The Reject Tray Policy That Decides a Partnership
The brief was simple: 300 stones and Materials, moissanite, delivered before March. The run that arrived carried 17 pieces with sieve drift, and the buyer spent USD 5-30 on sorting before the goods reached a shelf, the figure being USD 3-106 for a 300-piece run.
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, shipped as heart gift box and certified IGI report, on a 300-piece Valentine Program order at USD 3-106.
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, and at USD 3-106 for 300 pieces that is the number the buyer signs.
What US buyers Check Before They Sign
Four lines decide whether stones and Materials at USD 3-106 sells through or comes back, and none of them appears on a typical trading-company quote.
| 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 |
Put these four into the purchase order and the Valentine Program argument after delivery becomes arithmetic, certified IGI report and packed heart gift box at 300 pieces.
Where USD 3-106 Per Piece Actually Goes
Cost per piece at USD 3-106 leaves little room for assumption. The table shows which line compresses and which one only moves quality.
| 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 for stones and Materials | 19% | heart gift box |
A factory with no bench minutes per piece has never costed stones and Materials at USD 3-106. Ask for minutes and for the reject rule.
Order Terms, Sample Timing and Packing
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 how the Valentine Program account reads it at USD 3-106.
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 3-106 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, priced at USD 3-106 for the 300-piece Valentine Program run.
Certification is IGI report for the lots that carry it, with a batch report and per-piece measurement of size distribution within the declared sieve 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, priced at USD 3-106 for the 300-piece Valentine Program run.
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, certified IGI report and packed heart gift box at 300 pieces.
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, and 300 pieces leaves Wuzhou in heart gift box at USD 3-106.
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, which is how the Valentine Program account reads it at USD 3-106.
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, which is how the Valentine Program account reads it at USD 3-106.
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, and at USD 3-106 for 300 pieces that is the number the buyer signs.
girdle damage
Stones packed loose in a bag chip each other in transit. Individually wrapped parcels cost more and arrive usable, on a 300-piece Valentine Program order at USD 3-106.
In a 300-piece run this typically shows on 11 of pieces. Catching it means measuring size distribution within the declared sieve at the tray level, not inspecting the finished carton, which the Valentine Program file records at USD 3-106 in heart gift box.
The Reject Tray Policy That Decides a Partnership
A buyer who understands this about stones and Materials negotiates differently, and usually negotiates less, shipped as heart gift box and certified IGI report.
At 300 pieces the arithmetic on stones and Materials 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, on a 300-piece Valentine Program order at USD 3-106.
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, shipped as heart gift box and certified IGI report.
What the Quote Actually Covers
For stones and Materials at this price band, the honest answer is a range rather than a point, and the range has a reason, which is USD 3-106 on the Valentine Program schedule.
One practical note on timing for stones and Materials: 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, and at USD 3-106 for 300 pieces that is the number the buyer signs.
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, which is USD 3-106 on the Valentine Program schedule.
Valentine Window for stones and Materials
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, and at USD 3-106 for 300 pieces that is the number the buyer signs.
Paired designs move better than single pieces here. A matching pair of stones and Materials, boxed together with two cards, converts at the same retail price as two singles and costs about nine percent more to make, which the Valentine Program file records at USD 3-106 in heart gift box.
Photography has to be red-and-white neutral. A stones and Material 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 the Valentine Program quote for it sits at USD 3-106.
How a Repeat Order Gets Built
The sequence below is fixed for a Valentine Program run. The dates move with the stone lot, not with the shipping season, and 300 pieces leaves Wuzhou in heart gift box at USD 3-106.
- 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.
Reorders inside this sequence run 12-15 days, because the model and the gauge set stay here after the Valentine Program shipment, which is how the Valentine Program account reads it at USD 3-106.
What This Means for a First Order
A first Valentine Program order of 50 pieces per design at USD 3-106 is a test of the line, not a commitment to the range.
Ask for the retained tray and the batch report with the first shipment. Both are free and both decide the second order, the figure being USD 3-106 for a 300-piece run.
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, which is how the Valentine Program account reads it at USD 3-106.
For a first order, DDP matters more than the freight rate. The surprise is the duty line, not the per-kilo charge, which the Valentine Program file records at USD 3-106 in heart gift box.
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, quoted at USD 3-106 per piece in heart gift box.
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, shipped as heart gift box and certified IGI report.
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 the gauge check stops being independent of the shift, which is how the Valentine Program account reads it at USD 3-106.
Do you supply certificates for stones and Materials?
IGI report on stones and Materials above the threshold stated on the quote. Below it we supply a batch report plus per-piece measurement of size distribution within the declared sieve, which is what a counter or a listing actually needs, priced at USD 3-106 for the 300-piece Valentine Program run.
How do you handle a rejected tray?
We replace or credit inside the same order cycle. The retained reference tray decides: if sieve drift shows on our retained piece we own it, and if it appeared in transit we split the assay cost and file with the carrier, with IGI report and heart gift box stated on the same sheet.
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, shipped as heart gift box and certified IGI report.
Next Step
The next step is a sample in 3-5 days, not a container. Write to service@holycome.com or WhatsApp +86 18078079070 and mark it Valentine Program, which is how the Valentine Program account reads it at USD 3-106.
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, which is USD 3-106 on the Valentine Program schedule.
Related reading: Stones & Materials Made to Order: What the Quote Actually Covers - HOLYCOME Buying Guides Trade Show Sample: The Sample Approval That Survives Production - HOLYCOME
