et!h-khaki.richmond.infi.net!user
Subject: rec.arts.bodyart: Piercing FAQ 2A--Jewelry Materials
Date: 4 Jan 1996 01:09:27 GMT
Expires: Mon, 05 February 1996 07:00:00 GMT

Archive-name: bodyart/piercing-faq/jewelry/partA
Posting-frequency: Monthly

Summary: This posting contains information about body piercing.  Anyone 
    interested in the subject and/or wishes to read/post to rec.arts.bodyart 
    should read the Piercing FAQ first.

The rec.arts.bodyart Piercing FAQ is broken up into 19 parts:

1--Introduction
2A--Jewelry Materials
2B--Jewelry Sizes & Designs
2C--Unisex Piercings & Their Suggested Jewelry
2D--Genital Piercings & Their Suggested Jewelry
3--Getting A New Piercing
4A--Professional Organizations, Instruction, Misc. Suppliers
4B--Professional Piercers & Jewelry Manufacturers - United States - A-F
4C--Professional Piercers & Jewelry Manufacturers - United States - G-M
4D--Professional Piercers & Jewelry Manufacturers - United States - N-Z
4E--Professional Piercers & Jewelry Manufacturers - beyond the United States
5--Care Of New Piercings
6--Problems And Hazards
7--Healed Piercings
8--Misc. Info
9--Resource List
10A--Personal Experiences - Facial & Unisex Piercings
10B--Personal Experiences - Genital Piercings
10C -- Personal Experiences - Genital Piercings Cont'd

What's in this section:

2A --Jewelry Materials     
    2A.1  Suggested Material For Body Piercing Jewelry
          2A.1a  ³Surgical Steel for Body Jewelry" by Bart Z. Lederman
          2A.1b   ³Gold for Body Jewelry² by Thor
          2A.1c   ³Nickel-Allergy and Body Jewelry² by Thor

All texts written and (c) 1995 by Anne Greenblatt unless otherwise noted.  
Please see Part 1 of the FAQ for information regarding copyright and 
dissemination of the FAQ. 

DISCLAIMER!   The Piercing FAQ contains material of a sexually explicit nature.


2A.1  SUGGESTED MATERIALS FOR BODY PIERCING JEWELRY

To heal a body piercing successfully, the jewelry worn must be of suitable
material and design.  The more inert the material, the less the chance of
metal allergy. The following are the recommended materials used for body
piercing jewelry, in alphabetical order:

*Acrylic*
  Used when a lighter-weight piece is required, for enlarged piercings (not   
  intended for fresh or unhealed piercings).   
  
  Acrylic is very brittle, and will shatter under stress.  For releasing
beads in 
  captive bead rings, first warm the ring in the palm of your hand; do not use 
  ring-expanding pliers.  Acrylic is not autoclave-safe (ie. not heat-  
  resistant).  Exposure to isopropyl alcohol will degrade acrylic jewelry.

*Gold*
  Solid gold of at least 14 karat. Gold-filled and gold-plated or jewelry
is not  
  acceptable, as plating will eventually rub away or flake.   Some piercers 
  prefer to install only 18k gold in fresh piercings.  Any solder used to afix
  beads, etc., should be 18k hard solder, as solders actually contain a higher
  amount of alloys to yield a lower melting point.   

  Some people are sensitive to the alloys present in karat gold (namely nickel, 
  zinc and copper) and cannot tolerate wearing gold jewelry.  A few people have 
  perspiration acidic enough to corrode the alloys in karat  gold, evident by 
  blackening of the jewelry and surrounding skin. 

  White gold is particularly problematic for use in body piercings.  A higher
  concentration of nickel is used to yield a whiter metal.   White gold alloyed 
  with palladium (an inert metal of the platinum group) instead of nickel is 
  preferable.
  
  Gold jewelry may acquire a surface discoloration when exposed to iodine 
  (Betadine) and when autoclaved.   This discoloration is not true oxidation, 
  which only takes place at the melting point of the alloys present.   Jewelry
  discolored by iodine or heating can be buffed/polished to its previous shine.

  Over a long period of time, gold jewelry exposed to urine may acquire a rough,
  dull surface.  The acids found in urine leach into the surface and dries
to form 
  a hard crust.  Buffing or polishing the jewelry will remove this build-up.
  Daily cleaning of the jewelry will prevent this build-up.  
  
