There are different types of earrings currently being manufactured by both custom-made companies and factory-operated companies. All of these earrings undergo different earrings inspection processes to ensure product reliability and longevity. Here are some of the earring types being manufactured today:
- Stud Earrings – often used for body piercings
- Hoop Earrings – come in many different sizes and materials
- Dangle Earrings – considered a more elegant accessory
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These earrings listed above, regardless of how they will be crafted, should undergo the same inspection processes to verify usability, reliability and longevity. Here are the standardized inspection processes to be observed:
PRE-PRODUCTION INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to verify that all the necessary tests, tools and materials are ready to ensure that all of the needed components from the assembly to finishing are ready for operation. Processes like model making, casting, polishing, soldering and assembling, precision cutting and grooving, etc… are to be performed after this inspection process.
CRAFT AND ASSEMBLY INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to verify that all of the needed components for the manufacturing process have been cleared. All of the materials to be used for assembly must be inspected for any visible deformations, damages or defects to ensure product quality and reliability.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to verify that all of the earrings and other jewelries to be designed and molded are free from any defects and anomalies prior to initial production. Here are some of the processes being done and must be observed under strict compliance:
Gem Cutting and Gem Matching
- The purpose of this process is to verify that all the earrings will have the appropriate gem for the earring or jewelry’s shape to ensure that all of the stones, gems and other materials will fit accordingly to its base.
Master Model Construction/Model Making
- If applicable, this process is to construct the master design of the specific earring to be mass-produced to ensure that all the earrings or other jewelries have uniform size, height, weight and dimensions.
Wax Injection
- This process ensures that all the four sections: rubber mold construction, quality control and repair and wax tree preparation are ready for operation to ensure a balanced batch of earrings and other jewelries.
Casting
- To ensure that all of the models constructed will be provided with the specific casting material it needs (silver, gold, platinum, etc…), a specific process and machine is required. There are two types of casting machines to be used that are specifically designed to operate in its own casting methods which depend on the product’s specifications.
Polishing and Plating
- The purpose of this process is to verify that all of the earrings and other jewelries that have undergone the casting process are ready for its initial polishing and plating to ensure that all of the earrings manufactured have the same quality.
Soldering and Assembling
- The purpose of this process is to verify that all the necessary gemstone for the earring or other jewelry products are attached the correct way to ensure that no loose parts are to occur during and after distribution.
Precision Cutting and Grooving
- The purpose of this process is considered to be one of the most important parts due to the fact that all earrings and jewelries must be cut accordingly and must stay in uniform to ensure product likeness and quality for consumers’ standards.
Setting
- The purpose of this process is to verify that each earring that have gem or other mineral attachments are correctly placed and the glue setting (or other setting agents) are invisible to the naked eye to ensure timeless beauty.
VISUAL INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to verify that all the earrings and other jewelries that have been out of the production queue are free from any damages, dents, chips, breaks or any other production anomalies that occur on mass-productions to ensure that all of the pieces are thoroughly inspected and are ready for the next inspection process. Each earring piece that has a gem or stone attached to it will undergo a special test to magnify the gemstone by at least 100x more than the original to check the clarity and quality of the stone attached.
COATING INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to verify that all of the earrings that have undergone the entire production queue have passed the necessary coating requirement as per product specifications to ensure that all of the pieces are accurately coated to adhere to ISO standards. All pieces that fail the quality control standards will be re-coated during this process to save time on the production queue.
MATERIAL INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection is to verify all the materials (gemstones and other valuable stones) that were used on the particular earring matches the product specifications to ensure that all the products are accurate and in compliance with the international standards for quality and excellence. Pieces that fail during this process will be re-assessed to the production queue.
WEIGHT AND MEASUREMENT INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection is to verify that all of the earrings that have been produced comply with their product specifications to ensure that all of the pieces are accurately measured and thoroughly inspected. Since earrings usually come in pairs, the likeness test will determine how much similar one pair is to the other.
Depending on the material build, stone attachment and plating, each earring will be measured via its product specifications to properly asses the standardized weight, dimensions and size of the earring being inspected.
AUTHENTICITY INSPECTION
As per the different international quality control standards, each earring or jewelry piece on the inspection queue will undergo a series of test to ensure the authenticity of the particular earring piece. The different tests to be performed are proven to be safe for the product and the overall result would properly asses the value of the particular piece. Here are some of the tests to be conducted to validate authenticity:
- Fire Assay
- ICP
- ED X-Ray
QUALITY CONTROL INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection is to verify that all of the earring pieces and other jewelries are free from damages and are ready for shipping and distribution to ensure that all of the items that have been shipped have passed the different quality control standards set by international organizations. After each piece has been confirmed for shipping, here are the processes to be inspected prior to shipping:
- Waxing
- Inspect if all of the wax elements from the earring piece have been removed.
- Polishing
- Inspect if all of the earring piece have the same amount of polishing agent.
- Soldering/Assembling (if applicable)
- Inspect and verify if all the earring products have no loose parts.
- Setting
- Inspect if all the sticking agents being used for precious alloys are invisible to the human eye
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- Finishing
- Inspect if the entire earring piece are uniform in size, shape, measurement and weight (for particular categories).
