Warfarin & Jewelry Choice

[Rush20]

I hope all is well with everyone on the forum. It's been a few months since I've posted.

My wife and I just celebrated our 20th wedding annivesary and we just upgraded her wedding band. I am also considering updating my wedding band and was curious if my Warfarin therapy would cause an interaction with a new wedding band. My current yellow gold band has feen fine as well as my gold Medic Alert necklace. However, I've noticed over the years that if I wear a silver necklace or pendant for any extended length of time, it will stain due to the Warafrin.

One of the wedding bands I'm considering is gold and SK cobalt band. The jeweler claims the metal material is BioBlu 27 and that it has no known allergic properties or reactions, however was unfamiliar with the Warfarin concern so I thought I would perform some research first. Amazingly, Google has very little information on this so I'm hoping some other Warafrin experts can help.

Thanks!

 

[Freddie]

Like with most jewellery, Silver will tarnish due to body oils and needs to be cleaned once in a while. I've never heard of warfarin causing damage to jewellery/hard metals.

 

[Rush20]

Like with most jewellery, Silver will tarnish due to body oils and needs to be cleaned once in a while. I've never heard of warfarin causing damage to jewellery/hard metals.

Thanks for the feedback. When tried to order my original MedicAlert sterling silver pendant/necklace, I received a warning that a high percentage of people with diabetes or using anticoagulant, will experience tarnishing on the sterling silver and they suggest either gold or rhodium-coated silver. I'm not sure if this cobalt/BioBlue 27 metal applies. I guess I could try it as long as I secure an refund/exchange if it tarnishes.

 

[pellicle]

Hi I stopped wearing silver more than 30 years ago as my skin made it go black. I have only been on warfarin for 3 years and have found no effects or changes. I still have a pierced ear and gold does not react with me either. My wedding ring only causes me problems when it touches electrical things (such as when working with electronics). I too have never heard of warfarin altering skin reactions to metals but know that many people cant wear silver for the issues you mention

 

[dornole]

I don't know about warfarin, but for sure odd things can happen with changes in body chemistry. For example when my sister stopped eating gluten (and the subsequent reflux and vomiting), she was then able to wear nickel and silver earrings that used to react horribly on her. I guess if it were me and I knew yellow gold was ok on me, I'd be tempted to stick with that to avoid possible reaction with a sentimental item like a wedding band . . . guess it depends how you and/or your wife would feel about returning it, their return policy and if you want something custom. Just don't return her : )

 

[Protimenow]

I hadn't heard of people on warfarin having problems with silver until I read this (I thought that I was the only person with this problem). Some people (me) have problems with nickel that are unrelated to warfarin. (I got a school ring when I graduated from UCLA -- I chose 10 K gold instead of 14 K. 14K would have been $30 more, and I didn't want to pay the difference. The nickel in the 10K made my skin peel and made the ring completely unwearable). I don't know about the metals that you mention, but as other said, make sure that it's returnable just in case.

Personally, my choice of a wedding band was a sentimental one that I did not want to 'upgrade.' It said (and says) something about what my wife and I were, our sense of style, and what we could afford at the time. It was about something that we hoped would last. Personally, I don't think that my wife and I ever thought of upgrading the wedding ring. (OTOH, I was finally able to get her a very nice engagement ring with a REAL heart-cut diamond 20 years ago).

 

[Rush20]

Thanks for all the feedback. The primary reason we decided to upgrade my wife's ring is that the clasps on her original engagement ring band were starting to break. She's a hairdresser and didn't want to lose the diamond so we wanted to get her a new band that has the diamond mounted lower and flatter within the band. My ring is a standard gold band, however the jeweler showed me the gold/cobalt wedding band that would also includes three stones; one for our annivesary and then one birthstone for each of our two children. I thought it was pretty cool, however I have never worn any cobalt jewelry before. I have had no reactions to my current gold ring or gold MedicAlert necklace/pendant that are both worn full-time.

 

[Protimenow]

I realized after I wrote it that it was really none of my business WHY you or your wife wanted to change wedding bands. As far as cobalt vs cobalt and gold, I have no idea about whether there are issues with the cobalt. I know that, for me, nickel isn't well tolerated.