Custom Jewelry RFQ Checklist: From Reference Image to Comparable Quote

A request for quotation is the commercial companion to the product specification. The tech pack describes the intended jewelry; the RFQ states the quantities, variants, services, timing and response format to price. Keep both under revision control and issue the same package to each supplier. Without that common basis, a quote comparison becomes a comparison of interpretations.

The first response does not need to be a final production commitment. An early RFQ can request an indicative range and feasibility feedback, provided the supplier identifies the assumptions. A final quotation should follow a clarified specification and state what happens if metal weight, stone count, finish, components or packaging change after development.

Mark a reference image with what you are asking the manufacturer to use: overall mood, stone arrangement, surface contrast, clasp type or approximate scale. Also state what must not be copied and which elements should be redesigned. Confirm that you have the right to use supplied artwork, logos and protected design elements. The supplier should not have to infer the scope from an unannotated social image.

Add at least one known dimension or physical scale. Then choose the target material and finish, or ask for named alternatives. For stones, separate visual direction from verified identity: a color reference is not automatically a gemstone specification. If a field remains open, request a proposal and make the choice a visible line in the response.

Use one cover sheet for the commercial request and one style sheet per product. For a collection, add a variant and quantity matrix rather than embedding size and color splits in prose. Ask the supplier to reproduce your line-item numbering in the quote so omissions are visible.

Ask for the production unit price at each relevant quantity break, then separate development, CAD, tooling or mold, sample, stone or material alternatives, branding, packaging, testing or inspection, and delivery. Not every project uses every line; the point is to make included and excluded work visible. Taxes, duties and importing costs should only be added when the responsible party and basis are known.

Metal markets can move during development. The World Gold Council reported continued high gold prices and a shift toward lighter-weight products in Q2 2026. That context reinforces a practical procurement rule: record the material and weight basis, currency, quote date and validity rather than treating an old unit price as permanent. The same discipline applies to silver and stones even when the supplier uses a different adjustment mechanism.

Place the specification revision at the top of the comparison. Then evaluate compliance before price. A supplier that proposes a different material, finish or construction may have a valid alternative, but its number belongs in a separate option column rather than beside an exact-compliance quote.

Score communication quality as evidence, not personality. Useful signals include whether the response identifies missing inputs, separates options, flags feasibility risk and assigns ownership to the next decision. These behaviors help a buyer control development, but they do not replace sample evaluation, written terms or product-specific quality checks.

A quantity of 100 is ambiguous when a style has five ring sizes, two plating colors and two packaging versions. Show the total and the split by style, size, color, finish and pack-out. Ask whether the MOQ applies per style, per variant, per material batch or across the order, and whether mixed sizes are allowed. This is essential for comparing quotes and planning inventory.

Zalson publishes a production MOQ of 30 pieces per style as its general starting point. A project quotation still needs to confirm how variants, materials, stones and packaging affect that basis. Do not copy the headline MOQ into a purchase plan without the written split for the actual collection.

A disciplined RFQ leaves room for technical dialogue while protecting comparability. Use clarification questions to improve one master file, then send the revised version to every active bidder. Do not let one private supplier conversation change the product basis for only part of the field.

A quotation is one input to supplier evaluation. Review whether the manufacturer can support the required category and development route, how CAD and sample revisions are handled, which product-specific QC checkpoints will be recorded, and how changes are approved. Request evidence with a clear scope; a company capability or historical item report should not be presented as proof for a new product or future batch.

Zalson supports custom, OEM, ODM and private-label enquiries from Guangzhou. Buyers can submit an existing catalog URL, sketch, reference image, CAD drawing or physical sample. Use the RFQ to state which route is intended, then request a project-specific confirmation of feasibility, price, MOQ, sampling and production timing.