*Niobium*
  An elemental metal, strong yet flexible.   Niobium is non-reactive
chemically; 
  few people are sensitive to niobium.  The wide array of colors achieved 
  through anodizing (not dyeing), in which  the jewelry is submerged in an 
  electrolyte bath.   Anodizing forms an oxidized layer on the jewelry. 
The color 
  we see is light refracted through this layer, and the thickness of the layer
  determines the particular color produced.  The voltage applied during
anodizing
  determines the thickness of the oxidized layer and hence the resulting
color.  
  The anodized layer (oxide) will eventually wear-off:  how long the
process will 
  take depends on how thick the oxide layer is and the amount of
friction/wear on
  the jewelry.  

  Matte black is achieved by heating the niobium until it is red-hot and
cooling it.  
  After blackening, the jewelry can be polished to a certian degree. 
Black niobium 
  will not fade; rather, it will deepen and grow smoother with age and wear.    

  Niobium jewelry is available in matte ("satin") or high-polish ("mirror") 
  finishes.  Very rough-finished niobium should not be used for fresh/unhealed 
  piecings, as the pores present in the matte finish can trap bacteria as
well as 
  retain polishing-compound residue which can be toxic.  The rough finish will
  also have a tendency to "stick" to new piercings via dried discharge,
which can
  cause the newly-formed tissue to rupture, extending healing time.

*Platinum*
  Platinum and metals in the platinum group such as Palladium are completely 
  inert, making them excellent choices for body jewelry.   However,  platinum 
  is economically impractical formost manufacturers and consumers.    
  Palladium, on the other hand, is similar to 18k gold in cost. 

*Surgical Stainless Steel*
  Of the many stainless steels available, only 316L or LVM is suitable for
use as body jewelry.   Both are used for medical implants.  316L is a
low-carbon variety 
  of 316.  316LVM is 316L, Vacuum Melted when manufactured.   The low pressure 
  prevents any air / airborne contaminants to attach to the molecules in
the metal, 
  resulting in a more consistant and purer steel.  For most people,
however, that the 
  steel be 316LVM is not a necessity to heal and maintain a healthy piercing.  
  316LVM is recommended for people who have experienced problems healing with 
  316L.

  The jewelry should be polished to a reflective shine (mirror-finish),
free from 
  rough edges, tool marks, wire-drawing lines and pitting which is present
in the 
  surface of the steel when it arrives from the mill.  When polished, true
316L is a 
  white, not grey, metal.  Under-polishing will be most evident along the
inside of the 
  ring, where polishing is most difficult. 
  
  316L arrives from the steel manufacturer at specified degrees of
hardness.  Most 
  jewelry manufacturers use the least-hard steel available for rings.  
Working the 
  steel and forming the steel into rings hardens it to some degree. 
Annealing, a 
  controlled heating and cooling process performed in a vacuum, yields a
more flexible 
  steel, resistant to metal fatigue.  Most piercers and jewelry
manufacturers agree that 
  steel rings should be annealed to some degree after forming or formed
from annealed 
  wire, as an annealed ring is easier to safely and quickly manipulate for
insertion; in the 
  thinner gauges, pliers are often unnecessary.  
  
  On the other hand, some manufacturers feel that annealing the thinner gauges 
 (18 through 14ga) makes the ring too maleable to maintain its shape 
  and retain the bead.  However, for most applications annealed rings are safe.
  For piercings subject to enough pressure to reshape the ring, a thicker gauge
  is advised.  Depending on the gauge and diameter,  annealing limits 
  the minimum bead size which can be used (eg. a 14ga 5/8" ring would not 
  securely hold a bead smaller than 7/32"). 

  The more a ring is annealed, the easier the finish is scratched from
tools or simply 
  from daily wear.  The trade-off is that the harder rings require tools
to manipulate,
  which increases the chance of damage during insertion.  A non-annealed
or close to 
  full-hard ring will break under stress, when the ring is torqued open. 
Fractures 
  invisible to the unaided eye may be created.  These breaks can trap
bacteria and lymph 
  discharge and complicate the healing process.

