Cheap costume jewelry may be saving you a few dollars, but it can be potentially dangerous to your health.
We discovered an article by CBS News where a non-profit organization Ecology Center - that advocates for a safe, healthy envirnonment - conducted some tests on costume jewelry from major retailers like Claries, Burlington Coat Factory, Target, Big Lots, Claire's, Forever 21, H&M and Kohl's. Researchers took samples of 99 children's and adult jewelry pieces, checking them for lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel, brominated flame retardants, chlorine, mercury and arsenic.
"The researchers found that over half of the products had high levels of hazardous chemicals. 27 of the products had greater than 300 ppm lead, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)'s lead limit in children's products. Chromium and nickel, which often cause allergic reactions, were found in over 90% of items," according to CBS News.
Although there is no proven research that these metals pose a risk by simply wearing them, we do feel that it can potentially be a problem because chemicals/toxins can penetrate through our skin. Think of it as the same logic as birth control stickers, where hormones penetrate our skin to prevent pregnancy. Just because not enough research has been done on jewelry does not mean that this cannot be a health risk.
Also, poor quality metals can be deadly if they are consumed. "When pieces are small enough to fit in (a child's) mouth, the likelihood of ingestion increases dramatically," says CBS News.
Because of these health concerns, SONIA HOU Jewelry proudly uses metals made of real gold (i.e., 14K/18K/24K) and real silver (i.e., Sterling Silver). Our mission is to create jewelry that is hypoallergenic for most people.
Like the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. The more expensive things are, the better the quality. This is why when it comes to jewelry, it is important to invest in quality, not quantity - because our health is just priceless.
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