TY Jewelry
Compare the same manufacturing scope first
A useful jewelry quotation comparison starts with a shared specification, then separates recurring product costs from development, packaging, testing and delivery costs. Comparing the headline price alone can reward the supplier who has left the most work out. This guide is for brands, importers and wholesale buyers comparing an OEM or private-label order, rather than buying an individual piece.
Create one RFQ revision and send it to every candidate. Identify the product, base material, finished dimensions, finish system, logo, components, quantities by variant, packaging and destination. A reference photograph can communicate appearance, but it cannot define an alloy, chain gauge, coating or clasp construction. Put unresolved features in a separate questions list. If a supplier proposes a substitute, retain the original specification and record the alternative alongside it.
For a collection, use one row or record per SKU and one shared page for collection-wide requirements. A supplier quoting 500 pieces in one finish is not directly comparable with another quoting the same total across four finishes. Resolve that difference before negotiating a discount. The first-collection planning guide explains how to prepare the quantity breakdown.
Separate five groups of cost
Recurring manufactured goods
Record the price basis: per piece, pair, set, chain length or other unit. Include the agreed material, dimensions, finish, components and assembly. For necklaces, establish whether the pendant, chain, clasp and extender are all included. For rings, ask whether the quoted quantity can be distributed across the specified sizes. A price without its quantity and specification basis cannot be carried into a purchase order reliably.
Development and tooling
Ask about drawing or CAD work, molds, dies, fixtures, prototypes and revisions. Establish what is charged once, what is charged again after a design change, and what is refundable or creditable against a production order. A credit conditional on an order is not a confirmed saving until its quantity, timing and scope are written down. Also record tool ownership, storage, access, maintenance and replacement arrangements; paying a tooling charge does not describe all of those terms.
Branding and packaging
Separate marking on the product from marking on a box, card or pouch. Confirm artwork setup, printing or stamping tools, unit packaging, inserts, labels, inner cartons and master cartons. Packaging may have its own minimum quantities. Ask where unused custom packaging will be stored, who owns it and how stock is reconciled. Do not hide leftover packaging in a lower product price.
Inspection and testing
Distinguish the manufacturer’s normal checks, an agreed inspection service, laboratory testing, sample shipping and repeat tests after a change. A supplier can include one activity while excluding another. Confirm which product configurations are covered and who pays if a failed result requires rework and another assessment. A report from a previous project is not automatically an included test for this order.
Delivery and commercial conditions
Record currency, quote validity, payment milestones, named delivery point, freight scope, insurance, customs responsibilities and documentation. ICC explains that Incoterms allocate specified delivery obligations, risks and costs; they do not replace the full sale agreement. Use the rule, named place and version together, and agree payment and ownership separately. ICC guidance.
Use comparable totals without double-counting
Build a first-order total from manufactured goods plus development and other separately charged, agreed items. Do not add packaging or inspection again if it is already included. Mark a line as included, separately priced, excluded, optional or awaiting clarification. An empty cell means unknown, not zero.
Build a second total for a repeat order at the same quantity and specification. Remove only charges confirmed as non-recurring. A new finish, replacement tool, smaller quantity or changed packaging can alter that repeat price. Avoid calling either calculation a landed cost until every relevant delivery and import item has been addressed for the actual transaction. Tax treatment and freight quotations require their own current inputs.
If currencies differ, show the comparison exchange rate and date while keeping the supplier’s original currency amount. If a quote expires before expected approval, request reconfirmation. Otherwise an apparently precise comparison may combine prices that were never available at the same time.
Worked example: a lower piece price is not the whole quote
The following figures are an invented teaching example in arbitrary currency units. They are not TY Jewelry prices or industry benchmarks. Both suppliers are assumed to quote the same 500-piece specification and the same delivery scope. Freight and import costs are excluded from both.
Quote A: 500 × 4.00 for the goods; 300 tooling; 100 sample development; 0.40 per piece for packaging. The comparable first-order total is 2,600, or 5.20 per ordered piece.
Quote B: 500 × 4.35 for goods with packaging included; 150 tooling; 100 sample development. Its comparable first-order total is 2,425, or 4.85 per ordered piece.
Quote B has the higher piece price but the lower first-order total. On an unchanged repeat order, assuming neither tool nor sample fee recurs, A would be 2,200 and B 2,175. This calculation does not establish which supplier is better: both still need equivalent sample approval, delivery conditions and quality requirements.
Now suppose B has not specified the packaging insert. The comparison is incomplete again. Ask for that detail and any added cost before choosing. Do not insert a guessed figure merely to produce a winner. Keep the arithmetic attached to the assumptions that make it valid.
Compare execution and risk alongside price
Use separate decision records for technical acceptance, delivery feasibility and commercial completeness. A low total is useful only if the proposed process can produce the approved product at the required quantity. Ask suppliers to identify their critical path: artwork approval, tooling, sample revisions, component sourcing, production, finishing and packing.
Define what starts the lead-time clock. “Production in four weeks” can mean four weeks after payment, after complete artwork, after sample approval or after materials are ready. Ask for an estimated dispatch date based on stated assumptions, and distinguish dispatch from delivery. Do not convert an approximate production period into a guaranteed arrival date.
Keep unresolved technical substitutions visible. For example, a cheaper clasp may change the appearance, operation and packaging fit. Compare it as a revised option with its own sample, not as a silent saving against the original quote. Follow the sample approval checklist before releasing bulk production.
A quotation comparison record you can copy
RFQ / revision / date:
Product and SKU / drawing revision:
Material / dimensions / components / finish reference:
Quantity by style, colour and size:
Price unit / currency / validity:
Product price and inclusions:
Tooling / samples / revision charges:
Product logo / packaging / labels / cartons:
Inspection / laboratory testing / sample transport:
Delivery rule, version and named place:
Freight / insurance / import items still to confirm:
Payment milestones / lead-time start / dispatch estimate:
First-order comparable total:
Unchanged repeat-order total and assumptions:
Excluded, optional or unanswered items:
Supplier clarification / date / accepted revision:Attach the accepted quotation, drawings and packaging revision to the same order record. When a condition changes, update the comparison rather than editing the original silently. Name the person who can accept a commercial revision. A clear audit trail is particularly useful when the purchasing contact, designer and production coordinator are different people.
Move from comparison to a defined project
Ask each shortlisted supplier the same final questions: what remains unresolved, what is included, what can change the price, and what must be approved before production? Use the answers to select a sample-development route rather than choosing on a headline number alone.
For a TY Jewelry B2B inquiry, prepare your product references, quantity breakdown, material and finish preferences, branding, packaging and target market. The OEM service page describes the manufacturing route, and the quotation page is the next step for a project-specific discussion. This worksheet organizes that conversation; it does not set a standard price, payment term or delivery promise.
