A woman wearing a cheap necklace she believed was genuine silver found her skin inflamed, and that small discomfort opened onto a larger truth about how much trust we place in things we cannot test ourselves. A BBC Watchdog investigation bought 25 pieces of jewellery from five online marketplaces and sent them for laboratory analysis, finding that only two were truly sterling silver while eight contained cadmium above the legal limit, a metal known to cause cancer when inhaled or swallowed. The findings lay bare the gap between the reassuring stamp of a hallmark and the metal beneath it, a gap
Jewellery sold as sterling silver on Amazon and Temu found to contain toxic cadmium above legal limits
Shopper Meranda developed skin irritation from a nickel-containing necklace sold as handmade sterling silver, and consumers face cadmium exposure risks from contaminated jewellery.
A woman wearing a cheap necklace she believed was genuine silver found her skin inflamed, and that small discomfort opened onto a larger truth about how much trust we place in things we cannot test ourselves. A BBC Watchdog investigation bought 25 pieces of jewellery from five online marketplaces and sent them for laboratory analysis, finding that only two were truly sterling silver while eight contained cadmium above the legal limit, a metal known to cause cancer when inhaled or swallowed. The findings lay bare the gap between the reassuring stamp of a hallmark and the metal beneath it, a gap that online commerce makes easy to overlook. Whether platforms and sellers will now look beyond the few items tested remains an open question.
Meranda, 34, bought a necklace on Etsy for £15, advertised as handmade sterling silver. It arrived looking shiny and legitimate. After a few days of wearing it, the skin on her neck became painfully irritated, and when she removed it she remembered thinking the colour looked wrong.
Her necklace was one of 25 pieces of cheap jewellery bought by BBC Watchdog from Amazon, eBay, Temu, Etsy and OnBuy, then sent to the Sheffield Assay Office for analysis. The results were stark. Only two could be called sterling silver. Eight contained cadmium above the legal limit, some with as much as 10 percent. Toxicologist Rob Chilcott explained that cadmium is a carcinogen, most dangerous when inhaled or swallowed, such as when a small earring falls into food.
Meranda's necklace told its own story. It carried a 925 hallmark, yet one section held only 8.9 percent silver, and nickel reached 11 percent in part of the chain. Assay officials said selling fake sterling silver breaches the Hallmarking Act and can bring fines or imprisonment.
The platforms responded differently. Amazon, eBay, Temu and OnBuy removed the flagged items, and Amazon and OnBuy issued recalls, with OnBuy also offering refunds. Temu arranged testing of similar products. Etsy did not reply. Meranda received a full refund from her seller after speaking to Watchdog, but whether these recalls and tests reach far beyond the few pieces investigated is still unknown.
Meranda, 34, bought a necklace on Etsy that was advertised as handmade sterling silver. It cost £15. It arrived shiny and, in her words, looked legitimate. After a few days of wearing it, the skin on her neck began to get really irritated. When she took it off, she remembered thinking that the colour did not look right.
Her necklace became one of 25 pieces of jewellery bought by BBC Watchdog for The One Show. The items came from five online marketplaces: Amazon, eBay, Temu, Etsy and OnBuy. They included a bracelet for £1.55 and earrings for £1.99. All 25 were sent to the Sheffield Assay Office for analysis.
The results were stark. Only two of the 25 could be classified as sterling silver. Eight contained cadmium above the legal limit of 0.01%. Some had as much as 10%. Sophie Langley, who led the analysis, called that absolutely massive relative to the limits the assay office adheres to.
By marketplace, the eight items that breached the cadmium limit break down as follows: three from Amazon, three from Temu, one from OnBuy and one from Etsy.
Cadmium is a carcinogen, associated particularly with lung cancer, according to Rob Chilcott, a retired professor of toxicology. The danger comes if it is inhaled or ingested, and he gave the example of an earring falling into food that is then eaten. If you put something containing cadmium in your mouth, or swallow it, he said, that is really bad news.
Meranda's necklace had its own problem. Preliminary testing found nickel, a chemical that can irritate the skin and is subject to strict legal limits in jewellery. Sterling silver does not typically contain nickel, though some cheaper items do. In one part of her chain, the concentration reached 11%. The piece carried a 925 hallmark, the number that signals genuine sterling silver, which must be at least 92.5% silver. Testing found one part of her necklace held only 8.9% silver. She said she had no reason to suspect anything when it arrived, and never doubted it was sterling.
Langley said selling fake sterling silver breaches the Hallmarking Act and carries the risk of fines or imprisonment.
The platforms responded differently. Amazon, eBay, Temu and OnBuy said misleading listings are prohibited and that they had removed the jewellery Watchdog identified. Amazon has since issued recall notices for the products flagged as unsafe, and said customers with concerns should contact it for support, as eBay also said. OnBuy said it had offered affected customers refunds and started a recall of the item containing cadmium. Temu said it had arranged testing of similar products to identify potential risks. Etsy did not respond.
Meranda contacted the seller of her necklace. After she spoke to Watchdog, she received a full refund. What remains to be seen is whether the recalls and testing go beyond the specific items Watchdog bought.
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