  The importance of manufacturing the barbell balls, their threads and
ring beads 
  of 316L has been questioned by some manufacturers and piercers, but it
is of the 
  author¹s oppinion that any part of the jewelry in contact with the
openings of the 
  piercing or with bodily secretions should be of 316L or of one of the
other metals 
  suitable for use in piercings.

*Teflon / Nylon*
  Used where a more flexible piece of jewelry is desired.  Nylon can be secured
  with a threaded ball.   Teflon and monofiliment nylon are autoclave safe. 

*Titanium*
  An extremely lightweight elemental metal similar to Niobium, also available 
  in a range of colors through anodizing.   Unanodized, titanium is
charcoal grey
  in color and polishes to a smooth finish.   Anodized titanium polishes
to varying 
  degrees of finish, depending on the color (ie. thickness of the oxidized
layer).  
  Titanium and its oxide are harder than niobum; hence, the color of anodized
  titanium lasts longer than that of niobium.  
  
  Titanium is extremely porous.  Thus it is verdy difficult to achieve a
smooth finish.
  Titanium is often used in permanent surgical implants where the tissue
is encouraged 
  to assimilate the implant.  The body will readily accept titanium
because of its non-
  reactive quality; in the case of implants, the pores allow for the
tissue to atttach. 


2A.1a  "Stainless Steel for Body Jewelry"
           by Bart Z. Lederman
           lederman@eisner.decus.org
           edited by Anne Greenblatt

The term "Stainless Steel" originally was a trade term for a family of steels 
developed around 1916 for use in cutlery. "Corrosion Resistant" is a better 
general term, but "stainless" has become the assumed standard term.

There are literally thousands of different metal alloys and scores of corrosion 
resistant, or "Stainless", steels. Different alloys of stainless steels
are used 
for such diverse applications as the turbine blades in jet engines, automobile 
exhaust systems, medical instruments, and tableware.  The different alloys 
are not interchangeable, however.   A steel which will withstand the heat of a 
jet blast might corrode if used in a kitchen knife or lawn furniture.  While 
nearly any stainless steel alloy would probably be suitable for jewelry worn 
externally (such as a bracelet or finger ring), only those alloys which are 
resistant to the body's chemistry are suitable for piercing jewelry. 

Because there are so many different metal alloys on the market, industry 
groups such as the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) have set up a 
numbering system to identify them. 316L is from the old SAE system. The 
newer SAE number is 30316L, and the even newer Unified Numbering System 
(UNI) number is S31603, but most people recognize the old 316L designation 
so I have used it here.

The environment inside the human body is indeed quite harsh and will corrode 
most metals, but there are some metals and alloys which are resistant enough 
to be used for medical implants.  As a result, when discussing metals used for 
piercing jewelry people often refer to "surgical stainless steel".  It
turns out 
that there is really no such thing: at least, none of the industry
references or 
selection guides I can find use that term. 

The preferred steel alloy for use in piercing jewelry is commonly known as 
316L, a low carbon variety of 316.  It is extremely resistent to corrosion.  
The steel selection guides I have consulted list 316 and 316L as the metals of 
choice for applications where corrosion resistance is important, and where it 
is important that whatever comes in contact with the metal, such as 
pharmaceuticals, are not contaminated.   

Another alloy sometimes used inappropriately by jewelry manufacturers is 
440C. Alloys of the 400-series are much less resistant to corrosion than 
316. 440 is used for cutlery because it can be hardened, and would be a good 
choice for scalpels and needles. Surgical implements are in contact with the
body for only a very brief period of time, and often are discarded after one 
use. 440C will not even resist salt water, and probably should not be used in 
piercings.  

When most metals are exposed to oxygen in air, water or bodily fluids / 
secretions, they will combine with it to form an oxide. On common steels this 
is iron oxide, or rust.  Oxidation will,  with continued exposure, consume the 
entire piece of metal.  Corrosion-resistant (stainless) steels are alloyed with 
chromium and often nickel and molybdenum to resist oxidation.  When stainless 
steel is exposed to oxygen a thin tough layer of chromium oxide forms on the 
surface and adheres tightly, protecting the metal underneath from any further 
reaction. If the oxide is scratched off, a new layer forms almost
instantly. The 
metal is protected from the environment, and no elements/alloys will leach into 
whatever is in contact with it (like your body). 316 contains a high percentage 
of chromium, plus nickel, manganese and molybdenum, and forms a protective 
oxide better than most other alloys.   440C has less chromium, no nickel, and 
less of the other elements; however, the protective oxide layer is not as 
resistant to corrosive environments.

