Should people allergic to shellfish use pearls?

Answer 1

• Yes, you can have an "allergy" or in this case (to be more precise) a 'sensitivity' to real pearls (or anything else under the sun).

• In my experience I have not yet met anyone who is actually allergic to pearls and I have been in the pearl retail/wholesale and pearl farming business for many years. If someone experiences and allergic reaction to a piece of pearl jewelry, the most likely reason will be the finding. People are allergic to different alloys, especially nickel. There are elements of nickel in 14k and 18k gold and people do have a reaction to this. In general, pearls are hypoallergenic. But in case of imitation pearls some people may have an allergic reaction when they come into contact with them.

• As a jewelry artist who works with variety of media including freshwater and salt water pearls there has never been a client who was allergic to pearls yet. People can be allergic to calcium carbonate, which the pearls are made of. Calcium carbonate, essentially calcium salt, is found in the Calcium supplements that anyone can buy over the counter at any drug or health store. Allergy to Calcium Carbonate is very rare, but it does exist. For the most part people are allergic to Calcium Carbonate when digested. Unlike pearl jewelry, calcium supplements are taken orally. However, humans have a habit of testing authenticity of pearls by running them in between lips or teeth. Existence of pearl allergy seems highly probable.

Answer 2

Allergy to shell fish and allergy to pearls are two different allergies.

People who are allergic to shellfish are actually allergic to the protein called Tropomyosin, which is found in the muscle part of the shell fish, and not the sea shell part. Tropomyosin is responsible for the acting mechanics, like muscle contraction. While Calcium Carbonate is what the sea shell part of the marine creature is made up of, and so is the mollusk byproduct -- pearl.

Pearls don't contain any Tropomyosin, mostly they are made up of Calcium Carbonate. Calcium Carbonate is found in the Calcium supplements that anyone can buy over the counter at any drug or health store. Common side effects to Calcium Carbonate allergy include: skin rash, itching or hives, swelling of the face, lips, or tongue, confusion or irritability, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and feeling unusually weak or tired.

Just because a person is allergic to shell fish food, it doesn't mean he or she has to be allergic to pearls. Specifically in this case, as they are completely two different Allergies. Tropomyosin shell fish food allergy is quite common, about 2 percent of adults in America have it. Calcium Carbonate allergy is extremely rare.

However, people who have one allergy, often develop other allergies through life.