A wholesale carton arrives at the retailer. They open it, and three pieces have plating scuffs on the high points, one ring is the wrong size, and a 0.5 ct solitaire shipped without its certificate. The retailer sends the whole carton back. None of those failures happened at the bench. They happened at pack-out, which is a different inspection from bench QC and gets skipped when the factory is behind on shipping. Building a final packaging inspection that is not optional is what separates a reliable wholesale supplier from a supplier the buyer has to re-check on arrival.
What pack-out checks that bench QC does not
Bench QC asks: is this piece made correctly? Pack-out asks: is this the right piece, in the right size, in the right box, on its way to the right customer? The two questions catch different failures. Final QC jeweler inspection before shipment covers the piece; the jewelry order QC checklist covers the order. Pack-out sits between them.
Our pack-out run on each piece is: loupe check for plating scratches under angled light, size gauge verification against the PO, stone rock test with a wax stick, finish wipe with a cotton cloth, and boxed weight against the SKU sheet. A plating scuff that bench QC missed because the light was even shows up immediately under angled light; a size error that the bench never sees because the tag printed wrong shows up on the gauge; a loose stone that tightened after plating shows up on the wax stick.
Documentation that travels with the carton
Every piece ships with a QC photo: piece on white background, size tag visible, stone tightness verified. For stones over 0.3 ct, we include the lab certificate. QC photos before shipment are not a courtesy; they are the evidence that stops the you-sent-the-wrong-piece dispute at the retailer door. Final QC loupe and ultrasonic checks happen at the bench, but the photo is taken at pack-out, after plating, because plating is where the scratch appears.
We also stamp the batch number on the box. If a plating bath pH drifts on a Tuesday, we can pull every box from that batch without re-inspecting the whole order.
Carton-level checks, not just piece-level
After every piece is boxed, the pack-out lead checks the carton: SKU count against the packing slip, size mix against the size grid, outer carton drop test on a corner, anti-tarnish tab in each bag, and the shipping label matched to the PO. We do a 10 percent random re-open on every carton: pick two boxes at random, verify the piece matches the tag. That step alone catches tag-to-piece mismatches, which are the most common retailer complaint after plating scuffs.
Plating scratch inspection follows electroplating thickness and wear rules: we measure micron on one sample per bath, and we reject any piece where the high point shows base metal under 10x loupe. That rule, plus the angled-light check at pack-out, cuts plating complaints by about 80 percent in our batch log.
What we refuse to ship
Three conditions stop a carton, not a piece. First, any piece with base metal showing on a high point under 10x loupe goes back to plating, even if the rest of the batch is clean. Second, any size mismatch between tag and gauge gets the whole SKU re-checked, because a misprinted tag means the printer is out of calibration. Third, any carton where the random re-open finds one mismatch gets a full 100 percent re-open, because the pack-out lead rushed. We do not ship pieces we would not sell ourselves. The 16 CFR Part 23 marking and disclosure rules govern what the tag must say, and our pack-out checklist includes a tag-reading step that verifies karat, maker mark, and country of origin before the box closes.
FAQ: Final packaging inspection
What gets checked before a wholesale order ships?
Loupe per piece for plating scratches, size gauge against the PO, stone rock test, finish wipe, boxed weight versus SKU, carton SKU count, size mix, anti-tarnish tab, and a 10 percent random re-open.
Do you photograph every piece?
Yes. Every piece ships with a QC photo on white background, size tag visible, taken after plating. Stones over 0.3 ct also ship with their lab certificate.
How is plating inspected before packaging?
Under angled light at 10x loupe. Even light hides scratches; angled light throws them into shadow. We also measure micron on one sample per bath and reject any piece showing base metal on high points.
Who covers damage found at the retailer?
Plating scuffs, size errors, and missing certificates are re-made or credited at our cost. Transit damage is a carrier claim, which we file on the buyer behalf with the batch photo as evidence.
Send over your PO and size grid. Our pack-out lead runs loupe, gauge, wax-stick, and carton-level checks on every order, with QC photos per piece and a 10 percent random re-open. Small-batch OEM custom manufacturing starts at 30 pieces per design; ask for a sample pack-out photo set before your first order.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I verify a factory before placing a bulk order?
Request a production video, business license, export records and a paid sample run. A factory that accepts a 50-piece test order is usually a real manufacturer.
What payment terms do you offer?
30% T/T deposit with the balance against the bill of lading. This protects both sides on first orders and can move to net terms after a track record.
What is your normal reject rate?
3–5% under 10x loupe inspection for cast and set pieces. Defective units are replaced free in the next shipment.
Where is the factory located?
Wuzhou, Guangxi, China—the core lab-grown and moissanite manufacturing cluster. Shipments go via Guangzhou or Shenzhen ports.
