Beaded and Glass Jewellery Inspection

Beaded and glass jewellery inspection

A beaded jewellery inspection checks the stringing material, knots and crimps, bead count and pattern against the sample, bead holes that can cut thread, colour of coated and dyed beads, and clasp security. Lead and cadmium in glass, coatings and metal parts need a lab test, so the inspector also pulls and seals samples from the packed lot.

Last reviewed 14 Oct 2026

Typical materials

Glass (pressed, drawn and lampwork), seed beads, crystal, wood, bone, horn, shell and seeds; nylon thread, silk, coated steel wire, elastic cord; metal crimps and clasps

Where it's made in India

Varanasi (Varanasi Glass Beads GI, application 177); Firozabad (Town of Export Excellence for glass artwares; Firozabad Glass GI)

Key rules

EU REACH lead (entry 63), cadmium (entry 23) and nickel (entry 27); CPSIA for children's jewellery (US); California Prop 65; CITES for some shell and coral

Typical AQL

General II; 0 critical, 2.5 major, 4.0 minor

How beaded and glass jewellery is made

Beaded jewellery is assembled by hand, often by stringers working at home from a pattern card, with the strands then returned to the workshop for clasps, crimps, checking and carding. The beads themselves come from several sources. Lampwork beads are wound from molten glass around a coated steel mandrel; pressed and drawn beads are made in larger runs; seed beads are often bought in. Many glass beads are then coated, painted, lustred or dyed for colour.

Two places hold an official record for glass. "Varanasi Glass Beads" is a registered Geographical Indication (application 177, certificate dated 9 March 2017). Firozabad is a Town of Export Excellence for glass artwares under DGFT Appendix 1B and holds the "Firozabad Glass" GI (application 155). Glass beads and imitation stones (HS 7018 10 20) were worth US$13.60 million of exports in FY2025-26 (TradeStat, provisional).

Because one necklace can hold a hundred beads from three suppliers on a thread chosen by the stringer, the main risks are a weak or wrong stringing material, bead holes that saw through it, and coatings or dyes that differ from the tested sample.

What we check on beaded jewellery

Check	How it is checked	What fails
Stringing material	Thread, wire or cord identified against the specification; diameter and colour	Plain nylon where coated wire was ordered; elastic thinner than specified
Crimps and knots	Each end examined; pull test on an agreed sample	Crimp slipping, knot not glued or burnt, tail ends sticking out
Bead holes	Holes examined on loose beads and at the ends of strands	Chipped or sharp edges, glass slivers, mandrel release powder left inside
Pattern and count	Bead sequence and count against the pattern card and sample	Wrong colour in the sequence, short strands, missing spacers
Coated and dyed beads	Rub with a damp white cloth; colour against the sample	Colour transfers, coating flakes, lustre patchy
Stretch bracelets	Stretched to the size in the specification and released	Cord does not recover, knot shows or slips
Length and fit	Necklace and bracelet length, extender chain, clasp position	Outside the size tolerance
Natural materials	Wood, bone, shell and seeds checked for cracks, insects, mould and odour; species against your approved list	Mould spots, borer holes, seeds or shells not on the approved list

Common beaded and glass jewellery defects and how they are classed

Defect	Typical cause	Class
Lab result over the lead or cadmium limit	Leaded glass or paint, cadmium pigments, cheap metal findings	Critical
Toxic seed beads or a protected species in the lot	Uncontrolled bead sourcing	Critical
Strand breaks or crimp slips in the pull test	Thin thread, crimp not flattened, sharp bead holes	Major
Coating or dye rubs off	Surface coating not cured, unfixed dyes	Major
Wrong bead sequence or colour	Pattern card misread by a home stringer	Major
Mould on wood or seed beads	Damp storage before packing	Major
Slight bead size variation	Handmade lampwork	Minor
Visible thread between beads	Strand not pulled tight before crimping	Minor

Your defect list decides the final class.

Market rules for beaded and glass jewellery

Lead in glass (EU). REACH Annex XVII entry 63 limits each part of a jewellery article to below 0.05% lead by weight. Crystal glass is exempt; other glass, including painted and lustred beads, is not. See EU nickel, lead and cadmium rules.
Cadmium and nickel (EU). Metal beads, crimps and clasps must contain below 0.01% cadmium (entry 23), and metal parts in prolonged skin contact must meet the nickel release limit (entry 27). See REACH.
Children's jewellery (US). Beaded pieces designed mainly for children 12 and under need 100 ppm total lead in accessible parts, testing by a CPSC-accepted lab and a Children's Product Certificate. See CPSIA children's products.
California. Lead and cadmium are on the Prop 65 list. See Prop 65.
Natural materials. Some corals and shells are listed under CITES and need permits; some seeds sold as beads, such as rosary pea (Abrus precatorius), are poisonous. Buyers usually set an approved-material list.

Lead and cadmium are lab tests on each material, arranged through lab testing coordination.

Packing, transit and your purchase order

Beaded strands tangle, and glass beads chip against each other. Each piece should be carded or laid flat in its own bag, with clasps fastened and long necklaces coiled or folded on a card. Wood, seed and shell beads need dry storage and, where agreed, a desiccant, because mould can grow in sealed bags during a long sea voyage. The inspector checks a sample of packed pieces for tangles, chips and condensation, and checks inner boxes against the packing list.

Put these in your purchase order:

Stringing material by type and diameter, and the crimp or knot method.
A minimum pull value for the finished strand and clasp, and the sample size for the test.
Approved bead materials and sources, including a list of banned seeds, shells and corals.
Colour standards for coated and dyed beads and a rub test requirement.
Lengths and size tolerances, and extender length.
Lab tests per material: lead and cadmium in glass and coatings, nickel release on metal parts.

Beaded cushions and wall hangings are covered on embroidered and beaded textile décor. Book an inspection.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Which glass beads are exempt from the EU lead limit?

Crystal glass is exempt from REACH entry 63. Ordinary glass beads, painted or lustred beads and glass imitation stones are not, so each type needs a lab result below 0.05% lead by weight.

How is stringing strength tested?

The inspector pulls an agreed number of finished pieces from the lot by hand or with a gauge to the force in your specification and records any slipped crimps, opened clasps or broken strands by style.

Can sharp bead holes cause returns?

Yes. A chipped or rough hole saws through nylon or silk thread with wear, and the necklace breaks weeks after sale. The inspector checks holes on loose beads and at strand ends, which is why coated wire is often specified for heavy glass.

Are home-strung pieces a quality risk?

They can be. Stringers work from pattern cards, so sequence errors and loose tension vary by worker. A during-production check while strands come back to the workshop catches pattern mistakes before clasps are fitted.

Do wooden and seed beads need special checks?

Yes. They can carry mould and insects, and some seeds are poisonous. The inspector checks for borer holes, mould and odour, and compares the species with your approved list.