Safe alternatives to toxic metals in jewelry

(Editor's Note: This post was written and supplied to us by Jack Gindi, CEO of FuFoo & Disney Precious Collection. You can find more information at www.fufoo.com or www.preciousjewelrycollections.com.)

Bad news: Toxic metals have been found in children's jewelry from China. Good news: There are safe, high-quality alternatives available

By Jack Gindi

 For a precious little girl, there is nothing more special than a gift of fine jewelry.  It is the simplest, most timeless way to mark a special occasion, to give as a flower girl gift, or just as a gift of love. But that special gift may carry a hidden danger. Unfortunately, in this day and age, product safety cannot be taken for granted.  Not every manufacturer cares about your child’s health.  For example, Chinese jewelry manufacturers are getting a lot of negative press these days, and deservedly so.  China ships out a mind-boggling million or more pounds of jewelry annually. There have been numerous recalls of products shipped to the United States that have been made with dangerous, toxic heavy metals.  These poisonous alloys present serious, long-term health consequences for children.

Consumer Reports estimates that about 20% of children’s metal jewelry contains high levels of lead.  Even with federal legislation limiting levels of lead, recalls from lead-tainted imported products are still all too common. Coatings that are not evenly applied, dull, scraped, or chipped are a warning sign of inferior jewelry.  An enamel coating should have a rich, lustrous appearance and feel smooth and glossy to the touch. The Fufoo collection, for example, which is handcrafted in Italy, uses champlevé enameling with the highest-quality enameling compounds that are free from toxic metals.  For quality jewelry manufacturers, the use of toxic metals in the production process as a cost-saving measure is unacceptable and a violation of customer trust.

Now, in addition to toxic lead, our children are facing a new health threat from Chinese jewelry manufacturers, poisoning from cadmium, an even more toxic heavy metal.  Yes, cadmium, that metal found in rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries.  According to the CDC, cadmium is one of the most toxic heavy metals in existence and has the dubious honor of being ranked as the seventh most hazardous substance on earth. Cadmium-laced jewelry is especially dangerous for children because the metal can be ingested just from sucking or biting the jewelry; it need not be swallowed. It is a