The R&T Extra! October 2007
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The R&T Extra! October 2007 |
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Subscribe/unsubscribe to this e-mail newsletter In this issue: |
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China's Manufacturing Record and R&T Product Safety
The most jewelry-relevant concern about recent product recalls is the presence of lead in metal components. We take lead content seriously and make sure to label our offerings accordingly. But only some of our metal products mention lead at all. Why? Because many alloys (element mixtures that create different metals) contain such a small amount of lead (if any), that the lead content is not considered a health threat. According to the EPA's Web site, "lead free" is defined as a metal alloy made with 8% or less lead content. This standard is used for determining safety in drinking-water pipes. Lead can leach out when exposed to liquids; this is why liquids are an important factor in determining what, if any, amount of lead is safe. This is also why keeping lead out of toys is important — children tend to put things in their mouths where their saliva can cause leaching to occur. Sterling silver, by definition, must contain 92.5% pure silver. This is usually combined with 7.5% copper to complete the alloy. Tarnish-resistant Argentium™ sterling silver contains 92.5% silver, 6.3% copper and 1.2% germanium, while fine silver contains 99.9% pure silver (meaning only 0.1% of fine silver even could contain lead). In fact, lead solder damages silver when brought up to firing temperatures, so it is highly unlikely sterling silver will contain lead. Even if it does, the amount is small enough to be considered "lead free." Brass similarly tends to contain either no lead, or amounts that are small enough to be considered "lead free." As a result, we don't typically label these types of metal alloys with either a lead warning or a lead-free designation. The types of metals to watch for lead content are mainly cast components, including pewter and pewter-looking beads, charms and findings. We label our cast products either "certified lead free," or "lead warning," for the safety of you and your customers. We also offer some comparable items that aren't actually cast, including our new superior-quality lobster clasps and our brass (stamped) charms. Keep in mind that even components labeled with a lead warning are safe to wear externally. They only become a potential hazard if ingested (swallowed or sucked on), especially if the plating has been nicked or begun to wear off. Do not give children cast-metal jewelry; they might put it in their mouths! Crystal from China, like all glass crystal, also contains lead. However, unlike base-metal alloys that contain lead (Pb) without chemically combining it to other elements, the lead used in glass crystal production is lead oxide (PbO), a compound that has been created through a chemical bond. This means it no longer acts the same way lead acts on its own. Lead oxide, therefore, does not react with the body in the same way metallic lead (Pb) does. We do still include a "lead warning" on all of our leaded-glass crystal products, in order to comply with California's proposition 65. But, lead oxide is not considered dangerous to wear. Our Chinese Cosmic Crystal™ beads contain between 6-24% lead oxide, a smaller percentage than Swarovski® Austrian crystal's 32% lead-oxide content. The more lead oxide, the crisper the rainbow refraction, up to 32%. Any more lead oxide than that, and no rainbow refaction occurs. More information about lead content in jewelry components can be found in the Jewelry Info section of our Web site. As you probably know, we also buy a lot of our gemstones from Chinese cutting factories. R&T owners Russ and Dee personally visit Chinese manufacturers on purchasing trips, and we maintain close ties with our vendors there. In fact, R&T buyer Karin Davis spent some time in Hong Kong and China this summer, meeting with vendors, attending "jewellery" expositions and checking out the latest in Asian fashion (by the way, geometric links are still in, in, in!). We have long prided ourselves in being an honest purveyor of jewelry parts, including our gemstones! That's why we go out of our way to investigate the content of stones we buy and pass on that information to you. We don't just take the manufacturer's word, we do our own research and let you know, to the best of our knowledge, which stones are natural, enhanced or manmade. In fact, our Gemstone Beads Index is the largest online source for semi-precious stone information. A new print edition is now available, listing over 30 additional stones and featuring a new color chart! Rest assured that when you buy products from Rings & Things, we have done our best to ensure quality and safety. We use these products ourselves and feel confident that you and your customers will be pleased with them too. |
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Online Store Price Breaks: New Layout
