Question: Why sometimes silver leave black traces?

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

Sometimes it happens a customer comes back showing his finger having a black area where a silver ring is worn. I make the silver alloy myself, 925/1000 silver, 75/1000 copper.
So I was wondering if one of you have an explanation why some people react on a silver ring, leaving a black area.
I remember when I was a kid, people said; “if silver makes black traces on your skin and turns black as well, you have a problem with the liverâ€￾
Of course I know it is absolute normal that silver oxidises black as that is one fundamental preference how photography was possible to show the picture. But why these black area on some fingers?

Arnaud

 

[Gemsetterchris]

Chemistry Arnaud.
Copper is a common reason, i think it`s just down to various chemical reactions with different peoples skin, sweat, the bodies electrical current, moisture, hand cream, soap, vitamins or lack of.....

Maybe they need abit of Rhodium plating inside.

 

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

Yes Chris, that is what I'm doing right now, the Rhodium plating will prevent oxidising, thanks

arnaud

 

[Twinck]

Something to note though is that silver and rhodium are different colours.. As they wear the silver will show through and tarnish..

Maybe a titanium sleeve? Avoid contact between skin and the silver directly ;-)

 

[James Roettger]

Silver dissolves into the rhodium solution and eventually contaminates it resulting in an expensive loss of solution that will not plate super shiny anymore. I only plate clean gold in my rhodium and use only a gold wire to dip the object in. My understanding is to plate silver first copper, then nickel and then rhodium. I find silver that has been rhodium plated to be mucked up should it ever need solder repair. It is no longer pure like silver excels at. I just buff black silver and tell people to take it off when using cleansers etc.

 

[Marrinan]

I wear silver-ring, wrist band and pendent. The chemicals in my body create a hard black tarnish on the silver that has to be removed with abrasives. The build up is harder than fire scale- Just my chemistry I guess.

 

[ivar]

Many people have problem because they have high asid in the body. I have seen more woman en men with this problem.Here in Iceland we have problem with silver bycause we are using the hot wather from the spring we usid for heating the house and daly used. This hot wather have loth of oxidising. *In the wather and also in the air.I have seen people with problem for 14kt gold. If the people have high asid in the body, lik me I am on medesin and my asid is much higer to day en it was yars a go.I have used rhodium on 925 silver things.I do not *like the color of the rhodium also the skin quickly object that is used.I tell people to use silver dipp occasionalli to keep things clean.
*Hope the day will by good for you all.thanks Ivar

 

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

Thanks all, yes it is not that bizarre I understand. But not a real good solution for it

arnaud

 

[tbear]

You could try to make your own Argentium and see if it solves the problem.

 

[tundratrekers@mtaonline.n]

Why not just correct the acidic condition?

Seems like an early warning sign of something else going on?

Litmus Test,so to speak.

mike

 

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

tbear, without the copper in the alloy, would it not turn black?

arnaud

 

[Peter E]

Have you tried argentium silver Arnaud? That might solve the problem.

Interesting that turning black has that correlation to liver, as liver of sulfer is used to patina silver sort of black.

 

[tbear]

Arnaud,
Argentium still has copper in it. Some of the copper is replaced (a small percentage 1-2 percent) with Germanium.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentium_sterling_silver
http://www.argentiumsilver.com/#!__about-argentium

 

[gantzi]

Arnaud,
Maybe you can give the jewelry of sensitive people, the firescale treatment.
Heat it and peakle it to remove copper from the external layer.
I guess it's easier to try it before plating.