Material
In my shop all stainless steel interchangeable jewelry parts are made of stainless steel AISI 304 or AISI 316.
All stainless steel has a nickel, but it is important how many of nickel will be released in the derma-contact. A study of nickel release and allergic contact dermatitis from nickel-plated metals and stainless steels was published in more journals. It was shown that low-sulfur stainless steel grades like 304, 316 release less than 0.03 microgram/cm2/week of nickel in acid artificial sweat and elicit no reactions in patients already sensitized to nickel.
| steel type | Ni-release in pH 4.5, μg/cm2/week | Allergy reaction of test persons, % |
| 304 | <0.03 | 0 |
| 316 | <0.03 | 0 |
| alloying elements | stainless steel 304 | stainless steel 316 |
| Ni | 8.65% | 11.29% |
| Cr | 18.18% | 17.87% |
| Mo | 0.26% | 2.15% |
| C | 0.036% | 0.021% |
| S | 0.0069% | 0.018% |
| Mn | 0.81% | 1.67% |
| Si | 0.49% | 0.61% |
Source: www.edelstahl-rostfrei.de