Sterling Silver Chain Manufacturers

[BH1]

Hi!

Which countries are known for good sterling silver chain manufacturing that are affordable? I have been searching for a manufacturer for finished chains. Our orders are increasing daily and we don't have the time to finish each chain ourselves anymore.

I found a Spanish chain manufacturer and they are really great and professional and have all the styles I'm looking for but their prices (especially for gold plated sterling silver chain) is quite pricey per chain. Although I haven't found any other suitable manufacturers yet to compare the prices to. I have seen online Bali is quite good for high quality sterling silver chains but I'm struggling to find a manufacturer on google and I would rather find one that specialises in chains.

Basically the prices I have been quoted are as follows;
1.2mm trace chain 16" length is £1.35 but to have it plated to 2 microns gold we are looking at around £4 or more.
2mm curb chain in 15" its £3.30 and around £6.50-£7 with 2 microns gold plating.
These prices are for 1 finished chain.

I have only ever really bought loose chain and never gold plated sterling silver so I'm not sure if these are decent prices? It's making me wonder if I should just sell sterling silver chains and 2 micron gold plated brass chains to keep the costs down. I'm not sure if my customers would care if the gold plated chains had brass underneath or sterling silver.


Any advice on this would be really helpful! :)

[Dennis]

It depends at which end of the market you intend to place yourself. Is it 'Pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap'?
If you sell plated brass, your customers will be less than chuffed when they find them turning black in patches, so make sure you plan your getaway. Dennis.

[josef1]

Thailand is cheap and good quality if you look for it. You will need to buy in bulk though probily best to go to one of the big shows yourself and see what your getting.

[pearlescence]

Remember that at the moment importing anything from anywhere is going to be completely unpredictable in a few months.
For now if you buy from outside the EU you will need to add customs, duty and agents fees to anything you import.
India and China manufacture everything. Try Alibaba.com (sourcing) or Aliexpress.com (buying)
Italy is known for top quality chain.
Hong Kong usually has jewellery shows (three a year) and Thailand has two. But both countries have strict entry quarantine rules at the moment and shows are cancelled