Until now, our online prices have been listed with the smallest quantity at the top — this means you've been seeing the most expensive option first. We've realized, though, that you'd probably rather see your cheapest option first. So, our online price listings now show the largest-quantity price break at the top; this is the best price per unit of measure. In other words, prices are now listed from the lowest price per quantity (best deal) to the pricier options (smaller quantities). We've also added a new "?" icon next to the color names of products in our online store. Click this icon to go to how-to tips for searching products by color! We hope our new price listings and new color search tips will help you save money, and help you better find what you're looking for. Enjoy! |
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Talismans: Jewelry and the Supernatural
Talismans (sometimes called amulets) are charms, beads or other small objects worn because of their supposed powers. The word "charm" suggests this ancient practice. Today we generally think of charms as cute, benign trinkets, but the New American Webster Dictionary still defines a charm as "a symbol of occult power" (occult meaning supernatural or magical). And, of course, to have charm means to have persuasive powers, to be "enchanting." Some talismans were (and still are) worn to ward off disease. White-heart beads, for example, are thought to protect the wearer against a common tropical parasitic ailment called "leishmaniasis." Other amulets, like evil eye beads (sometimes called nazars), are worn to deflect the dangerous emotions of other people, such as envy and anger. Others, still, were (and are) thought to bring good luck, to help promote specific strengths or to help the wearer in certain situations, for example during travel. Prayer boxes, the ancestors of today's popular wish boxes, are also related to this ancient jewelry tradition. These pendants were originally used to hold a prayer that had been written and blessed by a priest. The physical proximity of the written words was meant to help aid a successful outcome for what was asked, and also to help remind the wearer of the prayer. It's said that spells were also placed in these types of boxes in some cultures. This Halloween season, don't limit yourself to typical American ghoulish fare! Do check out our Halloween & autumn components – plus our free Halloween design ideas – but don't forget that jewelry can be used to evoke the spiritual as well as the fun and frolicsome!
Trivia question: What modern food product was inspired by charm bracelets? |
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Add our Fall Supplement to your Schedule
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October's Free Jewelry Project
To view this Designer Tip Sheet (a PDF file), you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can download Adobe Acrobat for free here. Then, simply print the quick-loading or high resolution version of "Toil & Trouble" today!
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R&T's String of Events: October 2007 Calendar
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Thanks! Russ, Kim and the whole Rings & Things crewP.O. Box 450 Spokane, WA 99210-0450 USA Phone (509) 252-2900 Fax 509 838 2602 Order toll free 1 (800) 366-2156 Web site: http://www.rings-things.com You can subscribe/unsubscribe to our free newsletter and/or our e-mail sale flyers in seconds! If you've moved, please help us get our next catalog supplement to you. Just fill out this form: www.rings-things.com/addressform.htm. Newsletter Home |
With all the news about product recalls, how can you be sure the jewelry you make is safe? We share consumer concerns about the safety of components – including those made in China – because we're in the same boat. We use these parts too! That's one reason why we work hard to ensure the quality and safety of components we sell.
Our prices now stand on their heads for you! We know online shopping can be frustrating at times, but we're hoping the newest changes to our online-store design will have everyone smiling.
As Halloween approaches, some of you might be beading festive orange and black creations or stringing ghost and jack-o-lantern charms. But did you know that wearing jewelry has an ancient association with the supernatural? Some anthropologists have even suggested that spiritual protection was one of the original functions of human adornment.
Our 2007 Fall Supplement is scheduled to reach mailboxes in mid-October. It's also scheduled to knock your socks off with exciting new Swarovski® shapes and colors, superior-quality lobster clasps, solid copper beads and findings, and additional bead-bumper shapes and colors. Grab limited-stock fire jasper beads while you can — this stone is hard to get. Save labor with our new wire-wrapped beads/links and connectors, already wrapped for your convenience. And, enjoy inspiration from another new batch of great example jewelry designs. To take advantage of these great finds, all you need to do is pencil in some time to browse our Fall Supplement. Then, call 1 (800) 366-2156 or order through our 
Between road shows, classes, purchasing trips and more, there's typically a lot going on at Rings & Things! Here's what's happening this month: