Gold is often valued as a material in body jewelry for its low reactivity and its beautiful appearance. It is usually more expensive than copper or nickel jewelry, but one will often find that the reactivity of these metals, that is, their tendency to tarnish, can irritate body piercings. Some metals, such as nickel, may also produce an allergic response in certain individuals. Gold itself rarely produces such a response, but low-grade gold (such as nine- or ten-karat varieties) are rich in alloys that may trigger allergies in predisposed individuals. Low-karat gold also tends to tarnish, a result that can be both visually unpleasant and physically irritating to your piercing. Tarnish stains your skin and, in a fresh piercing, can fill what is essentially an open wound with loose particles.

Normally a very soft metal, gold is usually mixed with other alloys in order to improve its hardness and to reduce its cost. The purity of gold, as you may know, is measured in karats, twenty-four-karat gold being effectively pure, twelve-karat being fifty-percent pure, and so on proportionally. A great deal of very inexpensive jewelry is produced at nine or ten karat purity, while eighteen- or twenty-four-karat jewelry will tend to cost somewhat more.

Depending upon the sensitivity of your piercing and its location, it may be worth your while to search for high-grade gold. While ten-karat gold is usually fine for ear lobe piercings, most other parts of the body have full vasculation. This means that they receive larger quantities of blood, the result being a full immune response as your body tries to heal the wound while expelling foreign substances, like the tarnish your jewelry may produce. For this reason, using low-grade gold or nickel in a fresh body piercing can result in a long-term infection or a slow healing process, something no one should welcome. Eighteen-karat gold is relatively inexpensive and has a low chance of tarnishing or triggering an allergic response.

For manufacturers, a popular solution to the expense of quality gold is to "plate" non-gold metals with a thin layer of gold. As tarnishing occurs when a metal has contact with oxygen, the interior metal is protected from tarnishing by the outlying gold. Meanwhile the jewelry takes on the visible appearance of gold while being considerably less expensive. Gold-plated jewelry does, however, tend to wear down with use, sometimes very quickly. When the protective layer is worn away, the base metal will tarnish as quickly as ever and may, as usual, produce an allergic reaction in certain individuals. For this reason, gold-plated jewelry is not generally recommended for use in sensitive body piercings. "Gold-filled" jewelry, produced by a similar method to gold plating, produces a product that is essentially the same, but what is usually a thicker layer of gold. Depending upon the thickness and purity of this gold, one may find through experience that gold-filled jewelry is sufficient for their piercing, but it is not equal in safety or quality to real gold. "Gold-washed" jewelry is protected by an even thinner layer of gold than plated jewelry, and should not be considered for a body piercing.

If your piercing is administered professionally, your piercer is likely to recommend more expensive, high-grade gold or platinum jewelry, and may not even carry less hygienic items. While he or she may or may not be offering the best prices available, the choice of a more expensive piece may help to protect your body and your investment. Be sure to identify the material and quality of your jewelry before purchasing it or using it in a piercing, especially one that is fresh. The longevity of your piercing and, more importantly, your health may be at stake.