We Test What You Wear — And What It's Made From

There's a question most jewelry brands hope you never ask: what's actually in the metal touching your skin right now?

We asked it ourselves — and then we got the answers in writing.

The Hidden Problem with Fashion Jewelry

Jewelry sits against your skin for hours. Body heat, moisture, and sweat create the conditions for soluble metals — lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium, arsenic — to leach from metal alloys into direct contact with your body. These aren't hypothetical risks. They're well-documented concerns in the accessories industry, and they're the reason national safety standards exist.

The challenge is that most brands never publicly address this. Some test raw materials but ignore what happens after plating and polishing — processes that can introduce new substances. Others don't test at all.

We decided to do both.

What We Did

We submitted four separate samples to an independent laboratory accredited under the ILAC-MRA (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Mutual Recognition Arrangement) — covering two product lines and two base metals, tested at two different production stages:

Our Sun, Moon & Stars ring was tested as a raw silver casting, and again as a finished piece after all plating and polishing was complete. Our Coastal Memories necklace was tested as raw copper material. Our Silken Vow: The Gilded Promise bracelet was tested as a finished copper piece after full processing.

Each sample was screened for eight harmful soluble elements under GB 28480-2012 — China's national standard for hazardous substances in jewelry — and for nickel release under GB/T 19719-2005.

The Results

Across all four tests, every single element came back as ND — Not Detected. Not "within acceptable limits." Not "trace amounts." Below the detection threshold entirely.

Chromium: Not Detected. Cadmium: Not Detected. Lead: Not Detected. Mercury: Not Detected. Barium: Not Detected. Arsenic: Not Detected. Antimony: Not Detected. Selenium: Not Detected. Nickel release: Not Detected.

Four samples. Four passes. Zero harmful substances found.

Why We Test at Two Stages

Testing raw materials tells you your supply chain is clean. Testing finished products tells you your manufacturing process doesn't compromise that safety. We do both — because a piece of jewelry goes through plating baths, polishing compounds, and chemical treatments between "raw" and "ready." What arrives at your door has been through all of it, and we want to prove that what you actually wear is just as clean as what we started with.

Why We Test Across Materials

Our collection uses different base metals depending on the design — sterling silver, copper alloys, and more. We don't assume that one clean test applies to everything. Different materials, different suppliers, different processes. Each gets its own verification.

What This Means When You Wear GL.rareness

It means the ring you slip on each morning, the bracelet you never take off, the necklace that sits against your chest all day — they've all been independently verified to be free from the harmful substances that plague fast fashion jewelry. Whether your skin is sensitive or resilient, our pieces are designed to be safe for prolonged, daily, skin-contact wear.

This Is Just the Beginning

As we release new collections, every new design and material combination will undergo the same independent testing protocol. We're not building a brand that asks you to trust us blindly. We're building one that earns it — sample by sample, test by test, result by result.

Because if something is going to live on your body, it should be worthy of that closeness.

Questions about our testing process or the standards we follow? We're always happy to share. Reach out to us at sales@glrareness.com.