CPSIA stands for the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act which is legislation that protects children from the harmful materials contained in some manufactured goods such as toys, clothing, jewelry and other products they may come in contact with. In March 2009 the CPSIA enacted guidelines for children’s jewelry, this legislation affects all manufacturers that make jewelry intended for children under the age of 12 yrs.
The rules for manufacturers of jewelry for children are pretty strict and do not allow for any product to be marketed or sold to children under the age of 12 if it is not tested for lead content by a third party. These guidelines make it very difficult for artists of handmade jewelry, many of us simply do not have the ability to pay for third party lead testing. It’s not enough that we purchase products certified as “lead-safe” we too must test these products for their lead content. Many manufacturers of beads, clasps, charms, chains and other jewelry parts say that their products are lead safe, but will not provide certification to that fact. As a way of avoiding the certification process they put a disclaimer on their products that they are not intended for children under the age of 12.
I spent many hours trying to find testing and safe materials online and in my local stores, I found nothing that would help me on my quest to provide safe cute jewelry for kids. This lack of responsibility and attention to kids jewelry and accessories is disheartening. I contemplated closing down my line of children’s jewelry altogether. Then I decided that my desire to make cute stuff for kids was too important to let it go so easily. My answer to the problem is to provide all sterling silver, gemstone, untreated wood beads and polymer clay beads for my jewelry. These items are deemed safe by the CPSIA as they are natural materials, for a complete list of safe materials check here. Polymer clay no longer contains phthalates and is certified safe, in it’s baked and unbaked form by the Arts and Creative Materials Institute.
Please consider River Wolfe Art Jewelry when purchasing jewelry for your kids and yourself, I have gone to great lengths to make it safe and affordable for everyone. It is fully guaranteed, please contact me if you have any problems with the quality or content, I will be happy to replace the item at no cost.
{ 1 trackback }