Which raw material?

If there is a topic I worked on a lot when I started my project, it is the one of raw material sourcing. Firstly because purchasing is my initial skills area, also because my skin is sensitive, and I have already been exposed to unpleasant experiences while wearing some supposedly nickel-free stuff. Finally because the fantasy jewels market offers anything and everything in terms of quality, and at any price. In order to guarantee the best quality possible to my customers, I made the choice to work in short circuits with my suppliers without any intermediary.  I wanted to be able to visit their facilities, to understand how they work and to be 100% sure of the final quality. Which raw materials are we speaking about? Chains for instances, of clasps.  I buy all my raw materials in Europe, in pure brass. I receive and check them piece by piece. Then, I send them to my gilder, who is French as well, and who I selected for his passion and his very high quality standards. I also send him the pieces that I made from brass plates in my workshop.  This demanding sourcing has a cost, but it is the only way to get proximity and transparency on what I produce and how I produce. I could not use some material coming from Asia and produced in unknown conditions, from material and social prospective. I made the choice of craft and proximity networks. Definitely not the easiest, but the only way to guarantee you nickel/cadmium/lead – free products.