Hypoallergenic Earrings

Ever since I was a young girl, I’ve had trouble with earrings. Green discoloration, fading, and rust were constantly ruining my favourite pairs. It drove me to trying every type of material under the sun to get that lasting lustre – with no success! Not to mention the pain! Anything with nickel or trace metals will irritate my ears to no end. I found it frustrating and painful to live a normal, healthy lifestyle with affordable earrings. I took it upon myself to explore what was out there and see if I could try my hand at a solution.

 

It all started with the Wave

This tiny tattoo, the outline of an Ocean Wave, I knew three girls in my swimming team alone with the same design. But why? Well it's simple, it meant so much to these girls to wear this constant reminder of their passion. And if you didn’t want a tattoo? The pool chemicals and sweat damaged all of our jewelry – we had to take it off in the change rooms. I knew there had to be a material out there that would stand up to the elements.

 

So I had a challenge on my hands, create jewelry that will not tarnish, without compromising the price or quality. After years of research, testing, and development we managed to create the perfect solution, let me explain.

 

Everyone loves Gold

 

But it’s far from a be all end all solution. Gold has amazing hypoallergenic properties, it simply does not react with its environment and maintains its shine. But gold is soft, hopelessly soft! So soft in fact, that if you use 24K Gold plating, the pure state of the gold will absorb the base metal and distribute trace amounts throughout the jewelry, causing irritation. To avoid this, we use 18K Gold plating (pure gold mixed with non-reactive alloys to improve hardness and durability). We have tested this extensively with excellent results in both fresh and salt water environments, just make sure you rinse the jewelry with fresh water after a dip in the ocean.

 

Why Stainless Steel?

 

Underneath the 18K Gold plating we use 316L Medical Grade stainless steel. Famous for its tarnish resistant properties, and excellent durability, this was a match made in heaven. As a base metal, the stainless steel provides the strength needed to made dainty, minimalist, and elegant designs with unparalleled longevity – they are literally made from steel! This elegance and strength, combined with the beauty of the gold plating, gives Ocean Wave Jewelry the honour of presenting to you, our valued customer, jewelry which will not tarnish, is 100% waterproof, and extremely hypoallergenic.

 

I hope you love the designs!

 

Anna – Founder and CEO