How to Import Jewelry from China: Step-by-Step Guide in 2026
- Written by Provence Team
- Updated on August 27, 2026
Table of Contents
If you're building a jewelry brand — whether you're a boutique owner, a DTC startup, or an established wholesale retailer — China is where most of the world's jewelry actually gets made. The opportunity is real: better margins, faster product development, and access to craftsmanship in solid gold, lab-grown diamonds, moissanite, cubic zirconia, and natural gemstones that would be far more expensive to replicate elsewhere.
But most guides on this topic are written by sourcing agents trying to sell you their matchmaking service, or by trading companies who've never actually run a casting line. We're Provence Jewellery, a fine jewelry OEM/ODM manufacturer based in Wuzhou, China — we produce the goods ourselves, for brands across the US, UK, and EU. This guide is written from the other side of the transaction: what we see go right, what we see go wrong, and exactly what you need to check before you send a deposit.
This is a global guide. Wherever you're importing to — the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Australia, or Canada — the fundamentals below apply, with region-specific notes called out where the rules diverge.
Find and Verify a Real Manufacturer (Not Just a Trading Company)
The single biggest risk in importing jewelry from China isn't distance — it's dealing with a middleman who can't actually control production, quality, or your design's confidentiality.
Check business legitimacy. Every legitimate Chinese company has an 18-digit Unified Social Credit Code. You can verify it against the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (NECIPS), the official government registry. If a supplier is cagey about sharing this or the bank account name on their invoice doesn't match the company name on the license, treat it as a hard stop.
Tell a factory from a trading company. Ask for a live video walkthrough — not a pre-recorded showroom tour. A real manufacturer will show you casting equipment, polishing stations, and a plating line. A trading company will show you a showroom and finished samples, because that's all they have. Neither is automatically wrong for your needs (a trading company can be fine for small, non-custom orders), but you need to know which one you're dealing with, because it changes who's actually accountable for quality.
Ask who runs which step. Casting, soldering, stone setting, and plating are frequently split across different specialized workshops even within a single factory's supply chain. Ask directly: "Which of these steps happens in your own facility, and which are subcontracted?" A supplier who can answer this clearly is one who can actually control your quality.
Request certifications. ISO 9001 (quality management) and REACH (EU chemical safety) test reports are baseline requirements for Western markets in 2026. Ask for recent reports tied to a similar product, not a generic company-wide certificate from several years ago.
Protect your design. If you're bringing your own design or custom mold, use an NDA/NNN agreement (Non-Disclosure, Non-Use, Non-Circumvention) before you share files. A standard Western NDA has limited enforceability in China — an NNN agreement drafted for Chinese jurisdiction is the version that actually holds up.
A note on Provence Jewellery: we work as a direct manufacturer for our OEM/ODM clients, which means factory audits, material certification, and full production transparency are part of how we onboard every new partner — before any deposit is discussed.
HS Codes and Import Duties by Region
Every customs authority in the world uses the Harmonized System (HS) to classify goods and calculate duty. For jewelry, the classification hinges on material — and getting it wrong is one of the most common causes of shipment delays and post-clearance penalties.
The two codes that matter most:
- HS 7113 — Precious metal jewelry (sterling silver, 14K/18K gold, platinum). Generally lower duty rates, but requires stricter material certification to qualify.
- HS 7117 — Imitation/costume jewelry (base metals like brass, zinc alloy, stainless steel, and most CZ/synthetic-stone pieces). Generally higher duty rates, intended to protect domestic costume jewelry manufacturers in many markets.
Getting this classification wrong — even accidentally, because a supplier's invoice used a generic description — can mean paying the wrong duty rate, triggering a customs hold for reclassification, or facing a retroactive penalty if an audit catches the discrepancy later.
