A repeat order of a design you have bought before typically takes three to five weeks from confirmed order to packed goods in Rajkot, plus shipping time. It is faster than a first order because the moulds or dies exist, the sample is already approved and the maker knows your packing.
A new design that needs a die, a sample and your approval typically takes six to ten weeks, so the saving on a repeat is real. It is not automatic, though.
What still takes time
- Metal and stones: the maker buys brass, alloy and stones for your quantity. Special colours or stone sizes may need ordering.
- Casting or stamping: moulds wear, and an old rubber mould may need to be remade from the master.
- Assembly and stone setting: much of this is handwork and depends on how many workers are free.
- Plating and coating: plating units serve many workshops, so queues build up in busy seasons.
- Quality check and packing: your cards, tags and boxes must be in stock in Rajkot.
What makes a repeat slower
The Indian wedding and festival seasons, especially the weeks before Diwali, fill the workshops with domestic orders. A repeat placed during that rush can take longer than a new design placed in a quiet month. Changes to a running design, such as a new stone colour or plating shade, turn a repeat partly into a new development.
Packaging is the other common delay. If your branded boxes or cards ran out on the last order and nobody reordered them, the jewellery may be ready before the packaging is.
How to shorten it
- Keep a sealed counter-sample of each approved design, so the repeat is matched without a new approval round.
- Keep a running stock of packaging in Rajkot, sized to your next two orders.
- Share a forecast for your best sellers, so the maker can buy metal and stones ahead.
- Place repeats for the Western Christmas season before the Indian festival rush begins.
- Ask whether the maker keeps your moulds in good condition between orders; see who owns a jewellery mould.
What this means for a buyer
Plan repeats from your sales rate, not from when stock runs out, and allow for the season. Creston & Co works for buyers only, for a fixed fee agreed in writing. We keep your counter-samples, check repeats against them and follow each order through plating and packing. Ask for a free sourcing review.