A Jewelry Manufacturer’s Quality and Performance Checklist

As a manufacturer, you must be sure that the jewelry you are making consistently adheres to your specifications. If you ship an order of bracelets with clasps that fail under very light tension, then your buyer is likely to reject the entire order. For an even worse example: if your jewelry contains batteries that easily fall out, such a battery can be swallowed by a child, causing them serious harm, and you, a costly recall.

The following are some of the important physical and mechanical tests that you must perform on your jewelry to ensure that your buyer and the end customers are happy with your product.

Workmanship Review

This inspection procedure checks that your jewelry conforms to your specifications and is free from manufacturing defects. A workmanship review will typically check for such issues as:

• Scratches, dents or excessive solder/glue
• Missing parts, improper fit of stones or other components
• Poor fit/finish, mismatched colors, misaligned patterns/labels
• Sharp edges or points, frayed or exposed wires, poorly made repairs
• Poor symmetry or misalignment of components

Pull Test on the Chain, Band and Closing System

This test subjects a piece of jewelry, such as a necklace or bangle, to a continuous pulling force, to check whether the fastener as well as the stringing material (nylon or leather cord, or a metal chain) are able to withstand a predetermined pulling force without breaking. The piece will pass the test if the stringing material does not break, and none of the metal components break or yield.

Children's Jewelry - Small Parts

Jewelry that is intended to be worn by young children, usually around 3 years old, is subject to mandatory small parts regulations in many markets. A small part is a detachable part of the jewelry that is small enough to be swallowed or inhaled by the child. These parts must pass the minimum detachment force test to satisfy the legal requirements.

Children's Jewelry - Batteries

Batteries present a special subset of small parts regulations because in addition to being a choking hazard, they contain toxic chemicals that could cause poisoning if swallowed. For this reason, if children’s jewelry contains a battery with dimensions that classify it as a small part, such a battery must not be accessible without the use of a coin, screwdriver, or other common household tools. It should be impossible to remove the battery accidentally or without a tool.

For children's jewelry that use more than one replaceable battery in one circuit, the instruction or the product should be marked with the following information.

• Do not mix old and new batteries.
• Do not mix alkaline, standard (carbon-zinc), or rechargeable (nickel-cadmium) batteries.

QIMA

QIMA is able to provide a full suite of quality and performance tests that ensure that your jewelry meets your specifications and any mandatory quality regulations of your export market.

Get in contact with a QIMA inspection specialist today and find out how you can make jewelry that lives up to your customer’s quality standards.