Duty and tax reference by market:
|
Market |
Typical Duty Range |
Additional Tax |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
United States |
~2.5%–5% (fine jewelry, HS 7113); higher for HS 7117 costume jewelry |
No federal VAT, but check state sales tax |
De minimis threshold changes periodically — verify current status before assuming duty-free treatment on small parcels |
|
United Kingdom |
Varies by HS code and trade agreement status |
20% VAT on import value + duty |
VAT is charged on nearly all commercial jewelry imports regardless of value in UK |
|
European Union |
Varies by HS code |
VAT rate set by destination country (typically 19%–25%) |
A single EU duty rate applies, but VAT differs by the 27 member states — know which country's VAT rate applies to your shipment |
|
Australia |
Duty rate varies by classification |
10% GST |
GST generally applies above the low-value import threshold |
|
Canada |
Duty rate varies by classification |
GST/HST varies by province |
Check both federal GST and provincial HST/PST |
Duty and VAT thresholds are updated periodically by each customs authority — always confirm the current rate with your customs broker or the official tariff schedule for your destination before finalizing pricing, since these figures shift and directly affect your landed cost math.
The "Big Four" documents every shipment needs, regardless of destination:
- Commercial Invoice — must state the accurate material, HS code, and per-unit value. This is the document customs actually screens against.
- Packing List — itemized contents per carton.
- Air Waybill (AWB) or Bill of Lading — the shipping contract itself.
- Certificate of Origin (CO) — required by some countries and essential if you want to claim any preferential trade agreement rate.
A customs broker in your destination country — not your supplier — should be the one confirming your final HS classification. Suppliers often default to whatever code they've always used, which isn't always the correct one for your specific material mix.
Payment Terms That Protect Your Capital
How you structure payment is your main source of leverage over a Chinese factory once production starts — this matters more in jewelry than in most product categories, because the raw material (gold, silver) has real, fluctuating value that gets locked in early.
The standard: 30% deposit, 70% balance. The deposit lets the factory purchase and lock in raw material pricing. The balance is your leverage — it should never be paid until you have proof the goods are finished and match your approved sample.
Payment method comparison:
|
Method |
Best For |
Typical Fee |
Protection Level |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Alibaba Trade Assurance |
New suppliers, first orders |
~3% (card) |
High — escrow-based, funds held until you confirm receipt |
|
Bank Wire (T/T) |
Established, trusted partners |
Flat fee, varies by bank |
Low — direct transfer, no built-in recourse |
|
Letter of Credit (L/C) |
Large orders (generally $50,000+) |
Higher bank fees |
Maximum — bank-guaranteed on both sides |
Before releasing the final balance: request either a "golden sample" (a physical sample pulled from the actual finished batch) or a live, high-definition video inspection of the goods on the production floor. A factory that pushes hard for 100% payment upfront, or resists a pre-shipment video call, is a legitimate red flag — it often signals either cash flow trouble or a middleman arrangement where they don't have direct floor access to show you.
MOQ Strategy — Starting Small Without Sacrificing Quality
One of the most persistent myths in jewelry importing is that you need a five-figure budget to work with a real factory. That's outdated. But you do need to understand how MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) actually works, because the headline number is rarely the whole story.
MOQ is usually counted per variant, not per style. A quoted minimum of "100 pieces" often means 100 pieces per metal color, per size, per stone option — not 100 pieces total across every variation you want. Before you negotiate price, ask the supplier to break down the minimum for every specific combination you intend to order. Plating is frequently the real constraint: a plating line runs one color per batch, so adding a second finish can mean a second full production run rather than a shared one.
Bundling to hit MOQ affordably. If a factory's standard minimum is 100 pieces of one ring, ask whether they'll accept 20 pieces across 5 sizes instead, using the same base mold. Most manufacturers — including well-run OEM operations — will accommodate this because the tooling cost is identical.
Off-the-shelf / "open line" catalogs. Many factories maintain pre-designed pieces where the mold cost is already sunk. These can often be ordered in quantities as low as 5–10 pieces, making them a low-risk way to test a market before committing to a fully custom design and its associated MOQ.
Private labeling without a custom mold. You don't need your own tooling to have a branded product on day one:
- Laser engraving your logo onto the inside of a ring shank or a small metal tag typically adds well under a dollar per unit at scale.
- Custom packaging — branded pouches or boxes — often does more for perceived brand value early on than a custom mold does, at a fraction of the investment.
MOQ Strategy — Starting Small Without Sacrificing Quality
Jewelry is worn against skin, sometimes by children, which puts it under tighter chemical safety scrutiny than most imported goods. Compliance requirements are set by your destination market, not by what your factory normally tests for — so build your test plan around where you're selling, first.
The three substances that matter most:
- Lead — restricted across essentially every major market. The EU applies its lead limit to each individual component of a piece (clasp, chain, charm) rather than to the item as a whole, so a compliant chain with a non-compliant clasp still fails.
- Cadmium — specifically restricted in metal components like clasps, beads, and fittings in many jurisdictions, separate from the lead rules.
- Nickel — the one importers most often get wrong, because the limit governs how much nickel migrates off the surface onto skin through wear and moisture, not how much sits inside the alloy. This means the finished, plated piece needs to be tested — not the bare base metal before plating.
Children's jewelry is a separate, stricter category. Whether a product counts as "children's jewelry" is generally determined by how it's designed, sized, packaged, and marketed — not simply by whether a child could physically wear it. If there's any ambiguity about your target age range, resolve it before you order, because it changes both the testing requirements and the certification you'll need to sell legally.
Evidence quality matters as much as the result. A supplier waving a handheld XRF scanner over a sample in the factory can tell you something useful for pre-screening, but it is not accredited lab evidence. What holds up with a customs authority or a retail partner is a report from an accredited third-party lab, run under a named test method, that identifies your specific model by name — not a generic material report from a different order.
For natural gemstones, keep documentation on origin and any treatment (heating, dyeing, filling) — some treatments affect long-term durability and must legally be disclosed at the point of sale in several markets.
Quality Control Before It Ships
You can't be on the factory floor for every production run, so a remote QC protocol is non-negotiable — especially for anything with moving parts (clasps, hinges) or set stones.
Run a live video inspection before shipment. Use a video call to have someone at the factory perform these checks in real time, on camera:
- Tension/pull test — for chains and bracelets, have them pull the piece with a calibrated gauge to confirm the links and clasp don't yield under normal wear pressure.
- Stone security ("rattle") test — tap the piece near the phone's microphone. A clicking sound means a stone isn't seated properly.
- Surface and plating check — request the inspection be done under natural daylight-equivalent lighting (roughly 5000K–6500K). Factory fluorescent lighting hides pitting, waviness, and porosity that daylight reveals immediately.
Compare against your approved sample, not against "looks good." Weigh the piece, hold the plating color next to your reference sample, and confirm stone type and mounting match the original approval — not just the photo on the order confirmation.
For orders above roughly $10,000, it's worth engaging an independent third-party inspection service to visit the factory in person. They'll provide a photo-documented report of any defects found before you authorize the final shipment — money well spent relative to the cost of a rejected container landing in your own warehouse.
Shipping and Logistics
Jewelry is almost always shipped by air, because it's high-value and low-weight — sea freight rarely makes sense unless you're moving a very large, heavy order (e.g., bulk raw materials or a very large finished-goods run).
Understand dimensional (dim) weight — it's where margins quietly disappear. Couriers charge based on whichever is greater: actual weight or volumetric weight, calculated as:
L × W × H ÷ 139 (inches, result in lbs — divisor and units vary slightly by carrier, so confirm with yours)
A large box of lightweight jewelry can get billed as if it weighs three or four times its actual weight, simply because of how much space it occupies. Dense, efficient packing directly lowers your cost per piece — this is worth discussing with your supplier or freight forwarder before your first shipment, not after you see the first invoice.
