AQL, Tray Checks and What a QC Report Should Say
Last November, a US setters, repair benches and jewelry manufacturers placed 360 stones and Materials against a sample signed in April. The first container landed with 9 pieces that failed on sieve drift alone, and USD 5-25 landed on the buyer's P&L before a single unit sold.
Nobody on that bench was careless. They were working to a spec that existed only in a photograph, and sieve drift is what a photograph fails to define. That is the figure we hold for stones and Materials at USD 3-95 per piece, and it does not move inside the order window.
The fix cost about 6 seconds per stones and Material and removed the credit note entirely. That is the whole economics of a spec sheet, and it is why we write one on every quote. That is the figure we hold for stones and Materials at USD 3-95 per piece, and it does not move inside the order window.
What US buyers Check Before They Sign
A quote for stones and Materials usually states carat weight or metal type, and stops there. The four points below are what actually decide whether a run sells through or comes back. That is the figure we hold for stones and Materials at USD 3-95 per piece, and it does not move inside the order window.
| Spec point | Common trade output | HOLYCOME standard | Cost if missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sieve Drift on stones and Materials | Inspected visually at the tray | Gauntlet check on every piece, limit written in the spec | Returns inside 60 days of wear |
| Mixed Color Lots on stones and Materials | Batch dependent, not logged | Thickness and tension logged per lot | Complaint after the second season |
| Girdle Damage on stones and Materials | Estimated from nominal | Gauged per size with go/no-go tools | Resize queue and reship cost |
| Tolerance stack-up on stones and Materials | Quote states nominal only | Worst-case band published per SKU | Freight and duty drift |
Each line above is a gauge check, not a marketing claim. A factory that cannot state them in numbers is quoting an opinion about stones and Materials. That is the figure we hold for stones and Materials at USD 3-95 per piece, and it does not move inside the order window.
Where USD 3-95 Per Piece Actually Goes
At USD 3-95 per piece there is no room for hidden cost. The table shows where the money sits and which line a supplier can actually compress. That is the figure we hold for stones and Materials at USD 3-95 per piece, and it does not move inside the order window.
| Cost line | Share | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Base metal or alloy for stones and Materials | 30% | Alloy choice and casting yield |
| Stone or melee for stones and Materials | 20% | Sieve range and lot batching |
| Setting and finishing labor for stones and Materials | 19% | Jig design and bench minutes |
| Plating, polish and QC for stones and Materials | 12% | Per-tray versus per-piece checks |
| Packaging and freight for stones and Materials | 19% | Box grade and DDP versus FOB |
A factory that cannot state its bench minutes per piece has never costed its own line. Ask for minutes and for the reject rule, not for a discount. That is the figure we hold for stones and Materials at USD 3-95 per piece, and it does not move inside the order window.
The Three Failures We See Most in Incoming Samples
sieve drift
A parcel sold as 2.0-2.2 mm with 15% of stones at 1.9 mm changes the setting labor on the buyer's bench. Sieve the parcel, do not sample it.
In a 360-piece run this typically shows on 8 of pieces. Catching it means measuring size distribution within the declared sieve at the tray level, not inspecting the finished carton.
mixed color lots
Mixing near-colorless and G-H stones in one parcel produces a finished piece with a visible tonal step. Parcels ship by single lot.
The commercial effect is replacement stones plus a sorting delay on the buyer's line. Buyers who have seen it once put it in the purchase order; buyers who have not usually discover it on the first return.
girdle damage
Stones packed loose in a bag chip each other in transit. Individually wrapped parcels cost more and arrive usable.
Our countermeasure is a gauge and a written limit. It adds about 6 seconds per piece and removes the defect from the run rather than from the carton.
AQL, Tray Checks and What a QC Report Should Say
The figure below is what we quote for stones and Materials, and it is deliberately narrower than the market average.
At 360 pieces the arithmetic on loose stones 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.
We quote both a first-run price and a reorder price for stones and Materials on the same sheet so the buyer can see where the curve flattens. Most flatten by the third run.
How a Repeat Order Gets Built
Nothing in this sequence is unusual, and that is the point. Each step exists because skipping it produced a specific failure on a previous order. That is the figure we hold for stones and Materials at USD 3-95 per piece, and it does not move inside the order window.
- Spec sheet signed before casting: calibrated sizes from 1.5 mm to 12 mm, tolerances, plating thickness and packing format.
- Sample in 3-5 working days from stock components, or about 20 days if a new model is required.
- Production photos at three checkpoints: raw cast, post-polish, post-set, with buyer approval at each.
