Canada has specific, mandatory rules for children's jewellery under the Children's Jewellery Regulations, which limit lead and cadmium. Australia has no single jewellery regulation, but the Australian Consumer Law requires products to be safe, and mandatory standards apply to particular hazards such as button batteries.
In both countries, the importer carries much of the legal responsibility, so test reports and traceability matter.
Canada
The Canada Consumer Product Safety Act prohibits selling products that are a danger to health or safety, and importers must keep records that let a product be traced. The Children's Jewellery Regulations limit total lead and cadmium in jewellery made, packaged, advertised or sold primarily for children under 15. Surface coatings on children's products also have their own lead limit.
Adult jewellery has no specific lead or cadmium regulation, but Health Canada can act against any unsafe product, and retailers usually set their own limits. Many Canadian buyers simply test to the same standards they use for the US.
Australia
Under the Australian Consumer Law, products must be safe and must not be described in a misleading way. The ACCC runs mandatory standards and bans for specific hazards. The most relevant for jewellery are the button battery standards, which apply to light-up or electronic pieces, and rules on small parts and powerful magnets in products for young children.
There is no mandatory nickel limit for jewellery in Australia, but nickel allergy is common, and good retailers ask for nickel release testing anyway. If you also sell in the EU or UK, testing to REACH limits covers you here as well.
A practical testing plan
Rules are updated, so confirm current limits with your test lab before you book testing.
- Children's jewellery for Canada: test total lead and cadmium against the Canadian limits, and check coatings.
- Children's jewellery for Australia: check small parts, magnets, batteries and cords.
- Adult jewellery for both: test lead, cadmium and nickel release to the strictest market you sell into.
- Keep reports tied to lot numbers, with the importer's name on the packaging.
What this means for a buyer
For most buyers, one well-designed testing programme covers Canada, Australia and other markets at once. The key is to set it up before production, not after a shipment is stopped. Creston & Co works for buyers only, for a fixed fee agreed in writing. We arrange testing at accredited labs, check that production matches the tested sample and supervise packing. Start with a free sourcing review.