What counts as personal accessory

Jewellery covers earrings and body‑piercing items, necklaces, bracelets, rings, watches and straps, and decorative metal or plastic adornments on clothing and accessories.

Regulatory focus depends on how closely and how long each item contacts the skin, and whether any part is inserted into piercings, which attracts the strictest limits.

Children’s and strongly child‑appealing pieces also bring additional GPSR and toy‑adjacent expectations around small parts, sharp edges, and ingestion or strangulation risks.

Core obligations include:

• Determine if each item is jewellery or a related accessory in scope of EU GPSR/UK GPSR‑UK and substance restrictions under REACH/UK REACH (including nickel release, lead & cadmium limits).

• Designing and sourcing materials so that finished pieces comply with Annex XVII restrictions, and appropriate testing to verify compliance for representative product types and high‑risk finishes.

• Maintaining technical documentation with risk assessments, material and plating specifications, Certificates of Analysis, metal‑content and nickel‑release test reports.

• Providing clear consumer information and warnings where needed, for example for fashion pieces not suitable for young children, or care instructions to reduce tarnish and skin reactions – using language appropriate to the target markets.

• Ensuring each item or its packaging carries durable traceability details (manufacturer/brand, importer, and product or batch identification).

Markings and information

Jewellery and personal accessories must carry clear, durable markings that identify the brand or manufacturer (and importer where relevant), together with a product or batch code that supports traceability under EU GPSR and UK product safety rules.

Packaging, labels, and any online or in‑store information should communicate essential safety and material details, for example indicating base metals or plating where this is relevant to nickel or allergy risk, age warnings where items are not suitable for young children, and care instructions—using appropriate languages for the target markets and in line with the underlying technical and REACH documentation.

How we can help

We help interpret EU and UK REACH restrictions for nickel, lead, cadmium, and other regulated substances, and can advise the correct course for testing.

Support typically includes reviewing laboratory reports, checking material and plating specifications, assessing child‑appeal and small‑part risks for children’s lines, and advising on compliant claims, warnings, and GPSR‑aligned documentation.

With tailored, end‑to‑end solutions, CERT helps you launch personal accessories, that are safe, compliant, and ready for market—backed by clear documentation and expert support documentation.