Editorial Standards
How we check a batch before we write a single claim about it.
Every figure on this site is supposed to trace back to a document, a measurement or a test report. This page explains what we accept as evidence, what we refuse to publish, and what happens when we get something wrong.
Applies to every product page and article on this site
In one paragraph
We publish a claim only when it traces to one of three sources: a supplier's written specification, our own measurement of a sample, or a test report carrying the batch number it applies to. Where none of the three exists, the page says the figure is unconfirmed rather than asserting it. This is why you will find "stainless steel" on pages where a competitor writes "316L", and why no page on this site says "nickel free".
01
Claims we do not make
Four phrases appear on most wholesale jewelry listings and on almost none of ours. Each one is either unverifiable, or it hides the number a buyer actually needs.
| We do not write | Why not | What we write instead |
|---|---|---|
| Nickel free | Stainless steel contains nickel by definition. 304 carries roughly 8 to 10.5 percent, 316L roughly 10 to 14. The word describes an absence the alloy does not have. | The grade, plus the nickel release result if a report exists. EU REACH Annex XVII entry 27 limits release to 0.5 µg/cm²/week, and 0.2 for piercing parts. |
| Hypoallergenic | No standard defines it, so no test can confirm it. In the EU it is treated as a commercial claim requiring evidence under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. | The alloy grade and the plating thickness. Reactions usually trace to the plating wearing through, not to the base metal. |
| Waterproof | It describes a metal, but the failure happens in the coating. A waterproof steel core with a 0.03 µm flash plate still discolours in a shower. | Plating type and thickness in microns, with a plain statement of what that thickness survives. |
| Surgical steel | A marketing term with no metallurgical definition. It is used for 304, for 316L and occasionally for brass with a heavy plate. | 304 or 316L where the mill certificate confirms it; "stainless steel" where it does not. |
| Therapeutic or health benefits | Jewelry is not a medical device, and claims of this kind are regulated separately from product descriptions. | Nothing. If a style is bought for its look, the page describes the look. |
The same rule runs through every product page. Where a field previously read "Nickel Free" or "ROHS / PONY Standard", it now carries the material grade or nothing at all. ROHS in particular does not apply here: Directive 2011/65/EU covers electrical and electronic equipment, not jewelry.
02
What gets checked on a batch
Five points, in the order they fail. The last two are the ones buyers ask about after the first reorder, not before it.
| Check | How it is verified | What appears on the page |
|---|---|---|
| Alloy grade | Written specification from the mill or factory. Where it is missing, a molybdenum spot test separates 304 from 316 within about a minute. | The confirmed grade, or "stainless steel" when the grade is not documented. |
| Plating thickness | The factory's plating record for the lot, in microns. Cross-section microscopy when the record and the sample disagree. | A range in microns, with the plating type. Not a lifespan in months. |
| Nickel release | An EN 1811 report, after EN 12472 wear simulation, tied to the batch number rather than to a catalogue code. | The measured release figure and the report reference. "Not tested" when there is no report. |
| Plating adhesion | Wipe and sweat simulation on a sample from the lot, inspected at the contact points where wear starts. | A note on whether the plate survived the simulation, and at which thickness it stopped doing so. |
| Setting security | Manual pull test on a sample of stones, plus a check of the prong depth on the smallest sizes in the lot. | Nothing on the page unless a batch fails, in which case the batch does not ship. |
If you are ordering from a supplier who cannot answer these five questions in writing, that is the finding. It does not mean the goods are bad. It means the risk sits with you and not with them, and it should be priced accordingly.
03
Not every number is the same kind of number
A figure copied from a mill certificate and a figure inferred from a price list look identical on a page. They are not, so we label them.
Level 1 · test report
Measured, with a reference
Nickel release, cadmium and lead content. Carries a report number and a batch. We can forward it to a buyer on request.
Level 2 · written spec
Stated by the maker
Grade, plating thickness, stone size. Accurate as long as the factory is, which is why we check a sample against it.
Level 3 · our measurement
Checked on a sample
Weight, dimensions, finish, whether a plate survives a wipe test. True of the sample we held, not automatically of the next lot.
Level 4 · published standard
Quoted from the source
Regulatory limits and test methods, cited to the directive or standard rather than to a supplier. Not a claim about our goods.
When an article gives a range for something like wholesale cost, that range is built from quotes we collected, and the article says so. It is a sample, not a market index, and we do not present it as one.
04
Updates and corrections
Every page carries a review date
A date at the top means a person read the page against current sources on that day. Pages are re-read when a regulation changes, when a supplier changes, or when a reader points out an error. If a page has not been re-read, the date does not move.
Corrections are published, not quietly patched
When a substantive figure changes, the page records what changed and when. Silent edits make a review date meaningless, which defeats the point of having one.
Who does the checking
Pages are drafted with research assistance and then checked line by line by the person who places the orders. Anything that cannot be traced to a source is cut rather than softened.
No paid placement
Factories do not pay to appear in an article, and no supplier has reviewed a page before publication. Where we name a factory type or a region, it is because we buy there.
If you find an error
Write to [email protected] with the page and the sentence. We reply within five working days. If you are right, the page changes and the correction is noted. If a supplier's document contradicts what we published, the document wins.
05
Questions this page usually answers
Can you send the test report for a specific batch?
Where a report exists and carries the batch number, yes. Reports belong to the factory and to the lot they were run on, so we can only send the one that matches the goods you are buying. If the lot has no report, we say so rather than sending a report from a different lot.
Why do your product pages say stainless steel when other suppliers say 316L?
Because most factories in this price range ship 304 unless 316L is specified and priced, and many write 316L on the listing regardless. We print the grade we can confirm. On a large order, ask for the grade in writing before the deposit, and ask what the price difference is if you want 316L.
Do you test every batch you sell?
No, and any supplier who says they do at this volume is worth checking. We test where a claim depends on it, and we buy against a specification that puts the obligation on the factory. The honest position is that a batch without a report is unconfirmed, and the page says so.
Who writes these pages?
They are drafted with research assistance and checked by the team that places the orders. The views on plating life and grade come from handling the goods, not from a manufacturer's brochure. No page is published with a byline of a person who does not exist.
How current are the wholesale price ranges in your articles?
They are built from quotes collected in the weeks before the article's review date and are stated as a range for that reason. Metal prices and plating costs move, so treat any figure older than a quarter as a starting point for a conversation rather than a quote.
Ask us the five questions on this page about a style you are considering.
Send the product link. We will tell you which of the five are documented for that batch and which are not, before you place an order.
Written by WholesaleJewelryOnly · Guangzhou, China
We buy from the same factories our customers buy from. This page is the standard every claim on this site is held to — revised whenever a regulation, a supplier or a test method changes. Last amended 13 Nov 2026 · Batch questions: [email protected]