Wholesale Jewelry-Making Supplies for Professional Craftspeople
1 (800) 366-2156
Nickel Free For one thing, most of us used to think that Surgical Stainless Steel had no nickel. Surgical Stainless Steel (the most commonly used piercing material in the U.S.), although wearable by the majority of the population, contains a small amount of nickel, usually 8% in jewelry.
Also, jewelry marked Nickel Free is allowed to contain a very small amount of nickel... but it
is such a tiny amount that it takes very sensitive instruments days and sometimes weeks to
measure it.
The European standard is: Items labeled Nickel Free may not contain more than .05% nickel.
In other words, there can’t be more than 1 part in 2,000 that is nickel.
All of our Nickel Free earring findings meet this European standard.
The UK standard is a bit more stringent: .01% nickel. There is not yet a U.S. standard,
but if/when there is one, it will probably be the same as the European standard (.05%).
For more information on the European nickel ban, contact MJSA (Manufacturing Jewelers & Silversmiths of America) at 1 (800) 444-6572. Over the last decade, they have been doing an excellent job of tracking the phases of the European nickel ban and new standards, and have been keeping American jewelers and metalsmiths aware of the trends. If you have customers in Europe, or plan to market your jewelry in Europe, you need to be aware of the nickel ban.
Sterling Silver has no nickel, so is wearable by most segments of the population. Sterling is sometimes stamped .925, because sterling silver is made of 92.5% silver, and 7.5% copper.
Niobium is another non-nickel metal. It is available in a wide variety of colors, without plating. It is anodized, colored by dipping it into an electrically charged bath. The amount of current determines the color. The most popular anodized colors are teal and purple.
14kt yellow gold is commonly made of the following materials: 58% pure Gold, 25% pure Silver,
and 17% pure Copper. Gold can be alloyed with other metals, too. If you're familiar with
Black Hills Gold and other tri-color gold jewelry, you may be aware that the rose gold has more
copper, and the white gold has nickel (for color and strength).
Nickel is a durable metal that holds its color well. Combined with its low price, it is understandably a popular material. Unfortunately, as more people become more exposed to it, through ear and body piercing, more people become more sensitive to it, and alternative materials must be found.
Questions? Please call us — Toll Free in Canada or the
United States — at 1 (800) 366-2156, or e-mail us.
For information about ordering our wholesale catalog, please see the
catalog section of our website.