The cost of custom sterling silver jewelry made in China is the price per piece times your quantity, plus a few one-off costs, shipping and the import duty you pay at home. The price per piece depends mostly on how much silver the piece uses and how much hand work it needs, so it is quoted per design. The fixed parts with us: a sample from USD 50 per design, credited back once that design’s order reaches 100 pieces; a minimum of 30 pieces per design for your own design, or 10 with your logo on our designs; and a 30% deposit. Importing into the US, most silver jewelry made in China currently carries 25% duty on top.
What the total is made of
| Part of the cost | What it covers | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Price per piece × pieces | Silver, making, stones, plating and branding | Your quote, per design |
| One-off costs | The sample and 3D design; a logo stamp, if you use one | Your quote, per design |
| Extras you choose | Branded packaging, store photos, lab tests | Your quote, line by line |
| Shipping | Express courier, door to door | Your quote |
| At your end | Import duty and tax, the courier’s clearance charge, bank fees | Your country and bank |
How the price of a piece is built
A piece of silver jewelry is priced in five parts:
Price per piece = silver weight × silver price + making + stones + plating + branding
Silver weight × silver price
Sterling silver is 92.5% silver (UK Hallmarking Act), and the silver in it is the part of the price that moves with the market. Your quote shows the estimated weight of each piece and prices it at the day’s silver price; it holds for 14 days. Because the silver price moves, silver jewelry is quoted per design and dated, not taken from a fixed price list.
The metal cost rises in direct proportion to weight. Making a piece lighter — slimmer, or hollowed at the back — is the most direct way to lower its price, as long as it stays strong enough to wear.
Making
Casting, polishing, setting and assembly. A plain band needs little hand work; fine detail, hinges, clasps and moving parts need much more. To compare factories, compare quotes for the same design, not headline prices.
Stones
Cubic zirconia, moissanite or gemstones, priced by type, size and count. Each stone is set by hand, so many small stones cost more in labour than one large one.
Plating and finish
Rhodium, gold plating, gold vermeil, oxidising and textures are extra steps after polishing. More gold costs more: our gold vermeil has gold of 10 karat or more, equivalent to at least 2.5 microns of fine gold, far more than a thin flash of gold plating. The vermeil guide explains the difference.
Branding
Your mark stamped beside the 925, laser engraved, cast into the design, or on a logo tag. Each is quoted line by line.
One-off costs
- Sample and 3D design. From USD 50 per design, including the 3D design and 3 rounds of changes; any further rounds are quoted before we make them. The fee is credited back when that design’s order reaches 100 pieces. Sample shipping is shown separately. See the sample cost guide.
- Logo stamp. If your logo is struck with a steel stamp, the stamp is made once from your logo — a one-off cost, shown on your quote.
With your logo on one of our designs, there is no 3D design or new mould to pay for.
Why quantity changes the price
Making a mould, setting up a casting run, preparing a plating bath and checking the first pieces against the sample take about the same work for a small run as for a large one. That set-up is shared across the pieces in the run, so the price per piece falls as quantities rise — and rises quickly below our minimum of 30 per design.
Two things follow. Each plating colour is its own run, so the same design in rhodium and in gold counts as two runs, each with its own minimum. And a few designs at healthy quantities usually cost less per piece than many designs at the minimum. The small-batch guide shows how to plan around this.
The costs buyers forget
- Shipping. We ship by express courier with tracking, usually 3–7 days. The cost is on your quote, and the sample’s shipping is separate.
- US import duty. Silver jewelry made in China currently carries 25% in total: 5% general duty, plus Section 301 duties of 7.5% and 12.5% (checked 15 November 2026). Very low-value pieces fall under a different line, HTS 7113.11.20, at 33.5%. Duty-free entry for small parcels is suspended, so even a sample parcel may be charged. We ship DAP: you pay duty on arrival, usually through the courier, which may add its own clearance charge. The US import duty guide works through it.
- EU and UK duty. 2.5% into the EU (TARIC) and 2% into the UK (UK Trade Tariff), plus import VAT at your country’s rate.
- UK hallmarking. Silver items with a total metal weight of 7.78 grams or more must carry approved hallmarks before they are sold as silver in the UK (Hallmarking Act) — an assay fee and a little extra time.
- Bank fees. Transfer fees are paid by the sender, and you pay twice — the deposit, then the balance. If your account is not in US dollars, the exchange rate your bank uses is a cost too.
- Packaging. Branded pouches, boxes and cards are quoted separately, and they have their own minimums, which depend on the material and printing.
- Product photos. Plain white-background photos of each design for your store, quoted per design.
- Lab tests. If a retailer or your market asks for a report on silver content, nickel release or plating thickness, we send pieces to a third-party laboratory at cost.
Estimating your landed cost
You can estimate the cost of each piece on your shelf before you order:
- Goods: the price per piece on your quote × your pieces, for each design.
- Add one-off costs: the sample fee for each new design (unless that design reaches 100 pieces), and a logo stamp if you use one.
- Add extras and shipping: packaging, photos and freight, from your quote.
- Add duty: the duty rate × the customs value. In the US that is broadly what you paid for the goods, so for most pieces add 25% of step 1. A customs broker can confirm the exact value.
- Add your own charges: the courier’s clearance fee, bank fees and, in the UK, hallmarking.
- Divide the total by the number of pieces.
For a first order, steps 2 to 5 often add more than buyers expect, because the one-off costs are spread over few pieces. On a reorder they mostly disappear: there is no new sample or 3D design to pay for.
How to get an accurate quote
Send as much of this as you have:
- photos or sketches, with rough dimensions — or a weight or price you are aiming for;
- the number of pieces per design, and per plating colour;
- ring sizes or chain lengths;
- stones: type, size and colour;
- the finish: plain silver, rhodium, gold plating or gold vermeil;
- your logo as a vector file (AI, EPS, SVG or PDF), and how you want it applied;
- packaging and photos, if you want them;
- the country you are shipping to, and any deadline.
The more of this we have, the closer the quote is to your final cost — and the easier it is to see what to change if it comes in above your target.
Sources
- US duty rates: USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule, chapter 71 and chapter 99; CBP ruling N318369 (List 4A); Federal Register 2026-12670 (de minimis). Checked 15 November 2026.
- EU duty: EU TARIC, 7113 11 00. UK duty: UK Trade Tariff, 7113110000.
- Sterling and hallmarking: Hallmarking Act 1973, Schedule 1 and paragraph 12A.
All our prices, minimums and lead times are on our pricing page.