silver jewelry with a layer of clear nail polish if you don't have time to clean or polish the piece of jewelry regularly.