Safe Body Jewelry Means Safe For Clients- And For Those Who Make It

Safe Body Jewelry. It’s something you hear piercers talk about all the time. Make sure the pieces that are in your piercings are actually safe for your body. We discuss how low-quality materials and plated pieces can cause harm for clients. We review how surface finish and material can play a role in how your body heals- or doesn’t heal. We even showcase photos of what can happen with low-quality jewelry- irritation bumps, scarring, staining on the skin. I’ve written about safe jewelry multiple times, from a closer look at what goes into its creation to specific pieces about materials like “surgical steel”, acrylic, and even unsafe plugs for stretched ears. But safe jewelry doesn’t just mean safe for the client to wear. When we consider safety….what about the safety of the people who make the jewelry? What about safety for our planet?

These days more than ever consumers are aware that where they spend their money matters. Between two identical products, knowing that one was made while working in unsafe conditions, underpaid, or had a vast ecological impact, can be a decision-maker for which product you buy. And body jewelry is no exception. For a long time we’ve discussed focusing on American-made brands to avoid ‘sweatshop’ labor. This argument, while I think well-intentioned, ignores the existence of quality, safe, ethical manufacturing facilities in other countries, and also ignores the existence of unethical manufacturing happening right here in America. Today I want to talk more about what makes jewelry ‘safe’, and why piercers should consider who they purchase from, and clients should consider who they want to wear!

Safe Working Conditions

First and foremost is safe working conditions. And in manufacturing, this can look a lot of different ways. These days much body jewelry is made on large CNC machines and lathes, fabricated by machinists as much as hand-made by jewelers. And with this process comes an inherent risk with manufacturing. Many machinists have come online to discuss issues with low pay, unrealistic work hours and responsibilities, and unsafe environments. One Reddit thread discussed working in shop spaces with consistently faulty heat and AC, sometimes freezing in winter and broiling in summer. An anonymous peer of mine with experience in jewelry manufacturing had this to say: “A lot of these brands outsource their machining to China and Malaysia. And yes, there are some incredible companies there. But that's not who they use- those places are all aerospace work. They are using machine shop sweatshops. Dozens of old machines from the 90s crowded together with little proper space around them, often in dirty and unsafe buildings, with a high risk of machining injuries due to lack of room and overcrowding. I was a road rep with one of the bigger names here in America, and we would have shipments delayed because someone lost a finger or a hand, and they lost a day of production. They manufacture there because it's cheap, because the workers are paid shit to work 14-hour days. The quality also sucks, it's inconsistent at best and just shit at worst.” For some companies that outsource, it’s about cutting costs, and that often means cutting safety measures for employees. Manufacturing in America, however doesn’t guarantee safe working conditions. I’ve spoken with many folks who have worked here in the States and encountered similar issues. And working conditions aren’t the only measure of safety.

“I was a road rep for [redacted] for about 2 years. It was the worst job I’ve had in the industry. (The company) expected us to work unrealistic hours, often booking studio meetings that left us driving through the night and showing up for sales on no sleep. Regularly, they would ‘forget’ to book us hotels so we had to sleep in the van. One time we were driving through Wisconsin and had to sleep in the van in a snowstorm, and I recall wondering if I’d make it through the night. All this for shit pay, and for the owner to call us and scream at us if we didn’t make sales goals or pressure studios into purchasing enough stock.” -Former rep of a popular organics company

“I witnessed regular racism at this company and filed multiple complaints to HR. With multiple changes being given to the team members before they were no longer on the team. By the time things were taken care of, the team member who was being abused left their position because it was not a healthy environment. Employees voiced concerns about safety issues and were punished for voicing those concerns. I witnessed multiple remarks about other employees' weight and inappropriate comments. The deciding factor of my leaving this position was that there was a convention with known abusers on a panel. Once information came out about the abusers, I removed myself from teaching as I didn’t want to be associated with that. The company was still supporting this event, despite the fact that these abusers were still involved. The company was more worried about lining their pockets, more worried about greed, and dismissed allegations of abuse without knowing, without speaking to survivors.” - Former Rep of one of the most popular American gold companies

A safe workplace also means free from abuse, free from racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia, a place where you can voice concerns about safety, express yourself, and have safe conversations with your management. It means not living in fear of being screamed at, called names, disparaged, or retaliated against for having health and safety concerns. And unfortunately, just because companies make safe jewelry or manufacture in safe ways, it doesn’t mean it’s a safe environment for staff. Supporting safe quality jewelry also means standing by the machinists, jewelers, and reps when they speak out about unsafe conditions- be that material safety on the machines or mental and emotional safety of abuse.

Living Wages

Part of ensuring jewelry is safe for those making it is paying them a living if not thriving, wage. As I mentioned above, many of the issues for machinists and bench workers is finding a job that pays well with benefits. As one said, “Expect long hours, low wages, and to treat being worked like a dog as a badge of honor- IT ISN’T.” Many bench workers report similar conditions, and sales reps can also often be underpaid, all while these folks manage the labor of 2-3 people.

Many years ago I spoke with an owner of a popular American company and asked about their working conditions and wages for their workers. I got vague non-answers, and two days later an email saying my account had been cut for asking ‘inappropriate and offensive questions.’ Questions like “Can you tell me about your overseas manufacturing? What type of facility do you use? What wages do you pay? How do you care for your workers?” These days, I don’t think that would be likely to cut someone's account over asking these things. But I still think there is a lack of transparency about wages for the folks who make our jewelry. There is a lot of discussion between piercers about our wages and what we make, and tons of advocacy for piercers to charge their worth and earn a living wage. However, we are often silent on these same issues as they apply to the people who make the jewelry we work with.

I think we should ask companies these questions. When we sit down and say “I want to order jewelry that's safest and best for my clients,” we should also say “I want to order jewelry that is safest and best for the people who make it.” And I would love to see companies provide greater transparency and information about their wages, programs, benefits, and how they provide for the staff who make the pieces we pierce with every day.

Safe for the Environment

We can’t talk about manufacturing without talking about the environmental impact (and the human impact that comes along with that). From using unsafe labor for gemstone mining and gold mining, to wastewater dumping, to the electricity and resources used in manufacturing, all of these things are a consideration in the impact we have on our planet to make the jewelry we love. For me, as time passes, the environmental situation becomes more dire, and I am more concerned about working with companies that are taking steps to mitigate their environmental impact. This can look like working with more lab-created gems or committing to ethical sourcing of stones. It’s companies that are using solar and wind energy where they can, doing greywater reprocessing, recycling their titanium scrap, and making a commitment to their local communities to minimize their impact on their local environment. I think as an industry we can have more conversations about the environmental impact of our processes, and have more conversations as piercers and makers alike about how we can mitigate that.

Safe body jewelry doesn’t just mean safe for the people who wear it. It also means safe for the people who make it. Support ethical manufacturing, support small independent artists, support makers and carvers, and casters. Speak with your money, and choose to work with the brands and companies who earn it. We can all come together to make a safer industry for everyone, not just piercers and clients.

<3

Lynn