Child Safe Jewelry

[Former_Member]

I've been asked to design a mother/daughter necklace set for a mother and her two year old. I am highly concerned about the safety issues involved, and don't really know where to start. The commission in question would be high karat gold and pure silver, with stones for the mother and without for the daughter, but I'm really unsure of where to start designing. I have two young girls 3 and 4, who are only now allowed to have those inexpensive plastic "jewel" necklaces, and only under strict supervision. Any thoughts?

Kaelin

[KittredgeMercantile]

I don't know of any necklace thats safe for a two year old except for a candy necklace.

[Former_Member]

I agree. This is a very touchy subject because if something happens, you can be liable. Especially with this new law.

[Former_Member]

Yes high quality is important, I have found when stringing necklaces I use two large crimps on each end and this has proven to be completely child proof (not breaking) even when the child tugged on the necklace with almost all their weight. Hope this helps. I sold one of these necklaces to a client who has a 3 year old who the day she got the necklace was practically swinging from it and it stayed intact. Love, Shilah

[MadeOfMetal]

What is the new law you speak of Rose? I have some small 3mm stud earrings that I describe as being perfect for small children.

I wonder if I should also worry about liability and at least put up a disclaimer somewhere in my shop?

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30018339

[Former_Member]

I was thinking of a 4mm heavy link gold ID style bracelet that instead of the ID tag, has the same gold/silver pattern that the mom's pendant will have... On her wrist so she can't choke, with an extremely strong welded on rounded gold clasp, and "with love from Grandpa" etc, on the back side of the focal point. Everything would be soldered shut(except the clasp! :-) ) and my only concern would then be about the gold content she might gain by sucking on the bracelet.

I was also wondering if I could get my client to sign some sort of "I understand this item might be hazardous to the child's health and undertake to accept the consequences..." clause in the contract.

Thanks for your help!

[Former_Member]

Kaelin, if you are worried about the the smallness of the pendant or the length of the chain from the jewelry causing a choking or strangulation problem then educate the mother and if she feels that she still wants the items then consult a law professional on how to word the disclaimer for the commission contract. The lead testing portion of the CPSIA should be no problem, karated gold and sterling silver are exempt from the lead testing requirements since they are inert metals in the human body, the FDA has approved these materials for medical and dental use for years.
If you really feel that the child's jewelry will cause you more problems than the sale is worth simple tell the mom that children grow so fast that with a correctly sized piece for a 2 year old may only get a year of wear out of the piece before it's too small.
Here's the info I have on the Small Parts Regulations
Summary
http://www.cpsc.gov/BUSINFO/regsumsmallparts.pdf
Small Parts labeling
http://www.cpsc.gov/BUSINFO/label.pdf
Maybe some one else has a link to a plain english version of the small parts regulations, but these 2 links are the best I have.