What every jewellery inspection covers
Jewellery is small, made in large numbers of near-identical pieces, and judged close up by the end customer. Most problems are not visible on a photo: a plating colour a shade off the sample, an ear post with a burr, a jump ring that opens under a light pull, a stone held only by glue. Every inspection runs the same core steps before the product-specific checks:
- Quantity and assortment by style, colour, size and finish, against the purchase order. Mixed packs and sets are counted piece by piece.
- Match to the approved sample. Metal colour, plating tone, stone colour and cut, bead colour and design are compared side by side under the same light.
- Dimensions and weight. Chain length, pendant size, bangle inner diameter, ring size, earring drop and, for silver, weight per piece.
- Construction. Clasps open and close, jump rings are closed with no gap, crimps hold, stones sit level in their settings, posts are straight and fixed.
- Skin-contact safety. Sharp edges, burrs and rough solder on ear posts, ring shanks and the inside of bangles, where they touch skin all day.
- Marks and labels. Fineness stamps and maker's marks on silver, "nickel" or "lead" claims on cards, age grading on children's jewellery, country of origin.
- Packing. Anti-tarnish bags, cards and backing, separation so pieces do not tangle or scratch, carton strength and shipping marks.
Sample sizes follow ISO 2859-1; see the AQL guide. Pull and bend tests damage the piece, so they are done on a smaller agreed sample. Findings are classed as critical, major or minor, and the report ends with one verdict: Cleared to load, Hold or Not cleared.
How the checklist changes by product
| Product | Main risk | What the inspector adds |
|---|---|---|
| Base metal fashion jewellery | Nickel under worn plating; lead in white-metal castings; stones falling out | Plating coverage at edges and contact points, stone setting and glue, findings from the approved lot, samples for nickel, lead and cadmium |
| Sterling silver jewellery | Fineness below 925; plated brass sold as silver; stamps that break the destination's marking law | Stamp and maker's mark against the brief, weight per piece, rhodium or gold plating disclosure, samples for assay |
| Beaded and glass jewellery | Thread or wire breaking; sharp bead holes; lead in glass and coatings | Stringing material and knotting, bead count and pattern, colour of dyed or coated beads, pull test on clasps and crimps |
| Bangles | Glass breakage; wrong inner size; flaking paint or lacquer | Inner diameter by gauge, edge and joint check on glass, set count per box, packing drop check |
Accessories that sit close to jewellery have their own pages: leather belts, scarves and stoles and jewellery boxes, trays and decorative boxes.
Market rules that shape the checklist
Jewellery rules limit what a piece releases or contains and what it may be called. None of them can be confirmed by eye, so the inspector's job is to make sure the goods shipped are the goods that were tested.
| Market | Rule | What it means at the factory |
|---|---|---|
| EU | REACH Annex XVII: nickel release (entry 27), lead (entry 63), cadmium (entry 23) | Piercing posts below 0.2 µg/cm²/week nickel release, other skin-contact parts no more than 0.5; each part below 0.05% lead; metal parts below 0.01% cadmium. See EU nickel, lead and cadmium rules and REACH |
| US | CPSIA for jewellery designed mainly for children 12 and under; ASTM F2923 (children's) and ASTM F2999 (adult) jewellery standards | 100 ppm total lead in accessible parts of children's jewellery, testing by a CPSC-accepted lab and a Children's Product Certificate. See CPSIA children's products |
| California | Proposition 65 | Warning needed for exposure to listed chemicals such as lead and cadmium above safe-harbor levels. See Prop 65 |
| UK | Hallmarking Act 1973 | Silver above the exemption weight must be hallmarked by an assay office before it is described as silver in the UK; "sterling" is presumed to mean 925 |
| US | National Gold and Silver Stamping Act; FTC Jewelry Guides (16 CFR Part 23) | "Sterling" needs 925 parts per thousand silver; a quality mark needs the maker's trademark next to it; plated pieces may not be marked "sterling" |
Where fashion jewellery is made in India
Imitation jewellery is made in many towns, mostly in small workshops that cast, plate, set and assemble for exporters. We have not found an official source that names an imitation jewellery cluster, so we do not claim one. We name a town only where an official record supports it.
| Town | Official record | Relevant products |
|---|---|---|
| Surat, Gujarat | Town of Export Excellence for gems and jewellery (DGFT, Appendix 1B) | Fine jewellery and diamonds, not imitation jewellery |
| Hupari, Kolhapur district, Maharashtra | "Hupari Silver Craft" GI, application 792, registered (certificate dated 30 Mar 2024) | Silver craft and silver jewellery |
| Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh | Town of Export Excellence for glass artwares (DGFT); "Firozabad Glass" GI, application 155; Uttar Pradesh ODOP district for glass products, which names bangles | Glass bangles and other glass products |
| Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh | "Varanasi Glass Beads" GI, application 177 | Glass beads |
| HS code | Product | Exports FY2025-26 (US$ million, provisional) |
|---|---|---|
| 7113 11 41, 45, 49 | Silver jewellery | 380.13 |
| 7117 | Imitation jewellery, all materials | 131.66 |
| 7117 90 | Imitation jewellery other than base metal | 97.33 |
| 7117 19 | Imitation jewellery of base metal (excluding cufflinks and studs) | 34.13 |
| 7018 10 20 | Glass beads and imitation stones | 13.60 |
| 7018 10 10 | Glass bangles | 4.47 |
Source: Department of Commerce, TradeStat (EIDB), FY2025-26, provisional figures. Imitation jewellery exports were US$136.40 million in FY2024-25.
What the inspector checks and what goes to a lab
A nickel spot test on a surface can flag an obvious problem, but it does not measure nickel release and cannot show compliance. Silver fineness, lead and cadmium content and nickel release to EN 1811 are measured by an accredited lab. The inspection protects the value of those reports:
- The inspector compares base metal, plating colour, findings and stones with the tested sample and the test report description.
- Ear wires, posts, clasps and chains often come from separate suppliers. The inspector checks they are from the approved source, because each part counts on its own under REACH.
- Samples are drawn at random from packed cartons, sealed and sent to an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited lab you choose or we suggest, through lab testing coordination.
- When the report comes back, we check it names the same styles, plating and lot as the goods.
Booking a jewellery inspection
Clear To Load is based in Jodhpur, with inspectors in Jaipur, Moradabad, Delhi NCR, Saharanpur and Kolkata, and covers any town in India. An inspection costs US$249 per man-day, with travel set by travel band. Jewellery orders often run to hundreds of styles in small quantities, and each style is a separate check, so we confirm the number of man-days from your style list before you book.
Send the approved sample photos, the specification for metal, plating and stones, the marking you need for each market and the lab reports you already hold. The product pages below cover each jewellery type in detail. Book an inspection.
Sources
- DGFT: Appendix 1B, Towns of Export Excellence (Surat, Firozabad)
- IP India GI Registry: Hupari Silver Craft, application 792
- IP India GI Registry: Firozabad Glass, application 155
- IP India GI Registry: Varanasi Glass Beads, application 177
- ODOP Uttar Pradesh: Firozabad glass products
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 836/2012, lead in jewellery (EUR-Lex)
- ASTM F2923, Consumer Product Safety for Children's Jewelry (scope)
- Hallmarking Act 1973, Schedule 1 (legislation.gov.uk)
- 15 U.S.C. 296, standard of fineness of silver articles
- Department of Commerce, TradeStat: commodity-wise exports (HS 7117, 7113, 7018, FY2025-26 provisional)