EU vs US Jewelry Compliance: What Changes When You Import - FSC CRAFT

Most importers discover their compliance gap at the port, not at the design stage. The paperwork exists, it is just not ordered early enough, and by then the shipment is already on a boat.

The EU and the US ask for different things from the same necklace. This page is the practical version: what differs, what it costs you in time, and what to request in the RFQ.

The headline difference: nickel release

The single most consequential rule for jewelry in the EU is the nickel release limit under REACH, enforced via EN 1811 for articles in direct and prolonged contact with skin, and EN 12472 for coated articles, which simulates wear. The limit is 0.2 µg/cm² per week.

The US does not have an equivalent federal nickel-release limit for jewelry. California's Proposition 65 applies where the product lists known chronic hazards, which in practice means the warning-labelling conversation rather than a numeric release threshold.

What that means for you: an article legal in the US can still fail the EU test. If you sell into the EU, the test applies, and it applies to the finished article, not to the metal you bought.

Coatings are the part people get wrong

A plated item is assessed under EN 12472, which simulates wear and measures nickel released from the coating after abrasion. The failure mode is not the coating being cheap — it is a thin coating over a substrate that is fine on its own.

Two implications:

• Specify the coating spec, not just the colour. "Gold" is not a specification; a target thickness range and the plating method are.
• Ask how the coating is verified. Thickness is measured by XRF spectroscopy or cross-section microscopy, and the report should state the measured value for your finish.

We describe how we document this on the compliance and testing page — note that we issue per-order documentation rather than publishing site-wide pass/fail numbers, because a result tied to one alloy, finish and batch does not transfer to another product.

Corrosion testing is a durability question

Salt spray testing under ASTM B117 is the common accelerated corrosion method, used for specifying corrosion resistance. It is also the reference point when a customer in a humid climate complains about tarnish.

If your product is going to be sold as "water-safe" or "sweat-safe", that claim should be traceable to a test, not to a marketing instinct.

What to ask for in the RFQ

Request compliance in the initial brief. Documentation arranged after production starts is the delay, not the documentation itself.

• The standards and methods you will be tested against, and the market you are testing for.
• Whether testing is needed on the finished article or on a base-material sample.
• Who issues the report — an accredited third-party lab, or an in-house test. The difference matters to your retailer, and a big-box retailer or a serious EU distributor will ask.
• Whether the report needs to be tied to your batch or can be a generic reference.
• The labelling your market requires, including any warning text.

Certification is not a badge you can buy

There is a temptation to read a compliance page and treat it as proof. Certification confirms that a specific thing was tested for a specific purpose. It does not confirm that your supplier applies that standard to every batch.

The question worth asking a supplier is not "do you have certificates?" but "can you show me the report for a batch like mine, issued by whom, for which standard, in my market?"

Bead strands need a separate conversation

Six bead-strand styles in our catalog are strung components rather than cast or plated metal, so the metal in them is the findings and clasps. Those parts take the same nickel-release question, and the cord and bead materials are assessed separately.

FAQ

Do I need nickel-release testing if I only sell in the US?

Usually not for federal purposes, but major retailers and marketplaces can still impose their own standards, and Proposition 65 labelling applies in California. Ask your channel what it requires before production.

Can you test for us?

We arrange testing per order and can issue the documentation your market needs. We do not publish certificate numbers publicly; request them with your RFQ so the report matches your actual product.

Why not publish a general test certificate?

A general pass/fail claim is not defensible. Results vary by alloy, finish and batch, so reports are issued per order tied to the specific article.

How far ahead should I request it?

With the RFQ. Testing scheduled after production is the difference between a document arriving with the shipment and a shipment waiting for a document.

What about CE, RoHS and FCC for packaging?

Those apply to packaging and electronics-adjacent components. We can arrange CE, RoHS, and FCC documentation for packaging per order.

Next step

Tell us your destination market, product types, and whether you need finished-article testing. We will confirm what can be documented for your order. Contact FSC CRAFT.

Related: Material compliance and testing · 316L vs 304 stainless steel jewelry · Why 316L suits sensitive-skin ranges

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