TEYING BUYER GUIDE · UPDATED OCTOBER 1, 2026

MOQ 60: A Realistic First-Order Timeline for Jewelry Brands

MOQ 60 is per design, and it comes with a development clock rather than a size problem. This lays out the full first-order timeline from RFQ to delivery, what mixes cleanly across colors, stones, and pearls, and how the design, tooling, and sample fees are credited back against production.

By Qiu Qiu, Founder and Design Lead at TEYING · October 1, 2026

The short answer: the timeline is the real constraint

TEYING starts at 60 pieces per design, and 300 to 500 pieces is the comfortable production range. Sampling runs 14 to 18 days, and bulk runs 2 to 3 weeks after you approve the sample. The design and development fee is credited once the production order passes $2,000, and the sample fee comes off the production order, so a first order is mostly a timing question rather than a size question.

What 60 pieces per design actually means

The number is per design, not per order. Three designs at 60 pieces is a 180-piece order, and each design is reviewed on its own.

Four variables decide whether the 60 holds.

Finish count. Each plating color is a separate production run. A design ordered in 18K gold and rhodium needs 60 pieces in each finish, unless the split is agreed as part of the project. Ask for the finish split to be confirmed in the quotation rather than assuming it.

Design count. Several designs in the same material family can often share a production plan, which is why three simple brass designs at 60 pieces each are usually easier to schedule than one design in five finishes.

Stones. Setting adds a component and a QC step. CZ, pearl, and gemstone each bring their own sourcing and matching work, and pearl matching in particular is graded by size and luster rather than counted by weight. Stone and pearl requirements are confirmed per project, because the same 60 pieces can be a straightforward order or a difficult one depending on the material.

Packaging. Logo cards, pouches, and boxes have their own print quantities. Treat private-label packaging as a separate workstream with its own minimum.

Where does 60 come from? It is roughly the point at which mold and setup costs stop dominating the unit price for a simple piece. Below that, the tooling is a larger share of what you pay than the metal.

Why 300 to 500 is the sweet spot

At 300 to 500 pieces, unit prices step down, plating batches fill more efficiently, and a packaging run makes economic sense. It is not a rule and not a threshold, it is the range where the production economics stop working against the order. A first order at 60 per design is a legitimate order. A reorder at 300 to 500 is where the margin usually appears.

The practical conclusion is that the first order and the second order are different exercises. The first one buys information. The second one buys margin.

The first-order timeline

Factory time from approved brief to dispatch is roughly four to six weeks if the sample passes on the first review. A sample revision resets the clock from the revision, which is the single most common reason a first order runs long. Committing to the specification before sampling starts is cheaper than changing it afterward.

Shipping is quoted by destination, weight, and volume rather than published as a rate, across DHL, FedEx, UPS, and sea freight. The choice follows the shipment: small runs move by air courier, a 500-piece order with packaging often makes sense by sea.

The fee stack, and how it comes back

Three separate charges sit in front of the production order. Two of them come back.

The $2,000 condition attaches to the design and development fee, and it applies to the production order value rather than to total project spend. That distinction is what makes the 300 to 500 range matter.

An example. Three designs, using mid-range figures across the published bands.

The design and development credit applies because the production order is above $2,000.

Now run the same arithmetic at the floor. Sixty plain gold-plated brass rings at $2.50 each is a $150 production order. The order is real, the mold is real, and the credits do not apply, because there is no production value for them to attach to. That is the whole reason the 300 to 500 range is called a sweet spot rather than a minimum. The mold is charged once and belongs to you, so a reorder at a higher quantity carries none of it.

Get the credit mechanics into the quotation in writing before the order is placed. The threshold, what it counts, and which fees are included are the details that get argued about later.

"Chinese factories only want big orders"

This idea survives because it is half true. Factories do turn down small orders, and it is rarely about the piece count.

What actually makes an order hard to run is complexity: ten designs, five finishes, four packaging formats, and a six-week window. A single design in a single finish at 60 pieces is a normal order at a low-MOQ factory and takes a normal production slot.

Three habits make a small order easy to accept.

• Keep the first run to one or two finishes.
• Share components across designs where the look allows it.
• Send the full picture in the first message: design count, quantity per design, finish count, material, stone or pearl type, packaging, target market, and the date you need goods in hand.

TEYING quotes 60 pieces per design as a standard starting point, with brass and 925 sterling silver as the two production materials. The custom jewelry manufacturer page covers how a reference moves from brief to sample to production.

After the first order

The first order should leave behind four things: an approved reference sample, a written specification sheet per SKU, a mold you own, and QC notes from the run. With those in hand, a reorder is a quantity conversation rather than a development project, and the 14 to 18 day sampling stage disappears from the schedule entirely.

That is the real argument for a small first order. It is not about spending less. It is about reaching a repeatable specification with the least exposure.

If you have a design count and a target quantity, send them through the TEYING quote form. We will confirm the per-design minimum, the sampling window, and which fees the production order can carry back.

FAQ

Is MOQ 60 per design or per order?

Per design. Three designs at 60 pieces each is a 180-piece order, and each design is reviewed separately. Finish count and stone requirements can change what the minimum is for a specific design, so confirm both in the quotation rather than assuming the catalog number applies unchanged.

Can I mix colors, stones, or designs in a 60-piece order?

Sometimes, and it is confirmed per project. Each plating color is a separate production run, and stone or pearl setting adds sourcing and matching work that varies by material. Send the finish split and the stone requirement with the brief so the answer reflects your actual order instead of a general policy.

How long does a first jewelry order take from quote to delivery?

Sampling runs 14 to 18 days and bulk production runs 2 to 3 weeks after the sample is approved, so four to six weeks of factory time before shipping if the sample passes first time. Add transit, which is quoted by destination, weight, and volume. A sample revision restarts the sampling clock.

Do I pay the sample, mold, and development fees separately?

They are quoted separately and treated differently. The design and development fee runs $200 to $800 per design and is credited once the production order passes $2,000. The mold runs $50 to $300 per design, is charged once, and belongs to you. The sample runs $50 to $150 and is credited against the production order. Confirm the mechanics in the quotation.