Since before the dawn of jewelry manufacturing, man has pursued ornamental adornment and artistic expression with a blind acceptance of more than the occasional "ouch." From metallurgical allergies to cyanide bombing, the knowledge base of what constitutes an "ouch" has rapidly and dynamically expanded beyond avoiding red hot metal and the occasional hammer-finger coupling. In this paper, we systematically review the chemical and metallurgical safety risks of current best practice methods at each stage of the jewelry manufacturing process, implement a methodology to assess and mitigate safety risk in the workplace, and identify chemical and/or metallurgical alternatives that reduce risk in jewelry manufacturing.

Author(s): Oliver Passe, Elizabeth Rose