Green Finger

Why is my skin turning black or green?

Cheap, mass produced jewellery is often plated. Once the plating wears off, usually after a few weeks, green marks can appear on the skin. This can also be common in quality silver jewellery, the main differences being the green stains may appear immediately after the first wear but eventually fade and disappear.

There are several factors as to why your skin may turn black or green - but in most cases it is nothing to worry about.

This reaction with the skin is usually caused by the other elements in the 925 alloy, like copper, not from the silver itself. Not everybody experiences discolouration, this is down to the genetics/chemistry of each individual wearer, only affecting a small percentage of people.

Acid in human sweat, which has different pH levels for each individual, can react with the copper in the 925 alloy leaving stains on the skin. This will naturally fade as the skin gets used to the new piece of jewellery. Some people who have worn silver jewellery for years can also experience greenish stains on their skin when adding a new piece to their collection. Again, it’s the body getting used to more copper being in contact with the skin and will naturally fade.

We recommend you take your jewellery off whilst showering, washing your hands and using soaps, doing the dishes, sleeping, exercising or using cleaning products. Moisture and dirt can gather underneath the ring and cause irritation of the skin.

Any discolouring will naturally fade and stop, but in the meantime you can help speed this up by giving your jewellery a gentle wash. See Jewellery Care for more.

If anything persists, don’t hesitate to get in touch.