[Jewelry making - Article 01128] - Re: [Orchid] Gold turning finger black.

[Lumenea]

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    I'm no chemist but my understanding is that sulfur compounds in
    certain foods, tobacco smoke, sea water and some industrial compounds
    can contribute to gold and silver jewelry leaving a black deposit on
    the wearer's skin.  These sulfur compounds link up with the copper in
    the alloy, creating blackish sulfides. Foods such as broccoli are
    quite high in sulfur, as are many other vegetables such as legumes --
    maybe why a diet of Mexican food yielded such a result.  I have
    noticed that my customers who smoke seem to have more of an issue
    with this, and when I lived with a smoker (first husband), my silver
    stock and finished work oxidized much more quickly.  Jeweler friends
    with shops near the shore have remarked to me on how quickly silver
    tarnishes given the exposure to salt and sulfur. Interesting... 

Susannah Ravenswing
Jewels of the Spirit 
Winston-Salem NC


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