Due to rising gold prices and fast-moving fashion trends, the demand for gold-plated jewelry has increased dramatically in recent years. This fashion jewelry is usually made of non-precious metals such as stainless steel, aluminum or brass, which are gold-plated with the help of electricity or chemicals. The gold layer is sometimes less than a micron thin. A micron is just one thousandth of a millimeter. Depending on how it is cared for, gold-plated costume jewelry loses its gold layer after just half a year. This is because, over time, the molecules of the metal penetrate the thin gold layer, decompose it and cause the jewelry to tarnish, discolor on the skin and wear away the gold plating. All that glitters is not made of gold. Unfortunately, it also often happens that imitation gold is used instead of real gold, because gold can trade for up to 50.000 € a kilo. Combining 75% copper and 25% zinc, the material you get is tombac, which is almost similar to gold. Fashion jewelry is therefore the choice for new trends and if it is to be worn only for a short time. However, these factors are anything but sustainable.

In addition, fashion jewelry causes contact allergies, which can be triggered by high levels of harmful heavy metals such as cadmium, lead and nickel. These can damage the nervous system, lead to infertility, deposit in organs and be carcinogenic. Many jewelry suppliers erroneously advertise "nickel-free" jewelry. In fact, the addition of nickel has the positive property of making the metal more resistant and protecting it from rust. Even "surgical steel" can contain up to 14% nickel. This is fine as long as the specified limits under the "REACH" (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) EU chemicals regulation are met.