To start a jewellery business with Indian suppliers, work in this order: pick a focused range, find and verify a supplier, approve samples, confirm the compliance rules for your market, then place a small first order. Whether you want an online jewellery store or a physical brand, the sequence is the same.
Skipping steps is what causes most early failures, particularly skipping verification and testing.
Step 1: Choose your range
Decide who your customer is and which styles they already buy. A narrow range is easier to source and easier to brand. How to choose products for a new jewellery brand helps you narrow the choice.
If you plan to create a jewellery brand, decide early on name, packaging and price positioning, because they shape every later choice.
Step 2: Find and verify suppliers
Shortlist several workshops that make your product type, then check registration, premises and references before you pay for samples. Use how to verify a jewellery supplier in India and how to tell a trader from a manufacturer.
Step 3: Order and approve samples
Photograph samples on the background and under the light you will use in your store, then compare the photographs with the real pieces in daylight. Customers judge on screen and return what looks different on arrival, so colour accuracy matters more than most new sellers expect. Note any piece where the colour changes under different lighting.
Order samples of the exact designs, compare them with your brief and photograph them for your store. Keep a counter-sample for later comparison. Sample fees are normal, and some are credited against a later order.
Step 4: Check compliance
Keep your records from the first order. A simple folder with test reports, supplier details, invoices and product photographs saves a great deal of time if a marketplace, a retailer or a regulator asks questions later. It is far easier to build this file as you go than to rebuild it after a complaint.
Find out what your market requires for nickel, lead, cadmium, labelling and, for children's pieces, additional safety rules. Rules differ between the US, UK, EU and the Gulf, and they change. Confirm them with your customs broker or the regulator, and arrange tests on production samples.
Step 5: Place a small first order
Start small and treat the first order as a test. Check quality on arrival, record any defects and agree the remedy with the supplier in the contract before you pay. Include these points in the purchase order:
- The approved sample as the standard for bulk production.
- A payment schedule tied to inspection.
- Packaging, labelling and carton marking requirements.
- Agreed remedies for defects or short quantities.
Count the full cost
The piece price is only part of the cost. Testing, freight, duty, insurance and packaging all add to the landed cost. The hidden costs of importing imitation jewellery from India walks through the items people forget. A real quote for your range comes from a sourcing review.
Next step
We help new brands find and audit manufacturers, check samples and supervise the first shipment. Book a free sourcing review and bring your range idea.