Lead in Jewelry: Metal-containing Jewelry Law

California enacted the Lead-Containing Jewelry Law (now called the Metal-Containing Jewelry law) to limit the amount of lead in jewelry, including children’s jewelry and body piercing jewelry. The law forbids a person to manufacture, ship, sell, or offer for retail sale or offer for promotional purposes jewelry in California unless it is made entirely from one or more of the materials specified in the law. The law also mandates lead restrictions for certain of the specified materials. There are separate provisions for: children’s jewelry; body-piercing jewelry; and all other jewelry.

For more information, please review the full text of the law or one of the following:

• Our fact sheet in English, Traditional Chinese, Simple Chinese, Armenian, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Spanish, or Korean
• Definitions of Jewelry
• Requirements for Different Categories of Jewelry
• Types of Materials
• Lead Restrictions
• History of the Law
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Toxic Jewelry Samples

Contact us with questions or comments at: leadinjewelry@dtsc.ca.gov.