High street costume jewellery, don't be fooled!

It seems that something as simple as purchasing high street stud earrings isn’t as safe as many would believe.

The dangers are very real.

In 2018 the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) underwent an extensive project testing jewellery available in the EU, testing a whopping total of 5,500 products across 27 EU countries.

Shockingly enough, out of all of these products a sizable 18% failed EU chemical and safety regulation standards, with metals like lead, nickel and cadmium present to dangerous levels.

Beyond this, HSA inspectors put various low cost, high street jewellery to the test in Ireland, and found that many contained higher than compliance levels of harmful materials, including 13% with high levels of lead, 5% with high levels of cadmium and 8% with high levels of nickel.

The dangers of toxic quantities of these metals cannot be understated, and whilst it’s not exactly the cheeriest of subjects it’s definitely important to keep in mind when purchasing jewellery – especially with children and mothers most at risk!

High levels of lead, for instance, can cause irreversible damage to our fertility and neurological systems – even going as far as ending up in the milk of breastfeeding mothers. Cadmium is similarly a cumulative poisonous element that can cause damage to our kidneys simply by wearing it in contact with the skin.

Playing it safe without breaking the bank.

It’s all well and good to be aware that cheap jewellery with questionable origins might be toxic, but how can we avoid it without paying excessive amounts?

The simplest way is to be vigilant and research the seller – are they a legitimate company? Do they fully list the content and quality of their materials? How are their reviews?

Remember; there are always alternatives, and if you do your research and choose your jewellery wisely, you shouldn’t be at risk.

Surgical steel earrings are the cream of the crop in terms of affordable and completely safe ear stud options, but if you’re looking for something more expensive, metals like platinum and titanium are also safe and can be hypoallergenic.

Hypoallergenic earrings are ultimately designed with a strong focus on materials that anyone can stand – even those of us with sensitive skin! So if you’re looking for a safe bet, they certainly won’t disappoint.