IMPACT OF FAST FASHION JEWELRY

We live in a time where we want everything to go fast, fast fashion, fleeting trends, parcels delivered the next day or preferably the same day, preferably as cheaply as possible.
It is slowly becoming clear that this way of life is catching up with us and does not give us the fulfillment we would like to get from it.
This consumer behavior has an inevitable impact on our society, economy and mother nature.
 

Fleeting catwalk trends mean that many jewelry items are manufactured and sold without final testing.
Motivated by fleeting fashion trends, we buy cheap items, mostly mass-produced in China.
We face regulatory challenges on checking these imported products before they reach the consumer market.
How can we be sure that what we buy does not contain lead or other harmful materials?

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Overconsumption fuels overproduction.

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Cheap bracelets, earrings, rings, beads and Christmas baubles often contain toxic metals such as lead and cadmium.
Lead is used in fashion jewelry production because it is an inexpensive alloy that adds weight, brightens colors and provides support to structural and decorative components of the pieces.
Lead has many attractive properties, including its high density, malleability and lubricity, and can be easily alloyed with other metals, making it an effective choice for metalworking.
An unattractive property of this metal is that it poses a risk to the wearer's health and safety.

As consumers, we know very little about what goes into fashion jewelry and how it is made.

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What impact does lead have on our health and the environment?

- It is not biodegradable

- It accumulates in our body and has negative influence on our nervous system

- Harmful during early stages of pregnancy and for child development

- Harmful to children who may put the jewelry in their mouths

- Jewelry makers often work in poorly ventilated work areas where they inhale lead

 

Many manufacturers have started replacing lead with cadmium because of the metal's similar properties. However, there are also numerous health risks associated with cadmium.

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Another important point to note is that many silver jewelry is rhodium plated to prevent oxidation, and this is also done with white gold jewelry to give it a cool white color.
White gold naturally has a warm gray glow.
Rhodium is also a toxic metal and carcinogenic metal.

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Which jewelry is safe?

All jewelry made from precious metals (silver, gold and copper) are safe.

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- Jewelry made of 925 silver, not rhodium plated

- 14 or 18 carat gold within Belgium and the Netherlands (do not buy jewelry abroad if you are not sure which metals have been added to the jewelry.)

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Buy your jewelry at a goldsmith or have it made by one or buy it from a jeweler.

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​Your jewelry can mean more than a passing trend.

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Give yourself and your purchases a voice. 💗