A red, itchy or flaking patch of skin under a wedding ring is common and almost always fixable. The important thing is that there are two completely different causes, they look similar, and they need opposite solutions.

The two things it is usually not, and the two it usually is

It is rarely an allergy to gold itself – true gold allergy is very unusual. It is also rarely an allergy to diamond, whether lab-grown or mined, because diamond is inert carbon and does not react with skin.

What it usually is:

1. Trapped moisture and soap. Known in the trade as “wedding ring rash” or ring dermatitis. Soap, hand gel and water get under the band, cannot dry out, and irritate the skin. This is by far the most common cause, and it has nothing to do with allergy.

2. A nickel reaction. Nickel is used in some gold alloys, particularly white gold, to harden the metal and make it whiter. Nickel allergy is genuinely common – it is the same reaction people get from cheap earrings, belt buckles and jeans studs.

How to tell which one you have

	Trapped soap and moisture	Metal allergy
Where it appears	Directly under the band only	Under the band, often spreading slightly beyond it
How it feels	Sore, damp, sometimes flaky	Itchy, sometimes with small blisters
What happens if you clean the ring thoroughly	Clears up within days	Comes straight back
Reaction to other jewellery	None	Often reacts to cheap earrings, watch backs, belt buckles
Timing	Often starts after a change in hand washing or a new soap	Usually consistent from early on

The simplest test: take the ring off, clean it properly, and leave it off for a week. If the skin heals and stays healed when you put the clean ring back on, it was soap. If it comes back within days, suspect the metal.

Fixing the soap problem

This one is easy and costs nothing.

• Take the ring off when you wash your hands, or dry underneath it properly afterwards.
• Clean the ring itself every fortnight – warm water, a drop of washing-up liquid, a soft toothbrush, rinse and dry with a lint-free cloth.
• Take it off before applying hand cream, and put it back on once the cream has absorbed.
• Give the finger a break – a few days without the ring lets the skin recover.
• If the ring is very tight, have it resized. A ring that cannot move at all traps everything underneath it.

If the skin is broken or badly inflamed, see a pharmacist or GP. A short course of a mild treatment usually settles it, and there is no point fighting it with cleaning alone.

If it is a nickel reaction

Nickel is the culprit in the overwhelming majority of jewellery allergies. The good news is that it is entirely avoidable.

Metal	Nickel risk
Platinum	Very low. Usually the best choice for sensitive skin
Yellow gold, 18ct	Low. Higher gold content means less alloy
Yellow gold, 9ct	Low to moderate – more alloy metal in the mix
White gold	Higher. Some white gold alloys use nickel to whiten and harden
Rose gold	Low, but it contains copper, which a small number of people react to
Sterling silver	Low for pure silver alloys, but tarnish itself can irritate

Note also that white gold is plated with rhodium to make it bright white. While the plating is intact it forms a barrier. As the plating wears through – which it does over a few years – the alloy underneath makes contact with skin, which is why some people react to a white gold ring only after several years.

What to do about a metal reaction

Have the ring replated. If it is white gold and the plating has worn, replating restores the barrier. It is inexpensive and buys you a few years, though it is a treatment rather than a cure.

Switch metal. The permanent fix. Platinum is the usual recommendation for sensitive skin – it is a naturally white metal used in a very high purity, so there is very little alloy in it. High-carat yellow gold is the next best option.

Have the ring remade in a different metal. If the design matters to you, a workshop can remake it. We hand-make in solid gold and platinum in North Harrow and charge no extra design cost, so recreating an existing ring in platinum is straightforward.

If you are choosing a new ring and know you have sensitive skin, a platinum piece such as the Bezel Cushion Cut Engagement Ring in Platinum or the Solitaire Round Cut Engagement Ring in Platinum removes the question entirely.

Why is my finger green?

Green skin is not an allergy and it is not dangerous. It is a chemical reaction between copper in the metal alloy and the acids and salts in sweat, which produces copper salts – and those are green.

It is more common in warm weather, during exercise, and with lower-carat gold and rose gold, both of which contain more copper. It washes off.

If it bothers you, higher-carat gold or platinum will stop it, because there is less copper in the alloy.

Practical steps if you are struggling

• Wear the ring on a chain around your neck for a few weeks while the skin heals.
• Ask a GP about patch testing if you suspect nickel – it is a straightforward test and it settles the question.
• Check your other jewellery. If a watch back or earrings cause the same problem, nickel is very likely.
• Do not use clear nail varnish as a barrier on the inside of a ring. It is a common tip, it wears off in days, and it can flake into the setting.

What changes over time, and why symptoms can start late

People often assume that if a ring was fine for years, it cannot be the cause. That is not how it works, and there are three good reasons a reaction can begin long after the wedding.

Plating wears off. White gold is coated with rhodium, a hard white metal that acts as a barrier between your skin and the alloy underneath. That coating wears through over a few years of daily wear, at which point the alloy – which may contain nickel – makes contact for the first time. This is the single most common explanation for a reaction that starts late.

Sensitisation builds. Nickel allergy is not something you either have or do not have from birth. Repeated exposure can trigger it, which is why people sometimes develop a reaction in their thirties or forties having worn jewellery happily for decades.

Your habits changed. A new soap, a job involving more hand washing, a change in hand gel use, pregnancy, or simply a hot summer can all tip a finger from fine to irritated without the ring changing at all.

Working out which it is, step by step

• Week one: take the ring off entirely and let the skin heal. Clean the ring properly while it is off.
• Week two: put the clean ring back on and change nothing else. Dry underneath it after washing your hands.
• If the skin stays clear: it was trapped soap. Keep up the cleaning routine and the problem is solved.
• If it comes back within a few days: suspect the metal. Try the ring on a different finger to confirm it travels with the ring rather than staying in one spot.
• If it is the metal: ask your GP about patch testing, and speak to a jeweller about replating or remaking in platinum.

Do not skip the first week. Most people put the ring straight back on after a day, the skin has not fully recovered, and the test tells them nothing.

Frequently asked questions

Can you be allergic to gold?

Genuine gold allergy exists but is rare. Almost every case turns out to be nickel or another alloy metal rather than the gold itself.

Can you be allergic to a lab-grown diamond?

No. A lab-grown diamond is the same inert carbon crystal as a mined one and does not react with skin. Any reaction comes from the metal it is set in.

Is platinum hypoallergenic?

It is the metal least likely to cause a reaction, because it is used in very high purity with very little alloy. No metal can be guaranteed for every individual, but platinum is the safest choice available.

My ring only started irritating me after five years. Why now?

Most likely the rhodium plating on a white gold ring has worn through, exposing the alloy beneath. Replating usually resolves it.

Will a wider ring make it worse?

Often yes. A wider band covers more skin and traps more moisture, so it gives irritation more opportunity. A narrower band can help on its own.

If you would like a ring remade in platinum or high-carat gold, our bespoke service carries no extra design cost. Everything in our wedding ring collection and engagement ring range is hand-made in solid metal, with free insured UK delivery and 30-day returns.

More guides on this topic

• Which Way Round Do You Wear Wedding and Engagement Rings?