The Reject Tray Policy That Decides a Partnership in the Valentine Program Program
A US buyer of care and Maintenance sent us a competitor's care and Maintenance in November with one question: why does this fail at tarnish in transit after a season. We measured it, rebuilt the spec around silver assay at 92.5% minimum and plating adhesion after a 24-hour humidity test, and shipped 300 care and Maintenance that cleared inspection with zero rejects, which is how the Valentine Program account reads it at USD 8-47.
That rejection was avoidable at the drawing stage. Tarnish in transit belongs on the spec sheet next to the stone size, not in the claim email three weeks after arrival, and 300 pieces leaves Wuzhou in heart gift box at USD 8-47.
We kept the Valentine Program price and changed the four measurements that matter. The rebuild cost about 11 seconds per piece and removed the whole claim conversation, shipped as heart gift box and certified IGI report.
Four Spec Lines a Valentine Program Buyer Checks
The Valentine Program buyer signs on four numbers. The table puts the trade default beside our standard so the difference is visible before the deposit, priced at USD 8-47 for the 300-piece Valentine Program run.
| Spec point | Common trade output | HOLYCOME standard | Cost if missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hallmark depth and placement | Stamped where it fits | Fixed position, depth measured so it never breaks the shank | Customs query and remaking |
| Solder flow at the joint | Not inspected | Joint inspected under 10x before setting | Crack at the seam in transit |
| Plating thickness | Nominal only | 0.20 micron rhodium logged per lot, 3 microns on vermeil | Wear-through inside one season |
| Surface porosity after polish | Seen after plating | Cast porosity checked before plating, rejects pulled at that stage | Plating blister six weeks later |
None of the four adds cost at USD 8-47. They add about 11 seconds per piece and remove the reason to inspect twice.
Cost Split on a Valentine Program Piece at USD 8-47
At USD 8-47 per piece for care and Maintenance, the stone sits near a quarter and the labor line moves by double digits between two quotes for one drawing.
| Cost line | Share | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Base metal or alloy for care and Maintenance | 32% | Alloy choice and casting yield |
| Stone or melee for care and Maintenance | 23% | Sieve range and lot batching |
| Setting and finishing labor for care and Maintenance | 21% | Jig design and bench minutes |
| Plating, polish and QC for care and Maintenance | 14% | Per-tray versus per-piece checks |
| Packaging for care and Maintenance | 10% | heart gift box |
The saving in the cheapest quote hides in plating and stone grade. At 300 pieces that saving is visible in season two, which the Valentine Program file records at USD 8-47 in heart gift box.
Terms Behind a Valentine Program Order
The commercial frame is short enough to state in full. Minimum order is 50 pieces per design, and mixed designs travel in one shipment, so a 300-piece Valentine Program order can carry three or four models without a separate setup charge. Sample pieces leave in 3-5 days when the components are in stock, and a new model adds about twenty days before the first article exists, which is USD 8-47 on the Valentine Program schedule.
Payment is 30 percent with the order and 70 percent against the bill of lading, with the balance window stated on the invoice rather than agreed by message. Prices quoted at USD 8-47 are FOB Guangzhou or Shenzhen; DDP is quoted separately because the duty line moves with the tariff schedule and not with our cost.
Packing follows the heart gift box format at 300 pieces to the carton, and the packing list carries SKU, size and stone size so receiving can count without opening every box. Private-label cartons add three days for the print run and must be approved before the first bulk order, not after it, the figure being USD 8-47 for a 300-piece run.
Certification is IGI report for the lots that carry it, with a batch report and per-piece measurement of silver assay at 92.5% minimum for the lots below the threshold. The document set travels with the shipping papers, which is what a customs broker asks for at the port rather than after clearance, on a 300-piece Valentine Program order at USD 8-47.
A rejected tray is settled inside the same order cycle against the retained reference piece. If the difference sits on our retained sample we replace or credit; if it appeared in transit we split the assay cost and file with the carrier, and that rule is written on the order before the deposit clears, priced at USD 8-47 for the 300-piece Valentine Program run.
Three Failures That Reach the Valentine Program Bench
tarnish in transit
Silver that ships without an anti-tarnish strip browns in a humid container. The strip costs 3 cents and removes the most common arrival complaint, priced at USD 8-47 for the 300-piece Valentine Program run.
Our countermeasure is a gauge and a written limit. It adds about 11 seconds per piece and removes the defect from the run rather than from the carton, priced at USD 8-47 for the 300-piece Valentine Program run.
rhodium adhesion
A silver surface plated without a palladium strike layer blisters in wear. The strike layer is invisible and essential, certified IGI report and packed heart gift box at 300 pieces.
In a 300-piece run this typically shows on 11 of pieces. Catching it means measuring silver assay at 92.5% minimum at the tray level, not inspecting the finished carton, and 300 pieces leaves Wuzhou in heart gift box at USD 8-47.
weight shortfall
A 2.1 g ring shipped at 1.85 g passes a casual check and fails a scale. Publish the weighed average per SKU, and 300 pieces leaves Wuzhou in heart gift box at USD 8-47.
The commercial effect is tarnish claims and replacements, typically USD 4-7 per piece. Buyers who have seen it once put it in the purchase order; buyers who have not usually discover it on the first return, certified IGI report and packed heart gift box at 300 pieces.
The Reject Tray Policy That Decides a Partnership
Ask three suppliers of care and Maintenance this question and you will get three answers. Only one of them survives an inspection, and 300 pieces leaves Wuzhou in heart gift box at USD 8-47.
