The process

Four steps from reference to a bulk decision

We do not send a giant catalog and ask you to choose blindly. We start with a short reference direction, then check supplier feasibility and the risk points that affect real sample orders. Each step below says what happens, what you receive, and what has to be confirmed in writing before the next step starts.

Step 01

Reference board

Build a 2–5 style direction based on your current brand look and price band. This is the step that determines everything downstream — a wrong board produces samples that are technically fine and commercially useless.

What you send

One to three references: a link, a screenshot, a competitor product, or your own old style.
Your target retail price, even if it is a rough range. A board without a price band is guesswork.
Where you sell — market and channel both change what "good enough" means.
Anything you already know is off the table: metal, size, plating colour, closure type.

What you receive

A 2–5 style board with the direction for each style, and the reasoning for why it is on the board.
An honest read on which references cannot be made at your price band, and what the closest realistic version is.
Open questions listed as questions — not filled in with assumptions.

Rule we keep here: we do not guess specifications. If a field is unknown, it stays marked unknown until you confirm it. A board built on guessed specs is worse than no board.

Your input

1–3 references + price band

Output

2–5 style direction

Decided by

You

Next step gate

Board approved

Your input

Approved board

Output

Feasibility + cost read

Confirmed in writing

MOQ, fees, lead times

Next step gate

You approve sample spend

Step 02

Supplier check

Review base material, plating route, MOQ, sample fee, sample time, and bulk lead time. The purpose of this step is to find out whether the direction is actually makeable at your number — before you pay for a sample that was never going to work commercially.

What gets checked

Base material — brass, stainless steel, or silver. This single choice moves cost more than any other variable.
Plating route — thickness and process. Thin plating is where "it looked fine in the sample" turns into returns.
MOQ per style, not per order. A low total MOQ means nothing if each style carries its own minimum.
Sample fee and whether it is credited against the first bulk order.
Sample time versus bulk lead time — these are different numbers and are often mixed up in quotes.
Feasibility of your price band — stated plainly, including when the answer is no.

What we do not do: we do not quote a price we have not had confirmed, and we do not treat a verbal number as confirmed. If it is not in writing, it does not exist at this step.

Step 03

Sample follow-up

Track product photos, stone setting, finishing, clasp, ear post details, and packaging. This is where a supplier's real standard shows, because a sample is the piece they choose to send you.

What we document

Pre-shipment photos of the actual sample, not a catalog render, so what you approve is what arrives.
Stone setting close-ups for coverage, tilt, seating, and any visible adhesive.
Finish and polish including the ear post and the inside of the hoop, which are usually where shortcuts hide.
Closure and hinge — tension, alignment, and whether the post holds under normal handling.
Packaging as it will ship: card, pouch, box, and any insert or label.
Discrepancies listed explicitly — anything that does not match the approved board gets flagged, not smoothed over.

Photo limits, stated honestly: colour in photographs is affected by light source, background, and camera settings. We photograph against a consistent reference so tone drift is visible, but final judgement on a physical sample is still yours.

Your input

Sample spend approval

Output

Documented sample photos

Checked against

The approved board

Next step gate

You approve the sample

Your input

Approved physical sample

Output

Bulk photo comparison

Compared on

5 documented points

Decision

Yours — release or hold

Step 04

Bulk readiness

Compare the approved sample with bulk pre-shipment photos before release decisions. A sample that passed is not the same as a production run that matches, and this is the only step that closes that gap before money changes hands.

The five comparison points

Point	What a mismatch looks like
Plating tone	Gold reads warmer or greener than the approved sample under the same light.
Stone setting	Rows looser, gaps wider, or stones sitting higher than the approved piece.
Surface and polish	New scratches, tool marks, or an unpolished ear post that the sample did not have.
Closure and fit	Hinge tension softer, or the post needing more force to seat than the sample did.
Packaging	Different card, missing insert, unreadable label, or packing that will not survive transit.

Where the boundary sits: we document and compare. We do not certify compliance claims, we do not grade stones, and we do not release an order on your behalf. The release decision stays with you.

Who does what

Clear division, so nothing waits on a misunderstanding

Step	You	We handle
1 Reference board	Send references and price band; approve the direction.	Build the board, flag what is not makeable, list open questions.
2 Supplier check	Decide whether to spend on samples.	Get MOQ, plating route, fees and lead times confirmed in writing.
3 Sample follow-up	Judge the physical sample; approve or send back.	Chase the supplier, document photos, list discrepancies.
4 Bulk readiness	Make the release decision.	Compare bulk photos against the approved sample, point by point.

Lead times are not quoted on this page on purpose. Sample time and bulk lead time depend on the style, the plating route, and the supplier's current queue, and a number published here would be wrong for most projects. They are confirmed per project in step 2.

Two large thin gold-tone hoop earrings standing against a pale stone surface

Step four compares what actually ships against the sample you approved — on the same points, in the same frames.

Four steps from reference to a bulk decision

Reference board

What you send

What you receive

Supplier check

What gets checked

Sample follow-up

What we document

Bulk readiness

The five comparison points

Clear division, so nothing waits on a misunderstanding

Start with step one — it costs you one reference