Jewelry Inspection Process - What You Need to Know

There is a premium placed on quality jewelry inspection services for two important reasons: the explosion of the everyday jewelry market, and the ethical scrutiny the industry often finds itself under.

Today's jewelry brands must understand the importance of ensuring quality merchandise, and ensure they meet the rigors of jewelry inspection standards.

Factory Jewelry Inspection Overview

Stylish and durable jewelry has taken off as a factory line product. The use of cheaper materials and more sophisticated fabrication techniques has given jewelry makers the ability to mass-produce a variety of bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and other creative ornamentation.

Plus, like any other factory line product, quality control (QC) lab testing and inspection specifications have grown more sophisticated as well.

Therefore, factory line jewelry inspection services exist at every level of production – from raw material verification to packaging and shipping regulations.

Why Should All Jewelry Be Inspected?

Successful importers and manufacturers already know about the strict market requirements most countries have imposed on their products.

Next to toys and children's products, jewelry is one of the most scrutinized consumer items in the world. Let's look at three reasons why jewelry should be inspected.

1. Quality expectations around jewelry are high.
   

   Whether it is a piece of fine jewelry or everyday fashion jewelry, it is expected to be visually flawless and impeccably constructed – especially if it carries symbolic or sentimental value. Expectations for structural and material integrity are incredibly high.

2. Unsafe jewelry is a growing concern.
   

   Product safety is most important across every industry and jewelry is no exception. Safety concerns in the jewelry industry are based on two very prominent hazards associated with poorly made jewelry.

   • Exposure to harmful chemicals and heavy metals. Jewelry naturally comes into prolonged contact with our skin, meaning contaminants such as lead or cadmium can leach into our bodies and cause serious health problems. For children, toxic ingestion can just as easily occur through the mouth. Therefore, a number of tests are mandatory to determine concentration levels of toxic substances.
   • Choking hazards for children. Toy jewelry of poor construction quality can break into easily swallowable pieces, which is why Pull Tests on small parts exist.
3. The jewelry industry is vulnerable to exploitation.
   

   Raw materials of significant value involved in jewelry production such as gemstones and precious metals are vulnerable to unethical behavior such as worker exploitation, unsafe mining practices, environmental damage and unfair trade practices.

Whether a business is conscious of a problem in their supply chain or blindsided by it, their brand reputation will likely never recover from the damaging publicity.

What are the Common Jewelry Inspection Processes?

Raw Material Inspection for Jewelry

Raw material inspection is a significant part of any pre-production stage of a company's quality assurance (QA) plan.

A certified inspector will seek out deficient raw materials before they get past the factory door. Additionally, raw material inspection should ensure that the materials were sourced from the ethically-minded suppliers you agreed to.

Initial Production Check

An Initial Production Check (IPC) includes essential "early-warning" measures. The IPC occurs during the timeframe before the start of jewelry production through the first 20% of the total output. These measures include:

Assessment of all machinery, materials, and overall factory conditions. Inspectors will make certain that:

• All machinery used for jewelry fabrication is functioning properly and free of loose or failing parts;
• Materials are verified against your raw material expectations; and
• Overall factory cleanliness is satisfactory, so as to prevent impurities from contaminating your finished jewelry products.

The first inspection of jewelry off the line. First samples are taken to ensure that:

• All raw materials are working well under the machinery process; and
• The finished jewelry matches up with your master design.

During Production Check (DUPRO)

As production continues (when 20-80% of your jewelry item is completed), inspectors focus on quality consistency, while staying alert for product contamination from outside forces.

Depending on your required testing frequency, samples will continue to be selected in order to allow for better representation of the full line. During DUPRO, samples could be tested on-site by the inspector or sent to a testing lab.

Ensuring that your product line maintains quality, consistency and protection from contamination is at the heart of DUPRO checks.

Order Fulfillment, Packaging, and Labeling

Between Pre-Shipment Inspections (PSI) and Cargo Loading Checks (CLC), factory-line inspection duties will verify jewelry type quantities, stock-keeping unit (SKU) numbers, packaging, and labeling.

Depending on your jewelry's designated market, you will be subject to a number of labeling standards, such as those found in U.S. CPSIA and European Union REACH (CE marking) requirements.

Additionally, this is your final chance for assurance that your entire production order has been consistently made to your specifications, and without contamination.

How Can QIMA Help?

QIMA offers full-spectrum factory-line inspection, lab testing, and ethical auditing services that are specific to jewelry industry standards and regulations.

We also offer advisory assistance with quality assurance (QA) planning before production begins, and provide qualified, industry-specific inspectors to monitor production from beginning to end.