At 300 pieces the arithmetic on care and Maintenance changes: the fixed costs spread, the variable costs do not. That is why the second order prices better than the first even when the gold fix has moved up, quoted at USD 8-47 per piece in heart gift box.
We quote both a first-run price and a reorder price for care and Maintenance on the same sheet so the buyer can see where the curve flattens. Most flatten by the third run, which is how the Valentine Program account reads it at USD 8-47.
What the Quote Actually Covers
On care and Maintenance, the difference between a 40-day order and a 90-day order is usually two signatures, not a factory delay, quoted at USD 8-47 per piece in heart gift box.
One practical note on timing for care and Maintenance: the calendar starts when the spec is signed, not when the deposit clears. A buyer who signs in week one and pays in week three gets the goods in week five, shipped as heart gift box and certified IGI report.
We date the care and Maintenance proforma from signature for that reason, and we state the deposit deadline in the same email that carries the spec sheet, which is USD 8-47 on the Valentine Program schedule.
Valentine Window for care and Maintenance
The Valentine window is short and unforgiving: stock has to be in the warehouse by the last week of January or the season is gone. That puts the production order in the second week of December, ahead of the Lunar New Year slowdown, which is how the Valentine Program account reads it at USD 8-47.
Paired designs move better than single pieces here. A matching pair of care and Maintenance, boxed together with two cards, converts at the same retail price as two singles and costs about nine percent more to make, quoted at USD 8-47 per piece in heart gift box.
Photography has to be red-and-white neutral. A care and Maintenance shot on a red silk background reads as a gift in a listing thumbnail, and that is the only image most buyers will ever see, and at USD 8-47 for 300 pieces that is the number the buyer signs.
The Calendar Behind a Valentine Program Run
Nothing in this sequence is clever. Each step exists because skipping it cost somebody a claim on care and Maintenance at USD 8-47.
- Lock the spec: metal, stone size range, plating thickness, sizing band and finish, all written on one sheet.
- Pull a stock-component sample in 3-5 days and measure it against that sheet, not against the photo.
- Approve the sample in writing, including the reject rule and the retained reference tray.
- Run bulk in 15-20 days for orders under 500 pieces, with the gauge check independent of the shift.
- Ship from Guangzhou or Shenzhen with the QC sheet in the carton and the batch report by email.
MOQ is 50 pieces per design, low enough to test a category and high enough to keep the casting line accountable, and at USD 8-47 for 300 pieces that is the number the buyer signs.
The First Valentine Program Order
Start with three designs at 50 pieces each. That covers the 300 pieces you need to read sell-through without betting on one model, priced at USD 8-47 for the 300-piece Valentine Program run.
Sample 3-5 days, bulk 15-20 days under 500 pieces, 300 pieces inside that window. The calendar is the same on every Valentine Program run, priced at USD 8-47 for the 300-piece Valentine Program run.
Getting heart gift box to US wholesale
Sea freight costs roughly a third of air and takes three times the transit, which only makes sense for an SKU already selling in US wholesale, which is USD 8-47 on the Valentine Program schedule.
FOB is the default and DDP is the option. Buyers new to US wholesale usually take DDP once and then switch after they see the breakdown, on a 300-piece Valentine Program order at USD 8-47.
At receiving, count cartons, weigh one tray and measure ten pieces against silver assay at 92.5% minimum. Twenty minutes here saves a season of returns, with IGI report and heart gift box stated on the same sheet, on a 300-piece Valentine Program order at USD 8-47.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the payment terms?
30 percent deposit with the order, 70 percent against the bill of lading. For accounts on a second order we quote 30/70 with a 15-day balance window once the first shipment has cleared, and 300 pieces leaves Wuzhou in heart gift box at USD 8-47.
What is the minimum order for care and Maintenance?
50 pieces per care and Maintenance. Designs mix inside one shipment, so a first order of three designs at 50 pieces each is normal for a new US account. Below 50 the gauge check stops being independent of the shift, which is USD 8-47 on the Valentine Program schedule.
Do you supply certificates for care and Maintenance?
IGI report on care and Maintenance above the threshold stated on the quote. Below it we supply a batch report plus per-piece measurement of silver assay at 92.5% minimum, which is what a counter or a listing actually needs, which is how the Valentine Program account reads it at USD 8-47.
How do you handle a rejected tray?
We replace or credit inside the same order cycle. The retained reference tray decides: if tarnish in transit shows on our retained piece we own it, and if it appeared in transit we split the assay cost and file with the carrier, on a 300-piece Valentine Program order at USD 8-47.
What are the payment terms?
30 percent deposit with the order, 70 percent against the bill of lading. For accounts on a second order we quote 30/70 with a 15-day balance window once the first shipment has cleared, and 300 pieces leaves Wuzhou in heart gift box at USD 8-47.
Next Step
If the USD 8-47 band fits the shelf, send a drawing and we quote the 300-piece Valentine Program run inside one business day.
HOLYCOME runs this line from Wuzhou, Guangxi, through Wuzhou HengliLai Jewelry Co., Ltd. Output is about 60,000 pieces a month across care and Maintenance and adjacent categories. service@holycome.com or WhatsApp +86 18078079070, quoted at USD 8-47 per piece in heart gift box.
Related reading: Care & Maintenance Made to Order: What the Quote Actually Covers - HOLYCOME Inside the Atelier Trade Show Sample: The Sample Approval That Survives Production - HOLYCOME
