Please help getting in a metal induced spin!

[lolabead]

OHello Everyone,
Would really value some help on this. I've started making jewellery over the past few months with a view to sell. I haven't put any for sale yet but on some of the jewellery I've made I've added Tibetan silver spacers. I really thought this was ok but then I read that it could contain lead and goodness knows what else and does not meet with the EU directives.

As I've now decided not to use Tibetan silver any more I do now need an alternative. My jewellery is costume jewellery and though I will be using some solid silver metal parts I feel it will be too expensive to always use sterling silver whenever silver is included. Some of the findings I'm using are silver plated but I'm now not sure about using them as getting very confused and tied up and concerned about meeting the EU directive re nickel, lead etc.

So my questions are:

• What is a good alternative to Tibetan silver apart from using sterling silver?
• Are silver plated findings ok?
• Recommend trutstworthy suppliers of metal spacers, beads and findings?
• Anything else I need to do to cover me with regard to the EU directive?

Very many thanks for your time...