Fake Sterling Silver Test: 8 of 25 Online Pieces Had Illegal Cadmium, Only 2 Genuine

Cheap jewellery sold online as sterling silver is not always what the label says, and a BBC investigation suggests that fake sterling silver can also carry a health risk. Watchdog on The One Show bought 25 items advertised as 925 or sterling silver from Amazon, eBay, Temu, Etsy and OnBuy. Eight contained cadmium above the legal limit, and only two could be classed as sterling silver.

What the lab tests found

The pieces, which included a £1.55 bracelet and £1.99 earrings, were analysed by the Sheffield Assay Office. The legal ceiling for cadmium in jewellery is 0.01%. Some items tested contained as much as 10%. Sophie Langley, who led the analysis, described that as “absolutely massive” compared with the limits the lab works to.

Of the eight items over the limit, three came from Amazon, three from Temu, and one each from OnBuy and Etsy. eBay stressed that none of the listings bought from its site contained illegal cadmium levels.

Why cadmium matters

Cadmium is a heavy metal linked particularly to lung cancer. The UK Health Security Agency classes it as a category one carcinogen. Rob Chilcott, a retired professor of toxicology, told the BBC the danger comes mainly from inhaling or swallowing it. He gave the example of an earring falling into food that is then eaten. “If you put something containing cadmium in your mouth, or indeed if you swallow it, that is really bad news,” he said.

A necklace that left a rash

The investigation began with a shopper called Meranda, 34, who bought a £15 necklace listed on Etsy as handmade sterling silver. Within days her neck became irritated. “It was very shiny. It looked legit,” she said. The piece even carried a 925 hallmark.

Testing told a different story. One section of the chain contained just 8.9% silver, far below the 92.5% that genuine sterling requires. Preliminary analysis also found nickel, a known skin irritant with strict legal limits, at concentrations as high as 11% in one part of the chain. Sterling silver does not typically contain nickel, though it turns up in some cheaper pieces. After Watchdog got in touch, Meranda received a full refund from the seller.

Langley said that passing off non-compliant metal as sterling silver breaches the Hallmarking Act and can bring fines or imprisonment.

How the platforms responded

Amazon said it took safety “extremely seriously”, had removed the products, and had asked affected customers to dispose of them and seek refunds. It has since issued recall notices for the items Watchdog flagged. Temu said the products were taken down through its own monitoring before the BBC’s enquiry. It added that it had commissioned further independent testing and was reviewing similar products. OnBuy offered refunds and started a recall of the item found to contain cadmium. eBay removed the listings identified and reminded the sellers of their obligations. Etsy did not respond to the BBC.

All the platforms that replied said misleading listings are prohibited and that sellers must follow UK law. The test results suggest those rules were not enough to keep non-compliant items from reaching customers.

How genuine silver is checked

In the UK, sterling silver should be independently tested by an authorised assay office before it is hallmarked. Specialists use X-ray fluorescence to confirm the metal content. A genuine hallmark includes a sponsor’s mark, a fineness mark and an assay office mark. Shoppers hoping to avoid fake sterling silver can look for all three, though Meranda’s case shows that a stamped “925” on its own proves little.

The sample was small, just 25 items, so it cannot show how widespread the problem is. But the gap between the labels and the lab results, and the presence of a known carcinogen in some of the cheapest pieces, will keep pressure on online marketplaces to prove their checks work.

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