- Bulk in 15-20 days under 500 pieces; custom tooling runs 25-30 days.
- Pre-shipment QC report with per-tray counts and a retained reference tray for disputes.
Reorders inside this sequence run 12-15 days because the model, the gauge set and the signed spec stay in our system. That is the figure we hold for stones and Materials at USD 3-95 per piece, and it does not move inside the order window.
AQL, Tray Checks and What a QC Report Should Say
Most quotes for stones and Materials describe the product and skip the part that decides whether the buyer makes money.
One practical note on timing for loose stones: 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.
We date the stones and Materials proforma from signature for that reason, and we state the deposit deadline in the same email that carries the spec sheet.
Alloy, Karat and the Cost of a Color Change
The answer for stones and Materials depends on four variables, and three of them are under the buyer's control.
There is a version of this that looks cheaper on paper and costs more in practice: quoting the best case on loose stones and letting the buyer discover the spread. It works once. The second order goes to whichever supplier quoted honestly.
We would rather lose a first order of loose stones on price than explain a defect after it lands. That position is unusual in this category and it is the reason our reorder share is high.
What the Quote Actually Covers
It is not a marketing point on stones and Materials. It is the number that decides whether the second order happens.
In North American retail terms, this is the difference between a landed cost the buyer can plan against and a number that moves after the container ships. For loose stones, we publish the figure per SKU and hold it for the order window rather than for the calendar year.
Practically, it shows up in three places for loose stones: the proforma, the QC sheet and the credit note if something goes wrong. All three should quote the same number. When they do not, the argument is about paperwork, not about the product.
What This Means for a First Order
A first order of 50 pieces per design is a measurement, not a purchase. It shows how size distribution within the declared sieve and zero girdle chips on arrival behaves on this line and whether the QC sheet matches the carton. That is the figure we hold for stones and Materials at USD 3-95 per piece, and it does not move inside the order window.
Six weeks of testing is cheaper than a season of returns on stones and Materials. That is the entire argument for a small first order. That is the figure we hold for stones and Materials at USD 3-95 per piece, and it does not move inside the order window.
Freight, Duty and the Arrival Check
Export runs through Guangzhou or Shenzhen. Air freight lands in 5-8 days on the US west coast and 7-10 on the east. That is the figure we hold for stones and Materials at USD 3-95 per piece, and it does not move inside the order window.
For a first order, DDP matters more than the freight rate. The surprise is the duty line, not the per-kilo charge. That is the figure we hold for stones and Materials at USD 3-95 per piece, and it does not move inside the order window.
Check the count, the weight and size distribution within the declared sieve and zero girdle chips on arrival before the carton goes to the shelf. Twenty minutes at receiving saves a season of returns. That is the figure we hold for stones and Materials at USD 3-95 per piece, and it does not move inside the order window.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum order for stones and Materials?
50 pieces per stones and Material. 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 we cannot keep the gauge check independent of the shift, which is the part buyers actually pay for on stones and Materials.
How long does a reorder of the same stones and Material take?
12-15 days for stones and Materials, because the model, the gauge set and the signed spec stay in our system. A first run is longer: 3-5 days for a stock-component sample, about 20 days if a new model is needed, then 15-20 days for bulk under 500 pieces.
Do you supply certificates for stones and Materials?
GRA or IGI per stone above 0.50 ct for stones and Materials. Below that threshold we supply a batch report plus per-piece measurement of size distribution within the declared sieve, which is what most resellers need at the counter.
What finish do you use on stones and Materials, and how thick is it?
Rhodium at 0.20 micron minimum on white stones and Materials, with a palladium strike layer so wear-through reads white rather than yellow. Thickness is logged per lot and appears on the QC sheet, not only in the brochure.
How do you handle a rejected tray of stones and Materials?
We replace or credit inside the same order cycle. The retained reference tray decides: if sieve drift shows on our retained stones and Material we own it, and if it appeared in transit we split the assay cost and file with the carrier. A typical exposure on stones and Materials is replacement stones plus a sorting delay on the buyer's line.
Next Step
Put your current quote beside ours on size distribution within the declared sieve and zero girdle chips on arrival, plating thickness, dimensional tolerance and the reject rule. The comparison usually settles it quickly. That is the figure we hold for stones and Materials at USD 3-95 per piece, and it does not move inside the order window.
HOLYCOME is operated by Wuzhou HengliLai Jewelry Co., Ltd., a factory in Wuzhou, Guangxi, producing since 2009 at roughly 60,000 pieces a month. Contact service@holycome.com or WhatsApp +86 18078079070.
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