Custom jewelry manufacturing runs on two models. ODM: the factory’s existing designs, adapted with your brand, faster and cheaper. OEM: your designs, produced to specification, slower and more expensive, and the only route to a defensible original line. This guide covers the OEM path from sketch to shelf.
What makes a design producible
Factories quote faster and better against technical drawings: dimensions, metal thicknesses, stone sizes in millimetres, plating spec. A sketch plus a reference photo can work, but expect a design-for-manufacture round where the factory proposes changes, listen to them, casting draft angles and stone seat depth are not aesthetic opinions.
Tooling, ownership and exclusivity
Custom designs need moulds. Agree in writing: mould cost, amortisation (spread into unit price above a quantity), and ownership. If you own the mould, the design is portable; if the factory amortised it, the design is theirs to resell until you buy it out. Exclusivity on the finished design is a separate clause with a separate price.
| Element | Range | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mould, simple ring or pendant | 80–300 USD | One-time or amortised |
| Mould, complex piece | 300–1,200 USD | Multi-part or articulated designs |
| Pre-production sample | 30–120 USD | Often credited at volume |
| First-run MOQ | 150–600 pcs | Depends on family |
| Lead time after approval | 25–45 days | Mould making adds 10–20 |
The approval chain that prevents disputes
Three approvals, each in writing: design approval (renders), pre-production sample approval (physical, sealed), and packaging approval. Production references the sealed sample, and your inspection measures against it. Every jewelry dispute traces to a missing approval in this chain.
Protecting the design after launch
Register the design where your market allows, keep dated records of the creation, and stagger your releases so copies are always a season behind. Factories respect buyers who investigate; most copying is opportunistic, not targeted.
Frequently asked questions
Whoever paid for it, if the contract says so. Otherwise the mould belongs to the factory, and your design is portable only if you buy it out or the mould cost was amortised into a completed quantity. Put mould cost, amortisation threshold and ownership on one line of the proforma before the deposit moves.
