Colored Gemstones
Colored Gemstones Distributor Tier: What the Quote Actually Covers - HOLYCOME
Colored Gemstones: tolerances, cost structure and the reject rule for US wholesale buyers.
What the Quote Actually Covers in the Distributor Tier Program
A US buyer of colored Gemstones sent us a competitor's colored Gemstone in July with one question: why does this fail at sieve drift after a season. We measured it, rebuilt the spec around size distribution within the declared sieve and zero girdle chips on arrival, and shipped 800 colored Gemstones that cleared inspection with zero rejects, which the Distributor Tier file records at USD 2-90 in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
The bench did not miss the defect, it was never asked to look for it. Sieve drift was absent from the purchase order, and a defect that is not named cannot be rejected on arrival, which is USD 2-90 on the Distributor Tier schedule.
The rebuild held the USD 2-90 quote and changed the plating log, the gauge and the tray rule. Second run shipped bulk carton, 50 per bag with zero rejects.
Cost Split on a Distributor Tier Piece at USD 2-90
Buyers assume the stone dominates the cost of a colored Gemstone. At wholesale it is closer to a quarter, and the labor line is where two quotes for the same drawing diverge by double digits, and the Distributor Tier quote for it sits at USD 2-90.
| Cost line | Share | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Base metal or alloy for colored Gemstones | 32% | Alloy choice and casting yield |
| Stone or melee for colored Gemstones | 23% | Sieve range and lot batching |
| Setting and finishing labor for colored Gemstones | 21% | Jig design and bench minutes |
| Plating, polish and QC for colored Gemstones | 14% | Per-tray versus per-piece checks |
| Packaging for colored Gemstones | 10% | bulk carton, 50 per bag |
The cheapest quote for colored Gemstones usually hides its saving in the plating line and the stone grade. Both show up in the second season, not the first, and 800 pieces leaves Wuzhou in bulk carton, 50 per bag at USD 2-90.
Four Spec Lines a Distributor Tier Buyer Checks
A Distributor Tier quote that states only metal and stone size leaves sieve drift undefined, and undefined is what gets rejected on arrival, shipped as bulk carton, 50 per bag and certified SGS batch report.
| Spec point | Common trade output | HOLYCOME standard | Cost if missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clasp spring life | Sampled by hand | Cycled 500 times on a jig per lot | Detach claim and brand damage |
| Prong tension and seat depth | Checked by feel at the bench | Pull-tested per piece, seat depth written on the sheet | Stone loss and total replacement |
| 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 |
Nothing here adds cost at USD 2-90. It adds documentation, and documentation is what the bulk carton, 50 per bag carton is missing.
Distributor Pricing Tiers on colored Gemstones
A distributor does not buy a colored Gemstone, they buy a position. Tier pricing is quoted against annual volume with a floor per SKU, and the tier is reviewed on shipped units rather than on forecast, quoted at USD 2-90 per piece in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
What the tier buys is protection: a defined territory, a no-direct-sell clause inside that territory, and a first look at new models for one season. Without those three lines the discount is just a lower price and the distributor will not hold stock for you, and the Distributor Tier quote for it sits at USD 2-90.
Turn is the number the distributor manages. At USD 2-90 per piece and a 45-day turn, the margin per shelf foot is thin. That is why bulk orders of colored Gemstones move in 800-piece lots rather than in the 50-piece sample quantity.
Three Failures That Reach the Distributor Tier Bench
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, which the Distributor Tier file records at USD 2-90 in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
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, quoted at USD 2-90 per piece in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
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, quoted at USD 2-90 per piece in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
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, on a 800-piece Distributor Tier order at USD 2-90.
girdle damage
Stones packed loose in a bag chip each other in transit. Individually wrapped parcels cost more and arrive usable, priced at USD 2-90 for the 800-piece Distributor Tier run.
In a 800-piece run this typically shows on 8 of pieces. Catching it means measuring size distribution within the declared sieve at the tray level, not inspecting the finished carton, on a 800-piece Distributor Tier order at USD 2-90.
Terms Behind a Distributor Tier Order
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 800-piece Distributor Tier 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 USD 2-90 on the Distributor Tier schedule.
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 2-90 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 bulk carton, 50 per bag format at 800 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, the figure being USD 2-90 for a 800-piece run.
Certification is SGS batch 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, which the Distributor Tier file records at USD 2-90 in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
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, shipped as bulk carton, 50 per bag and certified SGS batch report.
Sample to Container: The Real Calendar
Buyers who have run three programs on colored Gemstones know this instinctively; first-time buyers learn it the expensive way, which is USD 2-90 on the Distributor Tier schedule.
One practical note on timing for colored Gemstones: 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, with SGS batch report and bulk carton, 50 per bag stated on the same sheet.
We date the colored Gemstones proforma from signature for that reason, and we state the deposit deadline in the same email that carries the spec sheet, quoted at USD 2-90 per piece in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
AQL, Tray Checks and What a QC Report Should Say
The short version for colored Gemstones: it is arithmetic, not relationship. The long version is below, priced at USD 2-90 for the 800-piece Distributor Tier run.
In US wholesale terms, this is the difference between a landed cost the buyer can plan against and a number that moves after the container ships. For colored Gemstones, we publish the figure per SKU and hold it for the order window rather than for the calendar year, certified SGS batch report and packed bulk carton, 50 per bag at 800 pieces.
Practically, it shows up in three places for colored Gemstones: the proforma, the QC sheet and the credit note if something goes wrong. All three should quote the same number. When they do not, the argument is about paperwork, not about the product, and the Distributor Tier quote for it sits at USD 2-90.
The Calendar Behind a Distributor Tier Run
The calendar below is what we quote on a 800-piece run of colored Gemstones. It starts when the spec is signed, not when the deposit clears, the figure being USD 2-90 for a 800-piece run.
- 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.
MOQ stays at 50 pieces per design on the Distributor Tier program, low enough to test a category and high enough to keep the casting line accountable, and the Distributor Tier quote for it sits at USD 2-90.
Getting bulk carton, 50 per bag to US wholesale
For a Distributor Tier order at 800 pieces the carton count decides the freight more than the weight does. bulk carton, 50 per bag packs tighter than a display tray, quoted at USD 2-90 per piece in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
The freight rate matters less than the clearance terms at USD 2-90 per piece. A duty surprise can cost more than the entire freight line.
At receiving, count cartons, weigh one tray of bulk carton, 50 per bag and measure ten pieces against size distribution within the declared sieve. Twenty minutes here saves a season, and the Distributor Tier quote for it sits at USD 2-90.
The First Distributor Tier Order
The first order should be small enough to inspect completely and large enough to keep the gauge check independent of the shift, shipped as bulk carton, 50 per bag and certified SGS batch report, with SGS batch report and bulk carton, 50 per bag stated on the same sheet.
Sample in 3-5 days, bulk in 15-20 days under 500 pieces. At 800 pieces the calendar is the same on every Distributor Tier run, with SGS batch report and bulk carton, 50 per bag stated on the same sheet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What finish do you use, and how thick is it?
Rhodium at 0.20 micron minimum on white colored Gemstones, with a palladium strike layer so wear-through reads white rather than yellow. Vermeil runs at 3 microns over sterling and is logged per lot, with SGS batch report and bulk carton, 50 per bag stated on the same sheet.
How is colored Gemstones packed for bulk carton, 50 per bag?
Every unit goes into a foam-backed pouch, then the bulk carton, 50 per bag, then the outer carton at 800 pieces. The packing list carries the SKU, the size and the stone size so receiving can check without opening every box, certified SGS batch report and packed bulk carton, 50 per bag at 800 pieces.
Can you ship DDP?
DDP is available for US accounts and removes the duty invoice that arrives after the carton clears. FOB Guangzhou or Shenzhen is the default, and most buyers take DDP once and then switch after they see the breakdown, on a 800-piece Distributor Tier order at USD 2-90.
How long does a reorder of the same colored Gemstone take?
With the model, the gauge set and the signed spec already in our system, a repeat is 12-15 days; a first run is 3-5 days for a stock-component sample and about 20 days when a new model is needed, the figure being USD 2-90 for a 800-piece run.
What finish do you use, and how thick is it?
Rhodium at 0.20 micron minimum on white colored Gemstones, with a palladium strike layer so wear-through reads white rather than yellow. Vermeil runs at 3 microns over sterling and is logged per lot, with SGS batch report and bulk carton, 50 per bag stated on the same sheet.
Next Step
Send one drawing or one competitor sample with your target landed cost. We answer with a tolerance sheet, a cost breakdown and a production calendar in two business days, which is USD 2-90 on the Distributor Tier schedule.
HOLYCOME runs this line from Wuzhou, Guangxi, through Wuzhou HengliLai Jewelry Co., Ltd. Output is about 60,000 pieces a month across colored Gemstones and adjacent categories. service@holycome.com or WhatsApp +86 18078079070, on a 800-piece Distributor Tier order at USD 2-90.
Related reading: Colored Gemstones Trade Show Sample: MOQ, Mixed Designs and the Real First Order - HOLYCOME Loose Lab Grown Diamonds Wholesale Shopify DTC: How the Second Order Becomes Cheaper - HOLYCOME
