Private label jewellery means a factory makes the product and your brand goes on it. For retail chains, online brands and distributors, private label is how you build something customers remember, instead of selling the same pieces as every other shop. India has many imitation jewellery factories that do this work, but the model varies a lot from one to another.
Private label vs white label
- White label: the factory's own design, sold to you with your brand on the tag or packaging. Faster, lower risk, but other buyers may sell the same design.
- Private label: a design made for you, from your reference or a brief, often exclusive to you. Slower to start, but the product is yours.
Many brands do both: white label to fill the range quickly and private label for hero pieces.
How the process usually runs
- Brief: your references, target price, finish, stone type, packaging needs and quantity.
- Design and proof: the factory makes a 3D CAD model or a hand-made master. At Jagruti we model in Rhino with Matrix and send a rendered proof.
- Sample: a physical sample is sent for approval.
- Mould and production: after sign-off and the advance payment, moulds are made and the bulk run starts.
- Branding and packaging: tags, pouches, boxes and cards with your logo.
- QC and dispatch: every unit is checked against the approved sample.
What private label costs depend on
- Design complexity: detail, number of parts, stone count
- Base metal: Mazak (zinc alloy) or brass
- Finish: antique, matte, high-polish, rhodium, oxidised
- Stones: kemp, CZ, pearl, Kundan glass
- Quantity per design: larger runs spread the mould and setup cost
- Packaging: branded boxes and cards add cost per unit
MOQ in private label
Factories set MOQ to cover moulds and setup. Our standard MOQ is 200 pcs per design (400 for earrings and pendants). For brand launches, buyers usually combine several designs at 200 or more each. Typical first orders from our clients range from 1,000 to 5,000 units.
Choosing a private label manufacturer
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Do they make in-house or outsource? | Quality control and lead times |
| Do they sign off a physical sample? | Protects you from surprises |
| Who owns the design and moulds? | Exclusivity for your brand |
| Can they show ready stock before dispatch? | Avoid paying for defects |
| Do they give GST invoices? | Clean books and input tax credit |
Protecting your designs
In India, a new, original design for a manufactured article can be registered under the Designs Act, 2000. Registration protects the design's appearance for 10 years, extendable once by 5 years, for a total of 15. For a hero design that others are likely to copy, registration is worth discussing with an IP lawyer. It must be done before the design is published or sold, because a design already made public is no longer new.
Alongside registration, practical steps help:
- ask in writing that designs made for you are not sold to others, with an exclusivity clause naming the design codes
- agree who owns the moulds and CAD files before the order
- keep dated CAD proofs and approved samples as evidence of when the design was created
A realistic private label timeline
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Brief and quotation | A few days |
| CAD model and rendered proof | About a week, longer for complex sets |
| Physical sample | One to two weeks after proof approval |
| Bulk production | About a month after sample approval and advance |
| Branded packaging | Printed in parallel; allow extra time for first print runs |
Allow for one round of changes on the first designs. Repeats of approved designs are much faster because the moulds and settings already exist.
Branding that works for jewellery
- Tags and cards with your brand, design code and care instructions
- Pouches or boxes with your logo for gifting and online orders
- Consistent design codes so your own customers can re-order exactly
Keep claims honest: imitation jewellery should be described as imitation, gold-plated or gold-tone, never with gold purity marks.
We manufacture private label and white label imitation jewellery for brands and distributors. Read more on our private label manufacturing page.