Nickel is an inexpensive metal that resists tarnishing and gives the appearance of silver and other more expensive metals to other metals. Low cost jewelry often uses a nickel alloy as the base metal and uses an overlay in plating process to cover the base metal. However, many people are allergic to the nickel which can cause rashes and other skin allergy.
Sterling silver stamped “925” made of at least 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% alloys consists of copper. In some cases of sterling silver, a small percentage of other metals may be in the mix so traces of nickel may be present during the production. The EU Nickel Directive dictates the amount of nickel in jewelry. The term “nickel free” is still allowed to contain a very small amount of nickel around 0.2 micrograms per cm per week for earring post and 0.5 micrograms per cm per week for other products.
The main reason that many jewelry manufacturers still use nickel is to decrease costs of production. That’s why nickel free jewelry is usually more expensive than jewelry containing nickel. LN Jewelry Factory only delivers nickel free jewelry including rings, earrings, pendants, necklaces, bracelets, and bangles.