Finding the right costume jewelry wholesalers is essential for a successful business. The right supplier needs to provide your business with wholesale costume jewelry that is the right style, price and quantity. Building a solid relationship with a great distributor will help your business in intangible ways, such as tracking industry trends and competition and identifying new opportunities.

After identifying your business’s specific wholesale jewelry needs, there are several channels listed in the wholesale costume jewelry industry overview in which to find the right products. When looking for the right distributor, consider the following:

1. Price is extremely important but not everything; the bottom line is top priority for any business but should not be the only factor to consider when finding the right source of distribution.

2. Reliability is a key factor; your business relies on the distributor shipping the right product quantity on time and in good shape.

3. Look for a stable distribution company that has been in service for a reasonable length of time, has a solid grasp on the industry and understand their products.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get cheap wholesale costume jewelry through the manufacturer

Buying wholesale jewelry directly from a manufacturer, through a representative or salesperson, will usually get you the best prices. Buying from only one manufacturer can be limiting in product style, but buying from several manufacturers gives you more choices.

I recommend: Order rhinestone costume jewelry straight from the manufacturer, Rhinestone Jewelry Corporation, or a variety of costume jewelry from Deluxe Fashion Accessories.

Get the widest range of products through costume jewelry distributors

Jewelry wholesale distributors buy wholesale costume jewelry from many different manufacturers or designers and act as middle-men to sell those products to retailers. The prices may be a bit higher this way, but there is less work for the retailer, no minimum purchase and distributors get a good sense of a retailer's style.

I recommend: Use online costume jewelry distributors like Accessories Wholesale or Cocobell to shop various manufacturers at wholesale rates.

Cut out the middle-man to get costume jewelry wholesale from independent designers

Independent designers can offer wholesale costume jewelry that is unique in style and high in quality, giving a retailer a great edge over the competition. Independent designers can be found at trade shows displaying samples of their work.

I recommend: Meet costume jewelry designers at trade shows like International Fashion Jewelry and Accessories Group and the American Gem Expo.

Find unique wholesale costume jewelry from importers

Wholesale costume jewelry from foreign sources can be unique in style, lower priced and higher in quality than using a domestic costume jewelry supplier, if chosen carefully. Be careful of tariffs and export taxes that may raise prices in the long run.

I recommend: Import wholesale costume jewelry from international manufacturers like Kiran Exports or K & V Jewel.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Once you've established relationships with different costume jewelry suppliers, get better discounts and extra services by ordering large quantities, ordering early and comparison shopping.

Hollywood stars who parade on the carpet for award shows come dressed to the nines in expensive designer jewelry that goes back to the jeweler after the show is over. The average person, however, can look just as dressed up in replicas of celebrity bling or classic jewelry from costume jewelry distributors.

Costume jewelry is more than cheap glass and paste. Wholesale costume jewelry, properly made, will look as good, last as long, and be worn more often and get more compliments than the more expensive stuff. Diamond imitator cubic zirconia is exceeded only by diamonds, rubies and sapphires in hardness and durability, while the sterling silver it is set in is durable yet flexible enough to be worked into a number of shapes and settings.

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Choose costume jewelry suppliers that offer the largest selections

No two people like exactly the same things, and this is as true with jewelry as with anything else. Jewelry distributors that offer the widest selections build the widest customer bases; coupled with outstanding customer service, this makes for an excellent reputation.

I recommend: Since 1956, family-owned Shavonne has been a leading wholesale costume jewelry distributor and manufacturer, with a full line of jewelry that includes sterling silver high-fashion rings and Geneva watches. Best Jewelry Wholesale is a costume jewelry wholesale distributor dealing in charm bracelets, rings, earrings, pin, pendants, necklaces and key chains, as well as pins for breast cancer awareness and other causes. Costume jewelry supplier Bing Sales, Inc. offers angel jewelry, anklets, birthstone jewelry, bracelets, chains, charms and earrings, as well as a specialty line of fantasy necklaces on black rope.

