Hearth & Hand with Magnolia (by Chip & Joanna Gaines) Green & Gold mug: 117 +/- 26 ppm Lead (Lead-safe)

 

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Hearth & Hand with Magnolia, by Chip & Joanna Gaines
Light Sage Green Ceramic mug with Gold Flecks

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For those new to the Lead Safe Mama website:

Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005).

• Tamara owns and runs Lead Safe Mama, LLC — a unique community collaborative woman-owned small business for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety.
• Since 2009, Tamara has been conducting XRF testing (a scientific testing method) using the exact instrumentation employed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals — including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony, and Arsenic).
• Since July of 2022, the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC has been responsible for 5 product recalls (FDA and CPSC).
• All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable.
• Items that Lead Safe Mama, LLC reports on are tested multiple times to confirm the results published (for each component tested).
• Recent notable press… There has been too much to mention already in 2024! Please check out our press page to see some of the amazing coverage of our work so far this year!

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Please see below for the exact readings of the mug pictured when tested with an XRF instrument.

The level of Lead found on this cup is considered safe by all standards.

To see more pieces from the Hearth & Hand line that Lead Safe Mama has tested, click HERE.

Click HERE to learn more about XRF testing and for more mugs we have tested, click HERE.

Exterior Gold Speckled Glaze
(Readings were completed for at least 60 seconds each. Multiple readings were conducted to confirm the levels found. If a metal is not listed then it was not detected on the spot tested.)

• Lead (Pb): 77 +/- 21 ppm
• Barium (Ba): 278 /- 76 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 55 +/- 26 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 369 +/- 66 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 3,095 +/- 322 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 515 +/- 45 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 707 +/- 64 ppm
• Zirconium (Zr): 16,500 +/- 500 ppm
• Platinum (Pt): 183 +/- 61 ppm

Please continue reading below the image.

Plain Light Green Glaze on Handle (image above)

• Lead (Pb): 72 +/- 22 ppm
• Barium (Ba): 243 /- 83 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 115 +/- 33 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 425 +/- 74 ppm
• Nickel (Ni): 225 +/- 102 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 3,600 +/- 359 ppm
• Bismuth (Bi): 45 +/- 22 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 588 +/- 55 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 893 +/- 82 ppm
• Zirconium (Zr): 20,500 +/- 700 ppm
• Platinum (Pt): 310 +/- 75 ppm
• Cobalt (Co): 412 +/- 143 ppm

Please continue reading below the image.

Base Unglazed Ceramic of mug (image above)

• Lead (Pb): 117 +/- 26 ppm
• Barium (Ba): 403 +/- 79 ppm
• Chromium (Cr): 5,625 +/- 232 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 10,500 +/- 400 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 625 +/- 80 ppm
• Nickel (Ni): 502 +/- 107 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 11,000 +/- 600 ppm
• Bismuth (Bi): 67 +/- 24 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 100 +/- 31 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 207 +/- 46 ppm
• Zirconium (Zr): 16,100 +/- 500 ppm
• Platinum (Pt): 298 +/- 102 ppm
• Cobalt (Co): 414 +/- 170 ppm

In general, I would consider this a safer choice. I was actually quite surprised that the gold flecks were not positive for high levels of Lead (as many gold-adorned pieces are). I personally would not want to have these in my home (as a mother of Lead-poisoned children, I am fairly strict about that), but if you served me coffee or tea in one of these mugs while I was visiting you in your home I would be comfortable drinking from it.

Because the clay base is a higher Lead content (when tested with an XRF instrument) than the glazed areas, it is quite possible that the glazes are Lead-free and the XRF is reading the level of Lead in the base clay, through the glaze (on the glazed areas that were tested). This would be consistent with the other glazed ceramic pieces from this brand that I have tested.

Thank you for reading and sharing these results.

Please let me know if you have any questions at all.

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama