Pardon the dust, while I upgrade and renovate! May 2008.
My Own Story
Welcome! My name is Maggie, and I have had my ears pierced since I was a child. As a woman with short hair, my pierced earrings are as much an essential part of my wardrobe, as my shoes.
In '98, I developed an allergy to my 14k. Gold Earrings. My ears began itching after wearing earrings all day. I started having to take them out to sleep at night for the first time ever. This was inconvenient as I have 5 piercings, and have never had to take them out for sleeping or any other reason before. I thought it was just a faze that would soon end, but things got much worse.
It wasn't long before I could only wear earrings for a couple of hours and then the itching, swelling, and redness came back. In addition, my wedding ring and wrist watch began bothering me too. Being one who feels naked without my jewelry, I tried taking allergy medications and wearing them anyway, but this simply did not work.
The itching, swelling, and redness, soon was accompanied by weeping, bleeding, scabbing and crusting. I tried cleaning them twice a day with rubbing alcohol and applying Neosporin to my ears. That was a Big Mistake! Little did I know, I was making it worse! I developed a new allergy to Neosporin, and did not realize it until I had applied some to a cut elsewhere and developed the rash there too. My ears were an embarrasing mess.
Eventually, just putting my earrings into the piercing became painful. As if the piercings were new and not healed. I tried switching to 18k Gold (as my jeweler suggested), Platinum, "Nickel Free" earrings, even Surgical Steel, but none of that helped. Being one who does not easily give up, I further ignored my symptoms, and the contact dermatitis that began on my earlobes eventually spread along down the skin of my neck, and behind my ear to my hairline, and into my ear canal, where I also developed an inner ear infection in "the worst" ear.
At this point I went to the doctor. The doctor said "no more earrings, clean with only water, and don't use fragranced moisturizers" ... I was crushed! After wearing them for decades, and really not feeling very pretty without them, I tried to buy clip on earrings. But the moment I applied any metal to my ears, that old familiar feeling of heat, swelling, burning and itching came back. Finally, defeated, I resolved to go without, which subjected my now raw ear piercings to closing up.
Then in 2003, someone mentioned Titanium as this metalic element is being used in the medical, and body piercing industry. All I could think was "oh sure another metal to purchase only to be disappointed again". But missing my jewelry so badly, and feeling a renewed spark of hope, I rushed off to the computer to research the subject. The more I researched metals, the more I learned about them and how they effect the human body, whether in contact with the skin, or the flesh inside the body (in a piercing or implant).
Why Did This Happen
I learned that I was suffering from an allergic reaction, NOT an infection! An allergic reaction can begin at any time against just about anything. I learned that surgeons have long since switched to titanium and niobium for implant surgery instead of surgical steel, because they are the most bio-compatible inert substances perhaps on the face of the earth.
Why? "Because unlike Alloys (which are substances composed of a mixture of metals), Titanium (Ti) in it's Pure Grade forms, and Niobium (Nb) are pure and natural elements (like oxygen) and are found on the periodic table. Allergic reactions to metals occur, as moisture leaches chemicals or metal ions into our skin and underlying tissues. Alloys, are especially prone to causing allergic symptoms due to an electrochemical reaction that happens between dissimilar metals in the presence of moisture" (even sweat). I call this an "alloy allergy".
WOW, Lets think about that for a moment. If jewelry metals are alloys because they are mixed with other metals, and they react against each other when they are in the presence of moisture, then I should be able to wear alloys like 14 k gold on my fingers and wrist, if I can eliminate the presence of moisture and sweat and/or increase air flow.
So, for an experiment, I traded in my wedding band of a solid design that sat directly on my skin, and replaced it with an "open work" ring setting that provided plenty of air flow around my skin, coupled that with removing my gold for showers and washing dishes and wallah it worked! My finger no longer bothered me when I wore gold rings all day, so long as I remove the jewelry before getting those areas wet, I can still wear "open work" gold & silver rings and "open work" gold & silver bracelets on my skin!
But What About Wearing Earrings
But that still brings us back to the problem of pierced ears. There is no way to provide air flow in the piercing of an ear. So I began researching where to obtain Pure Niobium & Pure Titanium earrings. Well, manufactured Niobium earrings did not, and still do not yet exist on the market. And, unfortunately, the grade of Titanium found in the jewelry market is "Surgical Implant Grade Titanium" which is Alloyed Titanium, the "alloyed" part making it difficult if not impossible for those of us with the most severely sensitive allergies, to heal in.
