The cats are silver alloy and the ear wires are silver plate over stainless steel, I think. I make a point of ordering ear wires that won't irritate sensitive ears I have sensitive ears and this batch of ear wires doesn't bother me. I always try them before using them for my jewelry. Not on the ones I sell , of course. I buy batches and take a couple out of the batch and test them on myself. Just for your information, if you have some earrings that bother you try painting the metal that touches your ears with clear nail polish. My friend told me she does that and it works.