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Cadmium in 'Silver' Jewelry from Amazon and TikTok Shop: What The Sunday Times Found, and What It Means for You
An Instagram post from The Times cites a Sunday Times investigation that found jewelry sold as sterling silver on Amazon and TikTok Shop was mostly cadmium, a known carcinogen. Here is what that does and does not mean for someone who bought a piece.
Original commentary from the Cancer Explained editorial team.
Please note: this page is educational only — it is not medical advice, and it does not speculate about anyone’s health beyond reliable public reporting. For questions about your own health, talk with your healthcare team.
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A post from The Times' Instagram account reports on a Sunday Times investigation. The post says jewelry sold as "925 silver" on Amazon and TikTok Shop contained large, illegal amounts of cadmium. Cadmium is a metal known to cause cancer in people. The post says one cheap ring was estimated to be 92.3% cadmium. The investigation is real, and other outlets reported the same findings. What's worth adding is what cadmium jewelry can and can't do to your health.
What was reported
The Sunday Times tested jewelry sold as sterling silver on Amazon and TikTok Shop. According to news reports on the investigation, a ring from one Amazon seller was more than 92% cadmium. That is about 9,000 times the UK's legal limit of 0.01% cadmium in jewelry. A charm bracelet from a TikTok Shop seller tested at nearly 3,300 times the limit. Real "925" sterling silver is 92.5% silver. News reports say TikTok Shop recalled one flagged item and Amazon removed the products it was told about.
What the evidence says
Cadmium is a real health concern. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says cadmium and cadmium compounds are known human carcinogens. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) says workplace exposure to cadmium is linked to a higher risk of lung cancer. The CDC's toxic substances agency says long-term exposure can also harm the kidneys, lungs and bones. See our full explainer on cadmium and cancer for the science.
How cadmium gets into the body matters. NCI says workers are mostly exposed by breathing dust and fumes, or by swallowing dust from their hands. For most other people, the main sources are tobacco smoke and food. Wearing a ring or bracelet is not one of the main ways people are exposed.
That doesn't make the finding harmless. The known risks of cadmium jewelry are different from "wearing it causes cancer":
- Children putting jewelry in their mouths or swallowing it. This is the risk regulators have acted on most. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has recalled children's jewelry with high cadmium many times. The CPSC says cadmium is toxic if young children swallow it.
- Long-term skin contact. The CPSC says cadmium can also harm health through long-term skin exposure. This is a smaller concern than swallowing, but it is a reason not to keep wearing a piece.
- Dust from cutting or grinding. Filing or grinding a high-cadmium piece can make dust that people breathe in. Breathing cadmium is the route most linked to cancer.
There's also a gap in the rules. News reports note that the US has no full federal limit on cadmium in adult jewelry. A few states, including California, Illinois and Washington, have their own rules, mostly for children's jewelry. Federal law does limit cadmium in children's products.
What to do with this
If you bought cheap "925 silver" jewelry from a marketplace seller, it's reasonable to stop wearing it. That matters most for anything a young child wears or plays with. Keep these pieces away from children, and don't cut, file or sand them.
An adult who wore a piece like this is not in the same risk group as someone who breathes cadmium dust at work. There is no need to panic. But there's also no reason to keep a piece that may not be what it claims.
When to talk to your care team
Call your child's doctor or Poison Control (1-800-222-1222 in the US) if a child may have swallowed, chewed or sucked on a piece of this jewelry. Call 911 if a child has trouble breathing, or is choking. If you are an adult who wore a piece and have no symptoms, you don't need urgent care. You can ask your doctor about it at your next visit, especially if you also have other cadmium exposure, like smoking or work with metals or batteries.
Sources
- The Sunday Times investigation, as reported by InStore Mag and Retail Jeweller
- National Cancer Institute, "Cadmium": cancer.gov
- CDC Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, "ToxFAQs: Cadmium": cdc.gov
- US Consumer Product Safety Commission, "Cadmium Poisoning" recalls: cpsc.gov
- Cancer Explained, "Cadmium and Cancer": /carcinogens/cadmium-and-cancer/
How this article was prepared
An AI-assisted editorial system helped prepare this page. It used the National Cancer Institute, CDC and CPSC. It also used news coverage of the Sunday Times investigation for what was reported. Each claim was checked against these sources. No clinician has reviewed it unless one is listed.
Cancer Explained is published by the National Cancer Information Foundation. It is not medical advice and does not suggest a test or treatment.
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Put the story in context
Prevention, possible warning signs, screening, and diagnosis
This story relates to Cadmium in counterfeit jewelry and cancer risk. The information below is general: it does not reveal anything else about a public person’s health, and not every point applies to every cancer. Personal advice depends on age, symptoms, family history, exposures, and medical history.
Prevention and risk reduction
Not every cancer can be prevented. Avoiding tobacco, protecting skin from ultraviolet radiation, limiting alcohol, staying active, and receiving recommended HPV or hepatitis B vaccination can lower the risk of certain cancers. A risk factor is not a prediction or a cause in one individual.
Symptoms and possible early signs
Possible signs vary and are often caused by conditions other than cancer. Changes worth discussing include a new lump, unexplained bleeding or weight loss, a persistent cough, lasting bowel or bladder changes, a changing skin spot, or symptoms that persist or worsen. Some early cancers cause no symptoms.
Screening and early detection
Screening looks for certain cancers before symptoms begin. Recommended tests exist only for some cancers and depend on age and risk. Screening can have benefits and harms; it is not the same as evaluating a new symptom, and there is no single routine scan or blood test that reliably screens for every cancer.
How cancer is diagnosed
Diagnosis may involve a history and exam, imaging, laboratory tests, and often a biopsy. Pathology can identify the cancer type and may test biomarkers that guide treatment. Symptoms, screening results, tumor markers, or online stories alone cannot confirm cancer.
A public story may encourage questions, but it should not be used to estimate your risk or choose testing. Contact a healthcare professional about a persistent or concerning change. Seek urgent care for severe or rapidly worsening symptoms.