Jewelry can turn your skin black for a number of reasons. Here are a few of them:
Metallic Abrasions - make-up on your skin or clothing can be the cause. Cosmetics and even some lotions contain chemical compounds which are harder than the jewelry metal itself. When the jewelry rubs or turns on your skin it leaves behind a black dust. In essence the jewelry is being cleaned by your skin or clothing. I know, that's probably not the way you normally clean your jewelry. There are better ways. Refer to the Care & Cleaning pages of this website.
Corrosion and Tarnishing - this is caused by a number of conditions such as:
Moist or wet conditions such as perspiration. Actually the gold does
not corrode, it is the other metals that are alloyed with the gold that
corrode.
A diet high in acidic foods or salt content can aid in corrosion.
Also,
foods with a trace of hydrogen sulfide gas such as onions, eggs and
some fish or shellfish as well as polluted air. Sterling silver jewelry
is susceptible to tarnishing and can stain the skin green.
Steps to prevent corrosion and tarnishing:
Remove your jewelry often, which will help your skin breath.
Clean your jewelry often.
Use an absorbent powder free of zinc and oxide on the skin that comes in contact with your jewelry.
Avoid eating foods high in salt and acidic content as well as strong smelling foods as mentioned above.
Other Problems - dermatitis (a burning sensation and redness of the skin) - this is caused by some soaps, detergents, waxes, polish and cosmetic creams.
Solution - remove all rings and other jewelry before using soap or detergent and clean your jewelry frequently.
If All Else Fails - if problems with irritation still persist refer to the tip on the Helpful Tips page.
If you have questions you would like answered, please fill out the form on my Questions & Answers
page. I will post your question(s) along with the answer(s) if it is
not already listed in this section. Thank you for your participation
in helping to make this web-site a more useful resource for everyone.