Lead and Nickel in Jewelry: What You Need to Know
Keep Yourself and Your Customers Protected
Imagine I told you I was going to sell you some prime rib wholesale for a really great deal – pennies on the pound.
You could flip that rib for at about ten times what you paid for it.
You start to get excited as you imagine how much money you could be making.
And then I casually mention that there’s a little bit of lead in the prime rib. Not a big deal right?
As would be expected, you freak out. “What?!” you yell. “How could you expect me to buy this meat? It’ll make my customers sick and I’ll get sued!”
I shrug. “Well, while meat has to be tested and meet certain safety standards in first world countries, in some other countries those same standards don’t exist.
Or, maybe they have those standards on paper, but nobody enforces them.
So what do you think? This is a pretty good deal, right?”
At this point, you’re pretty likely to either report me to the FDA or insult me and walk away, depending on your personality.
Now, I want you to imagine I’m talking to you about selling jewelry.
The Hidden Dangers of Lead and Nickel Jewelry
“Wait”, you say. “That’s completely different. Jewelry is something you wear! Not something you eat like meat!”
You’re completely right, of course.
“But to be fair … jewelry touches your skin the entire time you wear it, right?” I ask.
You nod hesitantly.
“And let’s be frank, jewelry is pretty small – small enough that a child could easily put jewelry in their mouth and swallow it.”
You nod again.
“Well, I’m telling you that even without swallowing jewelry, even if you’re a responsible adult simply wearing your new ring, bracelet or necklace, you can experience severe health side effects from jewelry containing lead and nickel.”
“You see, your skin is porous – it lets materials in and out. Just think about sweat, for example.”
You smile, and say, “Or how about when your skin gets all spongy from sitting in a bath for a long time?”
“Exactly,” I say. “I know that you don’t wear that much jewelry yourself – but you’ve got to think about your customers. Of course, you’ve got to be moral and make sure you’re not selling them something that can hurt them.
But let’s take thing even further – if one of your customers gets sick or heaven forbid – dies – because of your jewelry, you could very easily go out of business. You might even face criminal charges!”
“Wow” you say. “What exactly are the side effects of dangerous jewelry?”
“I’m glad you asked.”
How Nickel and Lead Can Hurt People
To recap our earlier “conversation” and give you some more information:
- Nickel and lead are not allowed to be used in jewelry in most First World countries.
- However, many other countries still manufacture jewelry with these materials, particularly nickel.
- Since a lot of the jewelry we buy is imported, unless a company specifically says they don’t sell jewelry made with these materials (and even if they do), many people are exposed to these metals and their harmful side effects.
- Cheap, costume and discount jewelry are particularly likely to contain nickel and lead (because costume / discount jewelry is often imported from developing countries that don’t have a great deal of oversight for their manufacturing.)
Let’s get into the nitty gritty about the side effects of nickel and lead when they come into contact with human skin.
Bezel Box, an online retailer selling women’s jewelry, has this to say about lead in jewelry:
“The list of ailments associated with lead poisoning is long but just to name a few would include memory loss, declines in mental functioning, headaches, mood disorders, muscular weakness, miscarriages and premature birth.”
A CBS news article examined a study that independently tested several jewelry items found in common discount stores such as Target and Walmart. The study found that over half of the jewelry tested had high levels of dangerous metals such as nickel and lead.
The article quotes Dr. Kenneth R. Spaeth, Director of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Center at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., who spoke out about these chemicals, stating:
“None of these things are things you want to have your child exposed to…
In an ideal world, (these chemicals) would not be found in children’s toys or products or even products that adults use”
Science Speak
OK, so you’ve heard some reports now. We’ve covered that nickel and lead can cause:
- Allergic skin reactions, including burn-like symptoms
- An increased risk of mood disorders
- An increased risk of brain disorders such as memory loss
Now, let’s get a little more specific. To be honest, there’s not much more we need to say about lead, as it’s pretty commonly known that lead is really, really bad for you.
Lead’s known dangerous effects have caused it to be banned from use in the production of gasoline, paint and indoor plumbing, just to name a few areas.
The World Health Organization offers some of these facts in an article on the dangers of lead poisoning:
“Lead can have serious consequences for the health of children.
At high levels of exposure, lead attacks the brain and central nervous system to cause coma, convulsions and even death. Children who survive severe lead poisoning may be left with mental retardation and behavioural disorders.
At lower levels of exposure that cause no obvious symptoms, and that previously were considered safe, lead is now known to produce a spectrum of injury across multiple body systems.”
Moral of the story: You don’t want lead anywhere around you or your customers, especially in a product that is actively touching you.
While the dangers of lead are widely known, the same cannot be said for nickel.
An article by the Global Healing Center has this to say about nickel and its effects on human health:
“Nickel is one of many carcinogenic metals known to be an environmental and occupational pollutant.
The New York University School of Medicine warns that chronic exposure has been connected with increased risk of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological deficits, developmental deficits in childhood, and high blood pressure.”
The article even states that nickel leads to an increased risk of breast cancer.
How to Give Your Customers Safe Jewelry
Now we’ve convinced you of the dangers of selling jewelry that contains nickel and lead.
Hopefully you found this knowledge useful and empowering.
We don’t mean to suggest that you are actively selling your customers jewelry that can hurt them. We are simply saying that you may have been unaware of the issue.
Frankly, most people are. When you live in a first world country, you generally expect the products you buy will be safe for you and your customers. However, as we have seen in this article, that is not always the case.
Does that mean that you should test each and every piece of jewelry you buy wholesale for nickel and lead? No – that’s probably not financially viable. And while in a perfect world we would test each piece of jewelry, in the actual world we live in, that’s simply not a realistic option.
However, if you are buying from a supplier that has really low prices, you might want to get one or two pieces of their jewelry checked out by an independent testing company, just to be safe.
Or, if you want to ensure the safety of your customers without all the time and hassle of testing your suppliers’ jewelry, you can just buy your wholesale jewelry from companies that only sell you the good stuff.
For example, here at elf925.com we only sell completely safe jewelry that is sourced in a responsible way.
When you buy from us, you never have to worry about safety concerns for your customers … which means you never have to worry about your customers suing you due to a health issue caused by poor quality jewelry.
Short-Term Cost Cutting Vs. Long-Term Gains
There’s a saying about finances that goes, “penny wise, pound foolish.”
Basically, this saying refers to a situation where you attempt to save a little bit of money and succeed, but end up losing a lot more money in the long-term.
This is exactly what happens when you buy from jewelry suppliers that you can’t trust. They may have rock bottom prices, but they may have rock-bottom products as well.
So, while it may cost a tiny bit more in the short run, in the long run, the financially sustainable and smart move is to invest in jewelry that you know for certain is free from dangerous metals and responsibly sourced.
Of course, we think you should buy that jewelry from us. However, even if you choose another company for your wholesale jewelry needs, make sure you think about your customers’ safety and your company’s liability when ordering jewelry.