316 has other useful properties when applied to jewelry. It is fairly strong, 
reasonably easy to work with (bend, cut threads in, etc.), and will not
lose its 
corrosion resistance if heated during normal bending, soldering or welding. It 
can easily be made into springs; rings can be bent moderately for fitting
and will 
easily return to their proper shape. 

There is little that should have to be done to keep stainless steel
jewelry looking 
good. Anything that adheres to it, such as dried discharge, should easily
wash off 
with soap and water.  However,  do not use steel wool or kitchen scouring
pads in 
an attempt to clean or polish steel.  In addition to leaving scratches in
the jewelry
harmful to your piercing,  fragments of iron or steel (possibly too small
to see) 
could become embedded in the stainless steel.  The fragments will rust, and the
corrosion could spread under the protective oxide.  This can be fixed by
etching 
with nitric acid (which is dangerous), or by polishing off the surface
with a safe 
abrasive or buffing compound.  

How To Tell If You Have The Right Kind Of Stainless Steel:

Unfortunately, the different alloys all look very much alike. Only a chemical 
test can really distinguish one from another. However: if the metal is strongly 
magnetic, it is definitely improper for use as body jewelry. 
Unfortunately, just because a metal is not attracted to a magnet does not
mean it
is 316L. The best thing to do is to ask the jewelry manufacturer exactly what 
alloy is used: if they cannot positively identify it as 316L or SAE 30316L or 
UNI S31603, buy your jewelry somewhere else.  The 316L suppliers do certify 
their alloys, and the manufacturer should have a copy of the certificate
available.

Piercing jewelry should not be made from 316 welding rod either: the alloy 
used to weld 316 may not have the same composition as  316L.  It may be coated 
with a flux containing elements unsuitable for jewelry application.

The bottom line:  you are probably getting a piercing to make yourself look 
better, or feel better, or both.  An infected piercing will not look or
feel good, 
and you only have one body: you should be selective about what you put in it. 


Resources:  "Design Guidelines for the Selection and Use of Stainless  Steel", 
  April 1977, Committee of Stainless Steel Producers,  American Iron & Steel 
  Institute; SS 601-477-25M-GP.
                    "Machinery's Handbook Revised", 21st Edition, Library of 
  Congress #72-622276


2A.1b   ³Gold for Body Jewelry²
        by Thor (because the author prefers to remain anonymous, please 
        forward all responses to ardvark@richmond.infi.net)
        edited by Anne Greenblatt

Gold has a couple of fairly unique properties that have made it attractive 
to jewellers throughout history. Prime among these is its resistance to 
corrosion.  Pure gold will keep its shine no matter what and if truly pure 
it will not release any nickel or other contaminants into the bodies of the 
allergic or hypersensitive. 

Secondly, gold is extremely malleable and can be worked into amazingly 
fine detail.   This is highly desirable for some types of fine filigree work 
and also means that a ring made out of 24 K gold can be easily opened and 
closed without special tools and without growing brittle and/or breaking 
(³metal fatigue²) as is the case with most harder alloys. 

The disadvantages of using gold are clear. The price is high and in its 
pure form it's so soft it wears quickly from the purely mechanic 
rubbing of your skin and of other jewelry.

The common solution, however, is not without its flaws. Alloying the 
gold with cheaper metals can mean dramatic savings in material cost and 
highly improved resistance to wear.  But it also changes the other special 
property of gold - its resistance to corrosion. Some chemicals commonly 
used for piercing aftercare (Betadine, to be specific) will tarnish "gold" 
of as high as 18 K, though of course it is really the alloying metals that 
are affected.  Also the more "impurities² (alloys) in the mixture, the 
greater the possibility that some of it will "escape" and be absorbed into 
your body. 14 K gold is frequently unsafe for those who have developed 
"nickel allergy" - a hypersensitivity to nickel. 18 K is generally safer, 
except for white gold where nickel is frequently used in dangerously high 
amounts in order to achieve the silvery color. There exist non-nickel white 
gold compounds such as palladium white gold but they are more expensive.

