Different buyers need different things from a factory, and a supplier who treats them all identically serves none of them well. These are the four buyer types we work with, what each values most, and how the arrangement is structured.
1. Loose stone importers and setters
| What they buy | What they need | How we supply |
|---|---|---|
| Calibrated melee parcels, single stones, matched pairs | Consistent size and grade, parcel documentation, fast reorder | Parcel grading sheet with size range, piece count and total carat; GRA or IGI on larger stones |
| Typical order | 3,000 to 50,000 pcs melee, or 20 to 200 certified singles | MOQ from 20 pcs on singles; no practical minimum on melee parcels |
| Lead time priority | Speed and repeatability | Stock parcels ship in 7 to 15 working days |
This buyer type is the most demanding on tolerance and the least tolerant of grade drift, because their own customers measure. The critical commitment for them is that the size range and grade band stay identical between orders. We hold a master sample per parcel specification on file, referenced by the buyer own SKU where they have one.
2. Jewellery brands and private label
| What they buy | What they need | How we supply |
|---|---|---|
| OEM and ODM collections, branded packaging, exclusive designs | Design confidentiality, packaging quality, launch-date reliability | CAD development, sample approval, branded boxes and tags produced in parallel with the order |
| Typical order | 30 to 300 pcs per style across 6 to 20 styles | MOQ from 30 pcs in silver or 10 pcs in gold per style |
| Lead time priority | Hitting a season or a launch date | Development 6 to 9 weeks; production 12 to 20 working days |
Brands lose money on timing more than on unit price. The two commitments that matter are a working development calendar with the buyer own decision deadlines written into it, and design exclusivity for a defined period and territory. We do not resell a buyer custom design within the agreed exclusivity window.
3. Chain retailers and duty-free operators
| What they buy | What they need | How we supply |
|---|---|---|
| Proven best-sellers in depth, consistent quality across reorders | Volume capacity, batch consistency, replenishment scheduling | Reserved production slots, master sample per grade on file, scheduled replenishment |
| Typical order | 500 to 5,000 pcs per season | Tiered pricing at 200 and 1,000 pieces |
| Lead time priority | Predictability above speed | Committed dispatch windows with weekly production updates |
Retail chains are buying consistency, not novelty. A piece that changes subtly between batches creates a customer service problem in every store at once. The controls that matter are a named merchandiser per account, a written master sample reference, and monthly production reporting against the season plan.
4. Online sellers and marketplace retailers
| What they buy | What they need | How we supply |
|---|---|---|
| Fast-moving designs in modest depth, plus photography | Product imagery, size-chart data, low MOQ, fast reorder | High-resolution images named to match SKU, size charts, low-MOQ mixed lots |
| Typical order | 20 to 50 pcs per design across many designs | Mixed-design lots from 50 pcs total |
| Lead time priority | Fast reorder on winners | Stock designs ship in 7 to 15 working days; replenishment scheduling available |
Online sellers face a returns problem that offline retailers do not. Two things reduce it materially: accurate size information in a format they can publish, and photography that shows scale. We supply both as standard, with front, three-quarter and macro imagery per catalogued design, plus a full US, EU, UK and JP ring size conversion table.
How the commercial arrangement differs
| Buyer type | Pricing basis | Payment terms once established | Replenishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loose stone importer | Parcel price per carat or per piece | 30/70, moving to 30-day terms at volume | Standing parcel specification, reordered monthly |
| Brand or private label | Per-style costed pricing with packaging separated | 30/70; larger orders may use a letter of credit | Seasonal development calendar |
| Chain retailer | Tiered per-piece pricing across the range | 30/70 with scheduled dispatch windows | Season plan with monthly call-off |
| Online seller | List price with tiered discounts at 50 and 200 pcs | Escrow for the first order, then 30/70 | Reorder point of two units per SKU |
The one thing every buyer type asks for
Regardless of category, the request we receive most often is not about price. It is whether we can keep it the same next time. Repeatability, meaning the same grade, the same dimensions, the same packing and the same lead time, is the product a factory actually sells. Everything on this site about master samples, approval sheets and in-process inspection exists to deliver that one property.
If you are not sure which category you fall into, the practical distinction is this: importers buy stones, brands buy development, chains buy consistency, and online sellers buy images and speed. Tell us which of those you need most and we will structure the arrangement around it.