<-- you can still buy this from me if you live in CA.
California has enacted a lead-in-jewelry law which impacts how I, and all other small-scale sellers are going to do business with people in this state. Yes, it applies to single maker internet sellers. Yes it applies to you even if you don't live in CA, if you simply offer jewelry for sale in the state of CA.
If you live in CA and you wish to purchase from me, you will notice that not my full range of work is available for you. It's not that I'm selling lead based paint coated lead nuggets to everyone else - it's just that I cannot verify and state with certainty the *amount* of trace lead, if any, in vintage parts. I have to be able to back up with data any sales I make to anyone in California. You can definitely buy sterling silver from me, and I'll still be selling modified versions of some of my brass pieces - but the revived vintage parts may not be available to you any longer, sorry folks.
The basic gist of it, is that materials are classed according to lead content and prohibited from being sold if they're over a certain content. I'm not against this in theory - lead is bad news. I use brass - there's no lead in brass, right, it's an alloy of copper and zinc. Well it's an alloy of copper and zinc and trace amounts of lead. One of my vendors, a huge vendor who has been making brass stampings for over a century (if you have stamped brass filigree, they probably produced it) makes a California class 2 type item with .03 percent lead content. This is negligible, and complies with all CA law as a class 2 material - acceptable in adult jewelry.
Grand. I know this because I can look it up on their safety sheets. The problem is that there are no safety sheets for vintage parts of vintage jewelry.
I've never sold pieces sized for children and I've discouraged buyers asking me if my pieces are suitable for children - I've never felt that jewelry is suitable for children under ten, let alone six! I doubt strongly that my adult customers are planning on eating any of their jewelry, which is how one MIGHT be lead-poisoned by swarovski crystal, or trace lead in an enamel charm and that's a long shot.
However if I cannot prove it, I don't want to go there. I'm kind of surprised that more online sellers aren't cleaning up their listings, making notices, and making decisions about this important issue.
Frankly this has gotten me to scrutinize my materials more, which isn't a bad thing anyway. I still plan on reviving vintage parts as much as I can - I don't think Coro brooches killed anyone from lead content over the years - but anyway, please double check my listings if you live in CA and feel more than free to ask me any questions via email.
Here's the master list of what's acceptable in CA jewelry, for those who are curious:
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/upload/LeadInJewelry_materials1.pdf