Nickel is a metallic element, number 28 in the periodic system. It is 
silvery in color and has a number of properties that make it attractive 
from a metallurgical point of view.  It is quite corrosion-resistant and 
adheres very well to other metals, making it excellent for protective or 
decorative plating. It is also frequently used as an intermediate layer to 
improve adhesion between other metals, like when electroplating gold on 
silver or stainless steel, and asan alloying metal, like in many varieties of 
stainless steel and low-grade (less than 18 K) gold. 

The problems when using nickel in jewelry stem from the one notable 
exception of  its "quite corrosion-resistant" attribute. Nickel reacts very 
easily with a number of nitrogen compounds and unfortunately the proteins 
in our bodies are among them.


2A.1c  Nickel-allergy and Body Jewelry² 
       by Thor
       (because the author prefers to remain anonymous, please      
       forward all responses to ardvark@richmond.infi.net)
       edited by Anne Greenblatt

If you insert a nickel-plated needle through your skin, your body senses the 
intrusion and opens up the capillary walls in the surrounding area to let 
plasma and antibodies in to kill any bacteria and start repairing the damage.  
Assuming you used proper sterile piercing procedure, there are no bacteria 
but some of the nitrogen compounds in these fluids will dissolve nickel from 
the surface of the needle and react with it.  This is the danger, because the 
nickel atoms may change the composition of the cells sufficiently that your 
immune defense system will decide that they're no longer "you" and hence they 
are an infection and need to be fought. If this happens, the tissues swell up 
more, becoming a regular inflammation, and even more plasma and antibodies 
is sent in to fight the "infection".  Unfortunately, they will just
dissolve more 
nickel and increase the problem.

The term "nickel allergy" is, strictly speaking, a misnomer since the problem 
is more of a hypersensitivity. Your immune defense system is simply doing its 
job. It's just a bit overzealous. Nevertheless, the problem is real and
can become 
very acute. Once the "allergy" is triggered, the sufferer will react to much 
lower concentrations of nickel than before. Jewellery that was previously safe 
may become useless. Some will react to the nickel in coins, railings,
cutlery and
other household items as it gets dissolved by their perspiration and permeates 
into the skin. Not to mention the nickel that can dissolve from stainless steel 
sinks into the dishwater and then be absorbed into the skin of any person
sticking 
his/her hands into the water. 

What can be done to avoid nickel exposure? First and foremost you must avoid 
nickel in jewellery that is inserted in fresh piercings or in moist places
(oral, 
nasal, and genital piercings). The issue is not the pressence of nickel in
a certain 
alloy, but whether or not it will STAY there.  Gold, for example, has a
tendency 
to "bind" nickel so that in alloys of at least 18 K a small amount of nickel is 
usually "safe", except for "white" gold which often contains (and releases) too 
much nickel.  In 14 K Gold, the amount of nickel released is often dangerously 
high, at least to those who are already sensitized. Stainless steels frequently 
contain nickel.  The "hypoallergenic" varieties of steel are frequently simply 
those that "bind" their nickel so thoroughly that little or none of it is
released. 

In extreme cases the sufferer can find even the most pure metals impossible to 
wear. Even 24 K gold (nominally 100%) can contain traces of nickel or other 
contaminations, but this is extremely rare. Most find a marked improvement by 
simply switching from 14 K to 18 K.

Other metals are now finding their way into the jewellery business. Titanium 
and niobium are rapidly gaining a well-deserved reputation for "body-
friendliness".  The oxide layers on their surfaces are sufficient barriers
against 
corrosion and wear and they also do not have nickel's tendency to bind into the 
cells of the body and trigger the immune defense system. Otherwise, inert 
plastics (Nylon, Teflon) work well.  

Other alloys, such as chromium, may trigger similar but less severe effects.  
However, many nickel-free alloys contain very high amounts of chromium
instead and hence they may release enough chromium to trigger "allergic" 
reactions.

-- 
                                  * Ardvark *  
                                Anne  Greenblatt
                  Piercing FAQ Manager for rec.arts.bodyart
                Proprietor - Piercing Exquisite, Richmond, Va.
                 COMING SOON IN THE NEW YEAR  *  THE WEBPAGE!