A user on TikTok is calling out jewelry chain Pandora after alleging that a ring from the company turned her finger green. When she went to complain about this issue, she claims that the manager of the store ‘gaslit’ her.
In a video with over 1.2 million views as of Saturday, TikTok user Aine (@ainzocarroll) writes, “Anyone who works for Pandora tell me that a brand new ring isn’t supposed to turn your finger green after wearing it for one day because a manager in Pandora tried to gaslight me into thinking it was normal and supposed to happen.”
@ainzocarroll Please let me know if she just on a power trip or if this is normal for Pandora. She told me 'thats what happens' as if i was crazy for being suprised that my finger was green and that i should clean it more often (i had it for one day) #pandora #greenfinger ♬ What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture "Barbie"] – Billie Eilish
Skin turning green from jewelry is a fairly common phenomenon, usually occurring due to the presence of copper within a piece of jewelry.
“When jewelry is made with copper, it can react with sweat, lotion, and other products on your skin and oxidize,” writes Kelly Kuehn for Reader’s Digest. “When copper oxidizes, it goes through chemical reactions that create a green type of ‘film’ on the jewelry, which then transfers to the skin.”
If one wants to continue wearing said jewelry without their skin changing colors, experts advise painting the inside of the piece with clear nail polish or, for pieces that are silver or gold plated, having the piece professionally replated.
In the comments section, users were divided about the issue, with many saying that such a reaction is normal while others retorting that a piece of jewelry from a place like Pandora should not fall victim to such an issue.
“Basically unless it’s gold or silver you get what you pay for,” a user shared. “It is normal – that’s not gas lighting.”
“I’ve come to realize Pandora is cheaply made but expensive,” another offered. “Everything went brown within a year.”
“I used to work there: used to tell people it was due to ‘skin PH and leaving it in a jewellery box,’” claimed a third. “Reality is it’s extremely cheap quality.”
In comments, Aine explained that her issue was not so much with the ring itself, but the Pandora manager’s reaction to the issue.
“It’s more the managers reaction that annoyed me,” she detailed. “I’m sure it can happen but just exchange the ring I’m sure Pandora headquarters wouldn’t cry about it.”
Eventually, she was able to swap the ring, as she revealed in a follow-up video.
@ainzocarroll Replying to @Deejaytouch ♬ What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture "Barbie"] – Billie Eilish
“They exchanged in another shop where the manager wasnt on a power trip,” Aine wrote in the caption. “I got a cheaper ring havent cleaned it since and it hasnt left a mark so the first ring is just sh*t quality and im not allergic to silver peace and love.”
Commenters under this video complained about a perceived decline in the store’s quality in recent years.
“I have 2 old pandora rings which never turned my fingers green,” recounted a user. “I recently got this exact ring and another one and it turned my fingers green.”
“If I’m gonna get pandora I’ll only get second-hand stuff that’s from older collections,” stated an additional TikToker. “Anything new is cheap and definitely not worth the money.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Pandora via email and Aine via TikTok comment.