Jewellery price per dozen, per kg and per piece are three different ways of saying the same thing, and you can convert between them only if you know the weight and the piece count. A dozen means 12 pieces, so a per-dozen quote divided by 12 gives the per-piece figure. A per-kg quote needs the weight of one piece.
The danger is comparing a per-dozen quote with a per-kg quote without that weight. Two makers can quote the same design in different units, and the cheaper-looking one may simply be lighter.
How does jewellery per dozen pricing work?
Per-dozen pricing is common in Rajkot and Mumbai trade. It suits small, light items such as earrings, rings and hair accessories, where a dozen is a natural handful. Always check what a dozen means. For earrings, it can mean 12 pairs or 12 single pieces.
A set can also be counted differently. A necklace set might be one unit or two. Write the unit in the purchase order, as the jewellery purchase order checklist suggests.
Dozen pricing can also hide the packaging. A dozen on cards, a dozen in individual pouches and a dozen in a bulk bag are three different products with three different labour costs. The same applies to sets. If one maker prices a necklace set as one unit and another prices the necklace and earrings separately, the dozen counts will not match. Before you convert any figure, write down what exactly is in each unit, how it is packed, and the weight of one unit. Once those three facts are fixed, conversion is simple arithmetic.
When is jewellery wholesale by kg used?
Pricing by weight is used for heavier items and for bulk lots, such as beads, chains, findings and some bangles. Here the maker works out the cost from the metal and adds making charges per kg.
It rewards the maker for lighter pieces only if you agree a weight tolerance. Without one, the weight in the bulk order can drift from the sample. Read how imitation jewellery prices are calculated for the background.
How do you convert between units?
Use one unit as the common base, normally the piece. The method has three steps, and it needs the same specification behind every quote.
A worked example with made-up labels: Maker A quotes Unit X per dozen, and Maker B quotes Unit Y per kg. Maker A's piece count is 12, so Unit X divided by 12 gives the per-piece cost. Maker B's sample piece weighs 25 grams, so there are 40 pieces in a kg, and Unit Y divided by 40 gives the per-piece cost. Now the two are directly comparable.
Weigh the actual sample, not the maker's stated weight. A few grams of difference per piece changes the per-piece figure a lot.
What else must match before you compare?
Even with the unit settled, other differences can hide in a quote. Check these before you trust the comparison:
- The base metal and the plating type and thickness.
- The stone grade and the setting method.
- The packaging, tags and any inner pouches or boxes.
- The quantity the price assumes, since the per-piece figure often drops with volume.
- Whether the price is ex-works, FOB or delivered. See FOB, CIF or DAP.
How we help
We collect quotes against one written specification and convert them to a single unit, so the comparison is honest. You can book a free sourcing review to see how it works with your designs.