Well I really f'ed things up this time with my gf. I bought a ring over the internet. It looked great, no problems, recieved just fine. However my gf wore it to bed and the next day she had a dark band underneath her ring. Like it stained her finger. She is so pissed and is accusing me of buying her a cheap ring. Not to mention I got a double wammy because I bought it over the internet and that screams "no effort". Anyway, the ring was advertised as Sterling Silver. I read that some staining might occur because of the small copper content. However she has a few other rings I have given her and they are all fine, but I'm not sure what they are made of. So these are my questions.

 

1. Did I just buy a cheap ring?

2. If not, did the online store rip me off?

3. If no and no, is it just common to get stains?

Yeah silver can stain the skin. AgNO3 stains it more, but i believe pure silver can also stain it.

Is there anyway a jeweler can seal the ring? Does that make sense?

I have to say the title of this thread is disappointingly misleading.

 

"A persons perspiration contains varying percentages of chlorides and sometimes sulphides that when combined with the molecules of silver and copper that are usually present in gold alloys, will cause the formation of dark-hued salts such as silver chloride or copper sulphate and mark the finger."

 

taken from here .

 

i'm looking for more, don't know off the top of my head

try searching google for "Black Dermographism"

So I am not an evil boyfriend? She just can't handle silver? Does that mean her other rings aren't silver? I read somewhere the ring could be sealed?

Haha, I don't know. Call up a local jeweler and see what they can do

Ok so, I took the ring from her (unknowing) and started to wear it. (Hey if she can't appreciate it, I will). So now she found out and is raging that I stole it from her. Things are even worse.

 

btw, it doesn't stain my finger

Let more people wear it until stainy finger syndrome is shown to be a freakishly uncommon occurence.

Design your own ring, and have a jeweller make it for you. It usually works out to be about $60, $40 for the silver and $20 for labour. Keep it simple, and it's easy to make.

 

It'll impress your GF more if you have a ring made for her that's hallmarked and solid silver. But be careful not to accidentally propose to her! Have it engraved on the inside with a message, just to keep it out of engagement territory.

 

By the way, your ring will probably not be silver unless it is hallmarked. You can have it checked out by a jeweller but it will take a week to send off and get it back.