How to Keep Inexpensive Jewelry from Turning Your Skin GREEN

For more information about the kinds of jewelry that would be appropriate for a missionary, see my blog post "10 ITEMS TO BUY NOW (before your LDS mission call arrives)" which includes information about jewelry for Elders and Sisters. 

For the most part, missionaries will probably not be wearing expensive jewelry (find out why in the blog post mentioned above). It isn't easy to find inexpensive jewelry (sometimes called "costume jewelry", though that doesn't mean the same thing as jewelry for a costume) that is nice looking. I've had the best luck online, but you also may have success at local stores.

Cheap jewelry like necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings are inexpensive because of the materials used to make them. Sometimes they are a low-quality metal or a low-quality metal coated in a thin layer of a better-quality metal. Sometimes they are plastic coated in metallic spray paint. This is why they are cheap. It doesn't mean they are bad, but things that are inexpensive might not last as long (because they are lower quality materials) and with metal especially there is a risk of the materials turning your skin green (or blue, purple, black, etc). This is because of a chemical reaction with your skin, which isn't harmful, but it doesn't look great. The more you sweat, the worst it will probably be. It will usually wash off (may take a bit of scrubbing). 

If you want to prevent this from happening on your skin in the first place, you can do some prep work now.

For necklaces that have any metal (even if it is just at the clasp part in the back), you can use a clear gloss spray paint to coat the metal so it doesn't actually your skin. Here are a few examples- you can find these near the regular spray paint in most stores, or in a craft store. I had both of these kinds, so I tried both and they both worked great. You want to be sure to get GLOSS (not matte), because gloss will keep the shininess of the metal.

Here is a necklace that we found on Amazon for about $9.00 here (please note, I am not the seller of this item and do not receive any compensation for this post or clicks, this is just a necklace that I happened to buy that I am using for an example. I'm only posting a link to where I purchased it in case someone is interested in buying the same one)

I couldn't tell any difference - the paint was totally clear and it wasn't noticeable at all. I tried this on several necklaces. I laid them down on a piece of cardboard and sprayed the metal chain parts on one side, then when it dried I flipped the necklace over and sprayed the other side. 

My daughter wore one of the necklaces to church and had it on for 9 hours, with no skin discoloration. (She had worn this same necklace before I sprayed it and her skin had turned totally green under the necklace that time).

I would suggest concentrating on the parts of the necklace that go around the sides and back of your neck. It is okay to spray the decorative part of the necklace, but it is possible that you might see globs of the paint if you over-do it. 

I've read that you can do similar things with clear nail polish if you have cheap-ish earrings or rings (the clear nail polish is easier to apply to small areas than the spray paint and you can be more precise).

This probably won't be a permanent fix, but from what I have heard the coverage provided by spraying necklaces can last up to 6 months. This may depend on the climate on your mission and how much you sweat. Nail polish on the inside of rings or on the posts of earrings will probably only last a few weeks or months, but you can do that more often if you have clear nail polish with you.

(Please note - I am not responsible for your jewelry or any damage that may incur. I tried this myself and it worked great for me on several pieces of jewelry, but I am not responsible for your personal decisions and possessions. Use your best judgement)