Approximately 50% of all women who wear pierced earrings suffer contact dermatitis. Their symptoms include itching, flaking, inflammation, weeping and soreness. These symptoms are commonly triggered by a chemical reaction to nickel, a substance widely used in jewelry manufacturing today. Of 1000 women surveyed in Detroit, Michigan, 47% said they could wear pierced earrings only up to one day without experiencing discomfort; 22% said they had stopped wearing pierced earrings entirely because of discomfort; 5% said they could wear pierced earrings only for short periods of time. Many earrings are inaccurately labeled "hypoallergenic" when only their posts are constructed of plastic or stainless steel. The inferior metals elsewhere on the earring cause outbreaks of contact dermatitis. Even 18-karat gold and sterling silver jewelry is no guarantee against irritation. The problem is severe enough that some European communities are enacting legislation ordering warning labels on all jewelry causing irritation. Newspapers nationally, from the Kalamazoo Gazette to the New York Times, recognize the widespread problem of earring sensitivity. Yet women are unwilling to forego wearing this most popular jewelry item. Fortunately there is an answer for these women. Medical studies done throughout the world verify the effectiveness of surgical grade stainless steel and pure 24-karat gold as the only healthy alternatives for earring wearers who suffer in the name of fashion.