Shipping method comparison:
|
Method |
Best For |
Typical Transit Time |
Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
|
International courier (DHL/FedEx/UPS) |
Samples, small-to-mid orders, anything time-sensitive |
3–5 business days |
Highest cost per kg, best tracking and customs brokerage support |
|
Air freight |
Larger orders where courier cost per unit gets too high |
5–10 days plus local handling |
Cheaper than courier at volume, but you handle your own customs documentation unless you use a forwarder |
|
Sea freight (LCL/FCL) |
Very large, heavy, or low-value-per-kg orders |
4–8+ weeks |
Lowest cost per unit by far, but requires ordering months ahead of your selling season |
Calculate landed cost, not factory price. Your true per-unit cost is: factory unit price + shipping (including dim weight adjustment) + duty + VAT/GST + any inspection or brokerage fees. Quoting your own retail or wholesale price off the factory price alone is one of the most common margin mistakes new importers make.
Lead Times and Seasonal Planning
Jewelry is trend-driven and often seasonal (holiday, Valentine's Day, wedding season), so working backward from your launch date is essential.
A typical production cycle runs 4–7 weeks, broken down roughly as:
- CAD design and 3D modeling — 1–5 days
- Sampling and prototyping (wax model, master sample for your approval) — 7–10 days
- Bulk production (casting, plating, stone setting) — 15–20 days
- Quality control and export packing — 2–3 days
Build in a Chinese holiday buffer. Two dates matter most for any import schedule:
- Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) — dates shift each year (typically late January to mid-February), and most factories close for 2–4 weeks as staff return to their hometowns. Orders placed too close to this window risk sitting untouched for a month.
- Golden Week (National Day, October 1–7) — a shorter but complete nationwide production and logistics halt.
The safe rule of thumb: place any order you need finished before Chinese New Year at least 6–8 weeks ahead of the holiday, accounting for the full production cycle plus shipping time. Missing this window is one of the most common (and entirely avoidable) causes of stockouts for importers who buy from China every year.
Frequently Asked Questions
In most countries, no special import license is required for finished gold jewelry for resale, as opposed to raw bullion. Requirements vary by country and by quantity, so confirm directly with your customs broker or your country's customs authority before your first shipment, particularly for larger orders.
No — sterling silver jewelry is a standard, widely traded HS 7113 category. It isn't restricted the way certain natural materials or metals in bulk raw form can be. Just ensure the silver content and hallmarking claims are accurate on your invoice.
Cultured (farmed) pearls generally don't require CITES documentation. Certain coral species and some other natural materials are CITES-listed, which does require documentation. If your product includes natural coral, shell, or an unusual natural material, ask your supplier directly which species is used and check it against your destination country's CITES list before ordering.
Ask for the minimum broken down by variant, not by style. A "100-piece MOQ" ring might mean 100 pieces per size and per plating color combined — request the exact breakdown in writing before you commit to a design.
Many countries have reduced requirements or value thresholds for genuine samples, but rules and thresholds vary and change. Don't assume sample status exempts you from all documentation — declare accurately and confirm current sample-import rules with your carrier or broker.
Ask directly which production steps (casting, plating, stone setting) happen in-house, and request a live video walkthrough of the actual production floor rather than a showroom. A factory can show you the equipment; a trading company generally can't.
Gold plated means a thin layer of gold over any base metal, with no standard minimum thickness required by that term alone. Vermeil has a legal definition in some markets (notably the US): sterling silver base, gold layer of at least 10K purity, and a minimum thickness of 2.5 microns. If a supplier uses the word "vermeil," it should meet all three criteria — get that confirmed in writing.
Ready to Import with Confidence?
Importing jewelry from China doesn't have to be a black box, and it doesn't require the guesswork that most first-time importers go through. At Provence Jewellery, we manufacture solid gold, lab-grown diamond, moissanite, and natural gemstone jewelry directly for OEM/ODM partners across the US, UK, and EU — with full material certification and production transparency from the first sample to the final shipment.
Whether you're placing your first 50-piece order or scaling to a multi-thousand-unit collection, contact our team to talk through your product, your target market, and the fastest path from idea to shelf.
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