Short answer. Almost every reaction to an earring is a reaction to nickel. The metals that suit sensitive ears are the ones that carry little or none of it where it touches skin: solid gold at 14K and above, sterling silver, platinum, titanium and niobium. "Hypoallergenic" has no legal definition in Australia, so the word on a label guarantees nothing. What does is the material line: know the base metal, and know what the post is made of, because the post is the part that sits inside the piercing.
What is actually happening
An itchy, red, weeping earlobe a few hours after putting a pair in is allergic contact dermatitis, and in the great majority of cases the allergen is nickel. It is the most common contact allergy there is. European studies put it at roughly one adult woman in ten to one in five, several times the rate in men, which tracks with who wears earrings. Once sensitised, you stay sensitised.
Nickel is used in jewellery because it is cheap, it hardens soft alloys and it makes a good bright base under plating. It sits in "fashion metal" and in many brass alloys, in some white gold, in cheap "silver" that is not sterling, and in stainless steel, where it is present but locked into the alloy. Sweat dissolves a trace of it from the surface, the skin absorbs the trace, and the immune system does the rest. The piercing is the worst place for this to happen because the post sits in contact with living tissue for hours.
Why the label does not settle it
The European Union limits how much nickel a post can release into the skin: 0.2 micrograms per square centimetre per week for anything inserted through a piercing, measured by a standard sweat test. Australia has no equivalent law, and "hypoallergenic" and "nickel-free" are unregulated words here. A brand may use them honestly or loosely; nothing checks. So treat the words as a claim to verify, and verify it by reading what the piece is made of.
The metals, one by one
| Metal | Nickel where it touches skin | For sensitive ears |
|---|---|---|
| Titanium, niobium | None | Safest; what piercers use for fresh piercings |
| Platinum | None in jewellery alloys | Excellent; inert |
| Solid yellow gold, 14K and 18K | Usually none; alloyed with copper and silver | Very good; higher karat means less alloy |
| Solid white gold | Often present: nickel is a common whitening alloy | Ask; palladium-white gold is the safe version |
| Sterling silver (925) | Usually none; 92.5% silver, remainder mostly copper | Very good, if it is genuinely 925 |
| Gold over sterling silver | Gold on top; sterling beneath | Very good; what shows when the gold wears is silver |
| Platinum- or rhodium-plated sterling | Platinum or rhodium on top; sterling beneath | Very good |
| Stainless steel | Present in the alloy, but tightly bound; low release | Fine for most; not for a severe nickel allergy |
| Gold over brass, "fashion metal" | Often present in the brass beneath | The usual cause; reacts once the gold wears |
| "Silver-plated", "silver-tone" | Unknown base; frequently nickel | Avoid |
Sterling silver
Sterling is 92.5% silver by weight and the remaining 7.5% is nearly always copper, which is why it is a good choice for sensitive ears and why it darkens over time. The risk is the word "silver" on its own: silver-plated brass and "silver-tone" alloys are not sterling and often carry nickel. Look for 925, which is the sterling standard everywhere.
Gold over silver
The relevant question for any plated earring is what sits under the gold, because the gold is a surface layer and the post is the first place it thins. Gold over sterling silver puts silver beneath, so what eventually touches the piercing is silver. Gold over brass puts brass beneath, which is where most "my gold earrings started itching after a month" stories come from. Same gold, different base, different outcome.
Stainless steel
Steel contains nickel in the alloy, typically around 8 to 12%, but it is bound tightly enough that very little releases into sweat. Most people with a nickel sensitivity wear surgical-grade steel without trouble. A minority with a severe allergy still react, and for them titanium or sterling is the safer choice.
Gold
Pure gold is inert. The alloys that make it hard enough to wear are where nickel can enter, and the karat tells you how much alloy there is: 18K is 75% gold, 14K is 58.5%, 9K is 37.5%. Yellow gold is usually alloyed with copper and silver. White gold is the one to ask about, because nickel is a common way to make gold white; palladium-white gold avoids it.
The post matters more than the earring
Everything above applies most to the post and the back, because they are the parts inside the piercing. A sterling hoop on a plated brass post will react. A titanium post on a brass charm generally will not. When a product page names a material, check whether it is describing the whole earring or only the front. If it does not say, ask.
What we make
Every earring at Amaurine is built on a solid 925 sterling silver core. In the gold collection that core is finished in 18K or 14K gold: the Anneau Hoops, for example, are 14K gold over 925 sterling silver. In Étoilée the sterling is left bright and set with moissanite, as in the Ondine Stud Earrings. Each page states the base metal and the finish in the same words we use on the Standards page.
We publish the maker's material specification and we use the word "hypoallergenic" as sparingly as the law here would let anyone use it, which is to say we would rather tell you what a piece is made of. If you have a known nickel allergy and need to confirm the post material on a specific pair before you buy, write to us and we will check with the maker.
For what the words on a gold material line mean, and which ones have a standard behind them, read our Australian guide to gold-plated, vermeil and solid gold. The full earring range names its metal on every page.
Questions
Is sterling silver hypoallergenic?
For most people, yes. Sterling is 92.5% silver and the rest is nearly always copper, with no nickel. The word to look for is 925. "Silver-plated" and "silver-tone" are different things, usually a nickel-bearing base under a thin silver layer, and they are the pieces that react.
Are gold plated earrings OK for sensitive ears?
It depends entirely on what is under the gold. Gold over sterling silver leaves silver at the post when the gold thins, and suits most sensitive ears. Gold over brass leaves brass, which often carries nickel, and is the usual cause of a reaction that starts after a few weeks of wear.
Is stainless steel hypoallergenic?
Mostly. Steel contains nickel, but bound tightly enough in the alloy that very little reaches the skin, and most people with a nickel sensitivity wear it without trouble. A severe allergy can still react to it; titanium or sterling silver is the safer choice in that case.
What does hypoallergenic mean in Australia?
Legally, nothing. There is no Australian standard or test behind the word, and no limit on nickel release like the one that applies in Europe. Treat it as a claim and check the material line: base metal, finish, and what the post is made of.
Why do some gold earrings make my ears itch and others not?
Because the karat and the base differ. Solid 14K or 18K yellow gold rarely reacts. White gold can, if nickel was used to whiten it. Plated gold reacts according to what is underneath: silver rarely, brass often. Two pairs that both say "gold" can be completely different metals at the post.
How do I know if it is a nickel allergy?
The pattern is the clue: redness, itching or weeping at the piercing within hours to a day of wearing a particular pair, clearing when you stop. A pharmacy nickel spot test will show whether a piece releases nickel, and a doctor or dermatologist can confirm the allergy with a patch test.
