It is the US standard specification for children's jewelry, and it is the reason to buy a child's necklace from someone who tests rather than someone who doesn't. It sets limits on lead and cadmium content, restricts how much nickel a piece may release against skin, and sets requirements around small parts and sharp points.

Nickel is the one that matters day to day. It is the most common cause of the itching and redness parents put down to "sensitive skin", and it is what cheap plated jewelry sheds as the plating wears. All thirty-five of these are 316L surgical-grade stainless steel, the grade used for surgical instruments, and all thirty-five are made to the standard.

Bows — Sadie Bow comes in eight colours: gold, silver, white, light pink, purple, orange, red and maroon. It is the most-bought thing on this page, and the light pink outsells the rest.

Sports — eight pendants, one per sport: baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, golf and snow ski. The softball is the strongest seller of them. For the player who also wants earrings, sports earrings and necklaces covers the same motifs.

Flowers and charms — four Gracie Flower colourways, plus Crown, Madison, Marina Shell, Dabney Pink, Anchor and Green Gator.

Faith — Carly Cross and Shepherd Cross, each in gold and silver. Carly Cross Gold is the second best seller here.

Mountain and Hadley — both in gold and silver, for a child who wants something without a motif on it.

• Material: 316L surgical-grade stainless steel, on all thirty-five.
• Waterproof: all thirty-five are rated for shower, pool, ocean and sweat.
• Safety standard: ASTM F2923-20, on all thirty-five.
• Price: $39, on all thirty-five. There is no other price on this page.

Chain length and pendant size are listed on each product page — those vary by style, so check the one you want rather than trusting a collection-wide number.

Twenty-two of these thirty-five are half of a matching set — the same design as an earring, sold to be worn together. For the earrings on their own, kids' hypoallergenic flat back studs is the screw back range built for newly pierced ears, and kids' huggie earrings is the version for ears that have fully healed.

All thirty-five of these also sit in waterproof necklaces, the adult-and-child range on the same steel. Everything built to be left on is gathered in hypoallergenic waterproof jewelry.

Further reading: Lindsey on taking her own daughter to get her ears pierced.

Yes. All thirty-five are rated waterproof for shower, pool, ocean and sweat. Stainless steel does not corrode in chlorine or saltwater the way plated base metal does. Rinse with fresh water afterwards and dry it — it is the chlorine residue left sitting on a chain, rather than the swim itself, that shortens the life of any finish.

That is a judgement call about the child rather than the jewelry. The steel and the clasp handle it. For a younger child, or a restless sleeper, many parents prefer to take a necklace off overnight and leave the flat back studs in instead, which is what those are designed for.

The usual cause of a reaction is nickel, not the design. All thirty-five are 316L surgical-grade stainless steel, made without nickel against the skin, and all thirty-five are made to ASTM F2923-20, which restricts nickel release specifically. If a child has reacted to a necklace before, the metal is almost always the reason.

There is no age printed on them, and we would not pretend otherwise — a nine-year-old and a four-year-old want different things. What the standard covers is the material safety, not the fit. Chain length is on each product page, which is the number that decides whether it sits right.

The gold and silver tones are a finish over steel, so wear shows as the colour fading rather than as a reaction on the skin — which is the difference between these and a plated brass chain that turns a neck green. Keep it away from perfume, sunscreen and hairspray, put it on last, and it holds far longer.

Twenty-two of the thirty-five do. Those are listed together in matching jewelry sets, where the earring and the necklace are the same design rather than merely the same colour.