Fashion & Costume Jewellery
Our experts are ready to help you find the perfect solution whether it’s hallmarking, analytical testing or valuations,
Protecting consumers, ensuring compliance, and safeguarding brand trust
Fashion and costume jewellery sits at the intersection of style, affordability, and high-volume consumer exposure. With increasing regulatory scrutiny and heightened consumer awareness, brands, retailers, and importers must ensure products are safe, compliant, and suitable for prolonged skin contact.
Birmingham Assay Office’s Analytical Testing Laboratory, including the AnchorCert Pro hypoallergenic testing service, provides independent, UK-based product safety testing to support consumer protection and regulatory compliance across fashion and costume jewellery. Our expertise helps businesses demonstrate due diligence, protect consumers, and reduce commercial and reputational risk.
Your challenges...
Businesses operating in the fashion jewellery sector face growing pressure to:
- Comply with UK and EU product safety regulations
- Ensure items are safe for direct and prolonged skin contact
- Control allergenic and hazardous substances in metal alloys and coatings
- Manage complex supply chains with varying quality standards
- Respond quickly to retailer, marketplace, or regulator requests for test evidence
- Protect brand reputation in the event of complaints, returns, or recalls
- Demonstrate clear, auditable due diligence in consumer safety
Non-compliance can result in product withdrawals, enforcement action, fines, reputational damage, and consumer harm.
How Birmingham Assay Office supports you...
UKAS-Accredited Analytical Testing
Our laboratory provides independent testing for fashion and costume jewellery, including:
- Nickel release testing
- Lead and cadmium content analysis
- Detection of other restricted substances under applicable regulations
All testing is carried out in accordance with relevant UK and EU standards, delivering confidence in accuracy, traceability, and reporting.
AnchorCert Pro – Hypoallergenic Testing & Skin Safety Assurance
AnchorCert Pro is Birmingham Assay Office’s UKAS-accredited hypoallergenic testing service, designed to assess jewellery for potential skin irritation and allergic contact dermatitis.
AnchorCert Pro testing:
- Analyses jewellery for 16 allergenic metal elements, including nickel, cobalt, chromium, lead, and cadmium
- Goes beyond single-element nickel testing to provide broader skin safety assurance
- Confirms whether items are highly unlikely to cause skin allergy, even in sensitised individuals
- Supports claims of hypoallergenic or skin-friendly jewellery, where appropriate
AnchorCert Pro provides enhanced confidence for retailers, marketplaces, regulators, and consumers.
REACH & Regulatory Compliance Support
- Testing aligned with UK REACH and retained EU REACH requirements
- Supports General Product Safety Regulations (GPSR) obligations
- Clear reporting suitable for technical files, due diligence records, and regulatory submission
- Appropriate for brands, importers, distributors, and retailers
Helping businesses evidence compliance and respond confidently to regulatory enquiries.
Pre-Market & Due Diligence Testing
- Safety and hypoallergenic testing prior to product launch
- Spot checks and batch testing for ongoing assurance
- Supplier onboarding and quality control support
Reducing risk before products reach consumers.
Incident, Complaint & Recall Support
- Rapid testing following consumer complaints or adverse skin reactions
- Independent analysis to support investigations
- Evidence to inform corrective action or product recalls
Providing clarity and authority during high-risk situations.
Get in Touch
If you are a fashion brand, jewellery manufacturer, importer, or retailer, Birmingham Assay Office’s Analytical Testing Laboratory, including AnchorCert Pro hypoallergenic testing, can help you protect consumers and demonstrate product safety compliance.
to discuss analytical testing, REACH compliance, and hypoallergenic certification for fashion and costume jewellery.
Why choose Birmingham Assay Office?
- Trusted Authority – Over 250 years protecting consumers and market integrity
- UKAS-Accredited Laboratory – Independent, impartial analytical testing
- AnchorCert Pro Expertise – Specialist hypoallergenic testing developed by BAO
- Regulatory Knowledge – Deep understanding of product safety legislation
- Independent & Impartial – No commercial interest in manufacturing or retail
- UK-Based Governance – Trusted by regulators, enforcement bodies, and industry
“Birmingham Assay Office’s testing, including AnchorCert Pro, gave us confidence that our jewellery was both compliant and suitable for skin contact. Their independent reports were essential for our retail partners.“
Representative from
Global Jewellery Retailer
Contact us
Birmingham Assay office
0121 820 0773
Address
1 Moreton St, Birmingham, B1 3AX