The European Directive EN 1811, discussed at the 1999 Santa Fe Symposium, has been published in the Official Gazette of the European Community in August, 1999. Therefore this Directive is now law in all the EC countries, and it will come into force from the end of January 2000. This Directive leaves some problem areas open, the first being that in some cases dermatitis could develop through contact with jewelry made of alloys that safely pass the prescribed tests. For this reason many European producers prefer to use nickel-free white gold alloys, even if this option often implies a significant cost increase. This paper will address the problems that may be met when "conforming" nickel-containing alloys are used. Characteristics of the commercial alloys in 18 ct and 14 ct available on the market, most commonly used in the European countries, will be discussed. These alloys can be nickel-free or of nickel-containing types that pass the "artificial sweat test" prescribed by the Directive.

Author: Dr. Valerio Faccenda, Pietro Oriani