Which brings us to why this web site is a reality. Because I am an artist (talent God given), and because I have been able to obtain bulk quantities of Pure Grades of Titanium and Pure Niobium, wire and sheetmetal, I have created hundreds of beautiful, and allergy free, high quality earring designs to satisfy my needs, and the needs of many others, for wearing earring again!
You Can Wear Earrings Again Too
Niobium and Pure grade-1 Titanium are NON-ALLERGENIC, I guarantee it! If your ears are currently irritated, they will take no longer to heal with Pure Grade-1 Titanium or Niobium in place, than they would take to heal with no earring in at all!
Here's How: Start with a pair of 100% pure Niobium or Commercially Pure Grades 1 - 4 of Titanium, earrings. Perfect healer earrings are available on my "Starter and Sleeper Earrings" page. These are pure and inexpensive enough for us both to afford for a trial. Following the directions on my "Caresheet" page to the letter, as there are other products that used to be suggested for healing pierced ears, that have been found to cause additional reaction.
Then, if you try one element, and would rather try the other, you can exchange them (see details on my Guarantee page).
I am so confident that you can wear earrings again by following my process, that I will refund 100% of your purchase price, if you cannot. So what have you got to lose except irritated or naked pierced ears? Come on in, look around, and let me show you that you too can Wear Earrings Again, with Maggie's Creations!
A Little More Information on Allergic Contact Dermatitis
It is not known why some people suffer from allergies and some do not, however there are a number of substances which are particularly prone to causing contact allergies to those who are susceptible to it. Some of the common culprits we must avoid contacting the skin of our ears include:
Metals, Purfume, Rubber, Hairdressing Chemicals, Epoxy Resins, Plants/plant products, and Medications: used in lanolin, neomycin (antibiotic), fusidic acid (antibiotic), steroid creams and cetearyl alcohol (used in emollient creams), .
Additionally, some of the materials known to potentially cause skin reactions are themselves components of common treatments for eczema (e.g. lanolin in moisturizers and hydrocortisone in steroid creams). So when you try out my Pure Titanium or Niobium earrings, do not use any products additionally, that I have not recommended on my Caresheet page.
Click HERE to go to my Allergic Contact Dermatitis/Eczema page for pictures and more information.
A Little More Information on Titanium and Niobium
Titanium (Ti) Many surgical instruments, implants, and body piercing jewelry is made with titanium. Unfortunately, most Titanium earrings on the market today are alloyed. Be careful of what you are buying on the market in Titanium for this reason, if it does not say Commercially Pure Grade Titanium, it's an alloy. Although I have been assured by a colleague and scientist whom I trust, that even an alloy of titanium should not react negatively in the human body, I personally, (and some of my customers) were not able to wear it successfully until after we healed with Pure Grades of Titanium, and/or Niobium.
Commercially pure (natural) Titanium is catagorized into 4 grades. C.P. Grade 1 Titanium is 99.967% (parts per million) pure, with the other 00.033% containing naturally occuring elements of; Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Iron and Carbon. Grades 2, 3, and 4 have increasingly larger amounts of these trace elements. Pure Grades 1 + 2 Titanium is what I use for healing earrings.
Titanium is available to me in a sort of "brushed" finish (matte and not shiney). It is slightly darker than Silver in color. Titanium is also much less expensive than Niobium is today. If you find you are having difficulty healing with Pure Grade-1 Titanium, trade it in for Niobium at no extra cost.
Niobium (Nb) is 99.999% pure. From those sources who proclaim this, I was not able to find what that other 00.001% is. Niobium is personally my favorite element. Although it is much darker than Silver is in color, it is shiney and smooth like platinum. If you find that you cannot heal with Niobium, try Pure Grade-1 Titanium.
Nb and Ti elements are very strong like steel, yet half the weight, which makes them very comfortable yet long lasting. They cannot be soldered and must be joined with cold techniques, i.e. rivets, nuts, bolts, epoxy, or special settings. However, I have developed some inexpensive to moderately priced, yet beautiful hand made earrings which WE CAN WEAR!
Both Nb and Ti elements can be anodized (colored) which opens up a whole realm of possibilities when combining these elements with other components (metals, gems, stones, beads, wires, charms, feathers, etc.). Unanodized, Niobium and Titanium are naturally grey in color. Titanium has a white/gray color (like aluminum), and Niobium has a blue/gray gunmetal color (like stainless steel).
I have been wearing both of these elements 100% successfully since Spring of 2003, and I am willing to give your money back if you can't wear at least one of them also. So come on in, and let's go shopping!!!
I am a member of the following Jewelry & Sensitive Skin Web Rings.
Please visit the "Links" page for individual listings and my ringmasters individual web sites.
