THIS IS A DIRECT COPY AND PASTE FROM THE UNIMAX TATTOO SUPPLY COMPANY. I am asking a public opinion on this.

Metal Content of Piercing Jewelry -  amounts to: Trust a Reliable Supplier

Mill Certificates for the Stainless Steel
provided by suppliers of body jewelry are meaningless, perhaps fraudulent.

The "Certificate" sent by some suppliers is supposed to prove that the jewelry is made
from the material specified in the certificate. It doesn't. It is a lie.

There are no valid Mill Certificates for any Body Piercing Jewelry.

This is pure deception.

A "Mill Certificate" only certifies a particular batch of material and is good only so long as the material is not processed any further. In other words, as it is direct from the foundry. Where it goes afterwards, how it is cut up, is not "certified" because it goes through mother hands before it lands in your hands. The people insisting on "Certificates" don't even know that the material is only step number one, the final product has to be re-certified by the final processor to be meaningful. The original "Mill Certificate" is no longer valid.

Body jewelry is not a medical application. Body jewelry is not "approved" by the FDA.

Unless the application requires a Chain of Custody, certification items cannot be traced.
 

Distributors even mix different shipments together and do not record lot numbers.
Retailers don't record and do not need lot numbers either.

Retailers mix them again.

Because there are no lot numbers or serial numbers engraved on piercing jewelry
there is no assurance that a particular piece of jewelry is from anywhere.

There has never been a need for this.
It would be ridiculous to require lot numbers.

Non-F138-certified 316L SS body jewelry has been used for the last 20 years.
AST asserts that safety and in use history is the defining argument for safety. Use proves safety.

There is no scientific or rational argument to support the assertion that ASTM F138 316LVM SS is necessary or any better at all in body jewelry application. The argument for 316LVM has no merit and must be discarded as a fringe element within the piercing community.

No lot number means trust your supplier.

Non- F138 Certified 316L has been used
 - for two decades
 - in millions of piercings
 - by tens of thousands of piercers.

Safe "Usage" is accepted by ASTM as ultimate proof of acceptability of the material used.

316L SS is the standard for body piercing jewelry in the U.S. and should continue to be the standard body piercing material, not F138 316LVM.

Attempts to mislead piercers that 316LVM is the standard, or should be the standard is not based on fact or scientific evidence.

There is no argument to support 316LVM. It is not relevant for body piercing jewelry.

Read more at www.wreyeting.org

 

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The majority of all piercing jewelry is made overseas and mostly from Asia.

Do not be fooled.

For piercing jewelry 316LVM is not any better than 316L for body jewelry.

As an example, would it make sense to buy the newest titanium alloy and pay a premium
because it could withstand 300 degrees below zero, instead of 200 degrees below zero?
This is in effect what the difference is for piercing: NO DIFFERENCE.

Desperate Suppliers try and deceive YOU.

Watch Out.....when someone says... "cheap Asian steel"
that's the first sign of attempted deception.

When you hear ASTM Standards watch out,
The "pseudo" technical talk is a technique of
persuasion to win your business by and distorting your thinking.
In fact, these desperate people are not Certified.

Lies are meant to distort your mind's ability to see reality.

Claiming that Asian goods are not produced under ASTM standards
does not mean they they are unacceptable.

ASTM standards are the accepted way to describe what something is
so those using the specification are talking about the same specification.

Body piercing jewelry and tools are not rocket science products.

When it comes to LOWER COST, Asia is a global source everyone knows that.

The cost of the stainless steel in a piercing jewelry is pennies, the rest is labor.
A barbell from Asia costs 30 cents, made in the USA it is $ 6.00.
Our subway cars are made from Asian steels and your car parts also.

You may buy a USA made car but it has most of the parts made overseas.
Boeing's Dreamliner tail sections (25%) are MADE IN CHINA,
and are not inferior in any way. TVs, cameras, phones and computers.
How many items that we trust and use and our lives depend on.

Hold these deceivers accountable when they try to fool you.

"Accountability" means there is a price to pay.

Unimax has earned the Trust of users around the globe.

When suppliers lie, excepting mistakes,  they should not get your orders.
If the buck stops here, and there is no penalty for failing, it means nothing,
Without penalty "Accountability" is a joke.

A little secret:

Most all jewelry is made in Asia and then only polished and assembled here.

If you import Chinese barbells and screw the balls on it is now Made in the USA.
... but they won't tell you that, because they want to charge you more money for the same jewelry.

Another deception is the appeal to: "Quality" above price.
You could go out of business falling for this old line.
Price can be crucial if it is too high for customers to purchase.
Buying the highest quality body jewelry does not make sense if you have a business.
Even jewelry stores on Fifth Ave have been going out of business.
Sales people who use this gimmick want you to pay more for nothing.

This is a real phone call:
The owner failed to see that
they are successful competing against tattoo shops
but lost all their piercing business to the same shops
and blaming it on "too many Shops in the area"
 
Wes:  Hi. ----, How's business.
X:      Good. Our tattoo figures are better than last year.
Wes:  I see you haven't bought jewelry for a real long time.
X:      Yeah, we've been buying everything from --xyz--- hand polished "quality" jewelry.
Wes:   Why is that?
X:      Actually we don't buy much anymore. Last month we let our piercer go.
         Too many tattoo shops. Too much competition.

He didn't get it.
He competed in tattoo but lost his piercing business.

It would make no sense to install Formula 1 motors in
New York City taxis because those engines are better.

So it is with body piercing jewelry.

Don't risk your business to the delusion that people will pay more for an
item that looks exactly like the less costly alternative.
 

I agree with Montana.

316L just sits at the "lowest acceptable" side of the scale.

Here in Britain piercers are required by law to use titanium, which is awesome. I'm not sure why that regulation isn't in use in the States!

And as far as "made in (insert third world country) and assembled here does not make it made in USA", I have been to the IS facility and seen first hand that their jewelry is IN FACT made in the US as I know anatometal is.

This is propaganda.

Give me enough time and I could write a compelling argument that sticking your dick in a blender is a good idea

I can think of a thousand things in everyday life, more important than a problematic piercing, where budget considerations play a role.

Tires. More important than the type of jewelry you wear. Car safety features. More important. Food.... do you buy all fresh, local organic? Or do you shop at walmart.  Do you visit the doctor to the stars, or do you get treated at the local community clinic? Tattoos, I love the work of the some of the $500 an hour guys, but I can't afford it. Does that mean I shouldn't get tattooed?

People get pissy if you they are not offered a choice, and you spend your days trying to convince the average customer why your jewelry cost more but is a better choice. Capitalist economy demands a price range for products.  If people aren't willing to purchase the Cadillac, I would still be happy they bought anything off the lot, even a Yugo.
 
I am not saying don't offer people the best, but I think you should understand, that no matter how much you want them to, the average client doesn't care. Don't ignore or ostracize a  huge customer base.


Edited by MontanaPiercer - August/24/2012 at 12:27am

People dont care because they dont know the difference. Thats a cop-out and a lack of being a good salesman, both for yourself and your products. Where does the cutting of corners end once you start down that road.

Please know that I dont mean any offence by any of this, most of you on this thread know me well enough to know that. There are plenty of people in this industry that DO NOT CARE about their clients enough to offer them the best or even decent jewelry and standards. I know none of you are one of them. There is nothing wrong with taking a stand and going against the grain and offering ONLY top of the line. You're right, some people will not care and go down the street and get hacked up. The good part of that is, there is a great chance that person will one day be YOUR customer because after they get something shitty, they know where they can find the good stuff. I will not compromise my ethics to make a buck. There's a few words for describing people like that.