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Overview

Assurance of
Our Compliance

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Testing Results

Standards related to potentially hazardous metal content in jewelry components in European Union (EU) countries are addressed by two separate areas of law. One seeks to prevent skin rashes, known as nickel dermatitis, by regulating the amount of nickel that can be released during normal use from earring post findings and metal surfaces that come in repeated contact with the skin. The second obliquely addresses the exposure to lead and other toxic metals.

TierraCast is proud to offer test results as an assurance of our compliance with these EU standards for the majority of its cast product line.

Nickel

The regulations entitled "The Dangerous Substances and Preparations (Nickel) (Safety) Regulations 2005" clearly require that any finding component that pierces the skin may not release more than .2 micrograms of nickel per cubic centimeter per week, and that no other jewelry component release no more than .5 micrograms of nickel per cubic centimeter per week. Note that these regulations do not prohibit the use of nickel in jewelry components, but rather limits the amount to which a person may be exposed.

Nickel exposure is tested under BS EN12472 and BS EN 1811:1999. The first of these separate tests replicates two years of wear under normal use, and the second tests for subsequent exposure to nickel.

Lead

Regulations regarding lead in jewelry are much less clear than those related to nickel. The Birmingham Assay Office in the UK (Newsletter August 2007, p. 5 - "Lead Publicity Causing Alarm") summarizes the approach to lead in this progression of statements:

  • No regulations specifically address lead in children's or adult jewelry in the UK.
  • Therefore, The General Product Safety Regulations 2005/1803 apply and require only "safe" products to be offered for sale.
  • To be deemed "safe", (a product) must not present any risk, or only minimum risks compatible with the product's use, under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use.
  • In considering what levels of lead could be considered "safe", the Assay Office suggests that EU standard BS EN 71-3:1995 - Safety of Toys (Part 3: Migration of Certain Elements) would address the issue. The Toy Safety Regulation sets the exposure (not content) of "leachable lead" to no more 90ppm. This test also limits exposure to Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Cadmium, Chromium, Mercury, and Selenium.

While the Assay Office's interpretation appears sound, it would appear that more than one interpretation of applicable regulations is possible in that the Toys Safety Regulations of 1995 specifically exclude "Fashion jewelry for children." (Annex B. p 24 - item 24)

The article titled "New Toy Safety Directive Will Impose Stricter Rules", published in the Winter 2009/2010 edition of The Anchor – News from the Birmingham Assay Office – confirms that this new "directive" once again, specifically excludes "children's fashion jewelry" from the these Toy Standards. The assumption remains that the compliance with the broader General Product Safety Directive is still required.

TierraCast Compliance

Nickel

TierraCast has submitted a variety of representative samples of its cast pewter product line for nickel testing under BS EN12472 and BS EN 1811:1999. The test results from these samples confirm that TierraCast gold and silver plated cast pewter components comply with the Nickel Safety Regulation of 2005. These finishes are indicated in our catalog with part numbers that end in -11, -12, -25, and -26. Unfortunately at this time, rhodium finishes (-60 and -61) as well as our copper finish (-18) do not yet comply with the nickel directive. We continue to work with various plating facilities here in the United States to develop rhodium and copper finishes that will allow our full cast product line to comply with this standard.

Lead

Information from the EU on limits of lead content in jewelry continues to lack clarity for components other than those intended for children. While TierraCast does not market its cast pewter components to children, it nevertheless can affirm that its silver and gold plated components do comply with those limits set under Toys Safety Regulations of 1995 - Section EN 71:3 as indicated by the following test results from Intertek Testing Laboratories. As we repeatedly comply with this toy standard, we believe by extension, that all our products are safe in the hands of adults or children.