Jewelry manufacturers

What to look for in a jewelry manufacturer

Decide your lane first: fine jewelry in solid gold and real stones, demi fine in sterling silver with gold vermeil, or fashion jewelry in brass or stainless steel with plating. Factories specialize, and a fine jewelry house in Bangkok is not where you make plated brass necklaces.

• The metals they work in every day, and how they plate (thickness, process, testing).
• Casting, stone setting and finishing done in house versus sent out.
• Brands they have produced for in your lane, shown on the cards.
• Compliance: nickel and lead testing for the markets you sell into.

MOQs and sampling

Minimums are set per design and often per plating color. A new design usually means a model or mold first, which you pay for once. Order samples in the exact metal and plating you will sell, and wear them for a few weeks before you approve production.

Domestic or overseas

Thailand and India are strong for fine and demi fine work; China is strong for fashion and stainless steel jewelry. Domestic casters and setters are useful for prototypes and small fine runs.

Questions to ask on the first call

Jewelry quotes are easy to misread, because metal prices move and plating thickness changes the cost. Ask for quotes that split metal, labor, plating and stones, and ask how they handle a change in the metal price between sample and production.

• What metals and plating do you use most, and at what thickness?
• What does a new design cost to model and mold, and who owns the mold?
• How do you test for nickel and lead, and can you share recent reports?
• How do you pack each piece, and can you use my pouches and cards?

In this list

7 jewelry factories, in Thailand (4), China (2) and India (1). Between them, records show they have produced for Tom Wood, Gorjana and Vitaly. The Vault has 17 more jewelry suppliers whose names, contacts and notes stay with the course.