Service 01 · Sourcing · OEM & ODM

Source from Thailand without losing margin to translation.

End-to-end OEM and ODM consulting for jewelry brands and retailers sourcing from Thailand and Asia. Supplier selection, costing governance, sample-to-production protocols, and quality systems — run by an advisor who has built and sold from the same factories.

ENGAGEMENT 4-week diagnostic, then ongoing
GEOGRAPHY Thailand · Asia sourcing belt
CLIENT TYPE Brands · Retailers · Buyers
FORMAT Zoom + factory visits as needed
01Why this matters

The three places overseas buyers leak margin in jewelry OEM.

After three decades on both sides of the table — the factory floor and the buyer's office — the same patterns repeat. Most buyers don't know they're paying for them.

01 · Hidden costs

Landed cost is not the quote sheet.

Metal loss assumptions, finishing yields, freight categorization, and import duty classification can move a unit cost by 8–18% before anyone notices.

02 · Translation loss

Design intent rarely survives unsupervised.

Without a golden-sample protocol, every production run drifts a little. Six months in, the product on the shelf is not the product that was approved.

03 · Supplier opacity

Factory capability isn't what the rep says it is.

Casting, finishing, stone-setting, and QC are different specialties. Most factories are excellent at two and average at the third — and the marketing rarely tells you which.

02Methodology

Five phases. One coherent system.

Each phase has a defined exit criterion. We don't move forward until the previous phase has measurably landed.

01
Diagnostic
Audit your current supplier mix, recent landed costs, defect history, and lead-time variance. Identify the two or three highest-leverage moves before any structural change.
Week 1–2
02
Supplier shortlist
Curated, vetted shortlist of two to four factories matched to your category, volume, and quality bar. Capability scored across casting, finishing, setting, and QC — independent of marketing claims.
Week 2–4
03
Costing model
A landed-cost calculator built from your actual SKUs — metal loss, finishing yield, stone allowance, freight, duty, and overhead — so quotes get rebuilt the same way every time.
Week 3–5
04
Sample-to-production
Golden-sample protocol, QA gates at casting, finishing, and final inspection, and an approval workflow that doesn't depend on memory. Drift is detected before it ships.
Week 4–8
05
Run-rate & review
Monthly KPI review against landed-cost target, defect rate, on-time delivery, and supplier scorecard. Quarterly bottom-line re-walk to ensure the system holds.
Ongoing
Typical impact
8–14%
Landed-cost reduction once costing model and QA gates are in place.
Defect rate
3×
Drop in returns and rework after sample-to-production protocol stabilizes.
Time to first PO
6 wk
From kickoff to first production order with a newly qualified supplier.
03Deliverables

What you actually receive.

A working set of artifacts that outlive the engagement — your team can run the system after we step back.

Supplier capability map

A document showing each shortlisted factory scored on casting, finishing, setting, and QC — with named contacts, real lead times, and category fit notes.

Landed-cost calculator

A working spreadsheet (your data, your SKUs) that rebuilds unit cost the same way every quote — metal, finishing yield, stones, freight, duty, overhead.

QA protocol document

The gates, tolerances, and inspection rubric your factories and your inspectors will both work to — written in language that translates across languages.

Sample-approval workflow

Golden-sample governance — how new SKUs move from concept through prototype, pilot, and pilot-to-production with traceable approval at every step.

Monthly KPI dashboard

Landed cost vs. target, defect rate, on-time delivery, and supplier scorecard — a single page your buying and operations teams both read.

Quarterly bottom-line review

A standing review of sourcing decisions against the P&L — so the system stays connected to the financial reality, not drifted from it.

04Who it's for

Built for four sourcing situations.

Whether you're entering Thailand for the first time or consolidating an established supplier base, the system adapts to where you are.

A · New to Asia

US or EU brands sourcing from Thailand for the first time

Founder-led brands or established labels expanding their supplier base into Asia who need a structured entry — not a phonebook of factory names.

B · Multi-supplier

Multi-retailer buyers managing several OEM relationships

Buyers running parallel factory relationships who want a common costing and QA standard applied uniformly across the supplier set.

C · Consolidating

Existing brands tightening or rationalizing supplier base

Brands with a mature factory portfolio looking to consolidate, re-cost, and lift quality after years of organic growth in the supplier list.

D · ODM-led

Retailers buying ODM collections from Asian developers

Programs that buy designed-and-developed assortments off the floor — where the leverage is in selection, pricing structure, and exclusivity terms.

05Engagement

Diagnostic, then ongoing.

Most engagements begin with a four-week diagnostic — a fixed, scoped piece of work — and continue as monthly advisory if the system needs sustained operation.

Diagnostic

Four-week sourcing diagnostic.

Fixed-scope · single deliverable, no commitment beyond

  • Current-state audit of supplier mix, costs, and defect history
  • Two or three highest-leverage moves identified and quantified
  • Recommended phase plan and engagement shape, if any
  • One-hour debrief with the owner and operations lead
Book the diagnostic
06FAQ

Questions buyers ask first.

A sourcing agent is paid per transaction and earns from the spread between factory and buyer. An advisor is paid by the buyer and works against the buyer's landed cost. The two roles sit on different sides of the table — and our work is structured so it stays that way. We do not take commissions, kickbacks, or rebates from factories.
Transparent. The supplier capability map names factories, contacts, and capability scores; your team is the contracting party. We do not insert ourselves between the buyer and the factory — and we do not take a margin on production.
A 45-minute discovery Zoom — free — to map your situation and confirm fit. If we proceed, the four-week diagnostic is the standard first piece of paid work, with a defined deliverable. Most clients continue into monthly advisory after the diagnostic; some don't, and that's fine.
Advisory plus on-the-ground oversight when needed — factory visits, sample reviews, golden-sample sign-off. We do not operate production directly; we install the systems your team and your factories operate to.
Fine jewelry (gold and silver, set and unset), bridal, demi-fine, and selected fashion-jewelry programs. Diamond and colored-stone supply is in scope; we can pull in trusted partners for gem sourcing and grading where helpful.
Always. Mutual NDAs are signed before any client data, costs, or supplier names are exchanged. Where the work touches multiple competing buyers in similar categories, we maintain clean information walls and decline engagements where conflicts cannot be honestly managed.
Ready when you are

Source from Thailand, with the system in place.

One conversation is usually enough to map where the leverage is in your supplier mix, your costing structure, or your QA system. Bring your hardest sourcing question first.

News from the practice

One note a month. Written by hand.

A short, useful note from the trade — what we’re working on, what’s changed in jewelry sourcing, operations, and brand. Sent only when there’s something worth sending. No tracking pixels, no upsells.