Could you be unknowingly selling lead to kids ??

It does say "lead crystal".

I wouldn't worry too much Warm and Fuzzy, as I think most parents wuldn't let their baby chew on something with small beads/crystals. Lead or not.

Posted at 12:24pm Aug 17, 2007 EDT

WarmandFuzzy, Kudos to you for taking such a responsible attitude toward your products! Your conscientiousness is commendable.

Posted at 12:26pm Aug 17, 2007 EDT

I feel like such a dodo. You actually hear swarovski crystal and think it is some magical crystal and do not look further. This has taught me a lesson. My friend who purchased 2 laughed at me and said I have too much time on my hands. I just feel responsible for any kid who comes in contact with any of my crafts. Thanks.

Posted at 12:30pm Aug 17, 2007 EDT

For whatever it's worth, I found this in a google search of "is lead crystal dangerous"

cs.beadandbutton.com/bnbcs/forums/t/1453.aspx

Run that search if you want more articles, and decide for yourself what is best.

Posted at 12:40pm Aug 17, 2007 EDT

Thank you so much QuotesOfArt. The info you gave me was invaluable. Have a blessed day.

Posted at 12:43pm Aug 17, 2007 EDT

I believe the danger is more in the nature of a choking/aspiration hazard. (see here www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07254.html )And some states, such as California, prohibit the sale of baby/infant/child products containing lead, such as Swarovski crystal encrusted 'bling' things. It is the responsibility of every seller to make certain their products are safe, and in compliance with any rules and regs governing their sale and use.

Again, WarmandFuzzy, I think you are doing the right thing. (Makes me feel all warm-and-fuzzy, in fact!)

Posted at 12:46pm Aug 17, 2007 EDT

Thank you so much GreenMamba we removed the items from the shop and called everyone for returns. Almost everyone just kind of felt that their kids would never put it in their mouth but my husband and i would stroke if some kid got hurt over something like a hairbow.

Posted at 1:09pm Aug 17, 2007 EDT

Anything anyone else find out on the subject, find it in your heart and convo me with the info. Thanks.

Posted at 1:22pm Aug 17, 2007 EDT

For those of you who do not frequent the Etsy Blog, a very brief entry was posted yesterday regarding toy safety. blog.etsy.com/?p=410
Here is a quote:

"Toys for the little people should be safe. In light of the recent scandals about toy recalls from major corporations, we have safety on the mind, and we want to encourage toy-makers to test out their items and design them with sucking, pulling, tender babies in mind. Remember, kids will eat anything!

"Etsy, as a marketplace, stands in stark contrast to the stories we’re hearing in the press. The root of the issue here is that when you buy a mass-produced toy, you don’t know the specific circumstances under which it was made. On Etsy, customers deal on a personal level with the maker of the item. While this may not be news for those of us involved in the Etsy community, for many Americans this is a new and revolutionary idea."




Unfortunately, the entry makes no mention of the recall, two months ago, of Swarovski crystal-encrusted pacifiers, which involved at least three Etsy sellers.

See the official CPSC notice here: www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07254.html

Those sellers are no longer marketing the pacifiers, but *other* crystal 'baby bling' is still being listed, sold, and bought. Swarovski crystals contain high amounts of lead, not to mention the choking/aspiration hazard they present. Unfortunately, not much can be done about the other products, unless there is another recall or the sellers voluntarily discontinue use.

However - the biggest issue at this point is the non-compliance with the CPSC requirement to post a prominent notice of recall in *every* retail establishment or venue - that includes websites - in which those pacifiers were sold.

Here is the excerpt from the CPSC Recall Checklist (provided at the official website), which gives instructions for posting recall notices in online shops:

*****Web-site (where the recalled items were sold)
- guidelines located at cpsc web site www.cpsc.gov
- include reference to recall in prominent location on home page/first entry point
- link to joint press release
- include interactive registration of recalled product for remedy
- CPSC must review and approve text
- be sure recall notice on web-site is operational at time of recall announcement
- maintain on site during course of recall and thereafter

*None* of these points has been complied with in the Etsy shop(s) in question. Not one. Notice that the last point states the recall notice must be maintained DURING THE COURSE OF THE RECALL AND AFTER.

In fact, all website recall notices were supposed to have been added in time to coincide with the release of the official CPSC recall announcement - two months ago.

This is NOT an optional goodwill gesture from the seller. It. Is. The. Law.

It would be helpful if Etsy admins would require compliance, as it is long overdue. When the Hello Kitty items were being pulled many months ago, the sellers were contacted individually and given 5 days to remove their HK items. Five days. And those items were not deemed hazardous by a government agency. And yet, the Etsy shops targeted by this recall have ignored the law regarding the notice, and nothing has been done. Etsy does not have the authority to exempt any member from complying with the law. There is no grace period. According to the checklist above, the notices were supposed to have been ready for publication at the time the recall went public. The sellers had plenty of advance notice from CPSC.

Etsy, we know you care about our little ones - but please, as one member put it (paraphrasing here): stop coddling these sellers.

Posted at 8:36am Aug 29, 2007 EDT