Cubic zirconia is a pocketbook's best friend

This man-made crystalline form of zirconium dioxide was originally developed for optical applications, including lasers; its hardness, colorlessness and flawlessness made it an ideal diamond substitute.

I recommend: With more than 35 years of experience, costume jewelry supplier SyntheticGems.org is a leading producer of cubic zirconia in colored and colorless varieties, as well as glass simulations of rubies, sapphires and emeralds. Cubic Zirconia Wholesale Company offers factory-direct cubic zirconia jewelry set in silver mountings plated with gold or rhodium.

Go for the rhinestones, cowboy

Named for rock crystals originally found in the Rhine River, rhinestones also may be made from glass or acrylic. Backed with a metallic coating, they produce an iridescent effect that reflects any color worn near it. Although seen as cheap diamond imitations, rhinestones lend sparkle to both costumes and costume jewelry.

I recommend: Costume jewelry distributor Accessory Wholesale, Inc. offers rhinestone bracelets, earrings, pins and sets. Bluebell Wholesale offers a selection of rhinestone tiaras and a scepter, perfect for the beauty contest winner or fairy godmother in training, as well as earring and necklace sets. For those seeking Austrian crystal rhinestone jewelry or reproductions of antique pieces, retail and wholesale costume jewelry distributor Jewelrymine.com is the vendor to see, featuring a convenient drop-down menu of its wares on its website.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Most costume jewelry wholesalers will list a minimum purchase order on their websites of either quantity or dollar value. Some sites also will suggest an appropriate retail markup to recoup your costs.
• •  When reselling items bought from costume jewelry distributors to retail buyers, a major selling point is that while the stones may be inexpensive, they are set in precious metals, typically sterling silver, which is 92.5 percent pure silver.
• •  Know the difference between zircon, which is a naturally occurring stone, and cubic zirconia, which is a man-made derivative. Both are used as diamond substitutes, but cubic zirconia is much harder and more durable than its parent.
• •  Keep silver-set costume jewelry away from salts or sulfurous chemicals to keep the metal from tarnishing. Light tarnish may be removed with any commercial silver polish approved for jewelry, while removing heavy tarnish requires special polishing equipment available only from jewelers.

There is a lot of profit to be made by reselling wholesale costume jewelry. Because of the cheap materials that costume jewelry is made from, very cheap wholesale costume jewelry can be found for little cost and marked up significantly.

One of the keys to success in the resale of wholesale costume jewelry is making informed buying decisions. There is much to know about the world of costume jewelry and accessories, but start by understanding a few basic wholesale costume jewelry key terms. Remember the following when buying wholesale costume jewelry:

1. Know how to recognize and identify elements, materials and components of wholesale costume jewelry.

2. Be aware of the value and unique qualities of each material used to make costume jewelry.

3. Understand the style behind materials used to make wholesale costume jewelry.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find cubic zirconia costume jewelry wholesale

Cubic zirconia is a synthetic stone that is flawless and colorless and looks just like diamonds to the untrained eye. They are cheap, lightweight and durable, and they are used to replace diamonds in costume jewelry rings, earrings and pendants.

I recommend: Learn more about cubic zirconia, how they are made and how they compare to diamonds at CubicJewelry.com. Find cubic zirconia jewelry wholesale from costume jewelry suppliers like Accessory Wholesale and Light in the Box.

Buy cheap wholesale costume jewelry with rhinestones

Rhinestone is another synthetic stone that often simulates the look of diamonds for a much lower price. Rhinestones are made from glass, crystal or acrylic, come in a wide variety of colors and often adorn flashier pieces of costume jewelry like tiaras, tennis bracelets or anything with many small stones.

I recommend: Rhinestones.com has a lot of information on rhinestones, such as where they are manufactured, how they're made and the various shapes and sizes available. Find a wide variety of rhinestone costume jewelry and accessories from a costume jewelry supplier like K & V Jewel or JewelryMax.

Consider gold-plated costume jewelry wholesale

Plating costume jewelry in gold or white gold adds precious metal in a very thin layer over a cheaper, less-expensive metal. Gold-plating gives the appearance of fine jewelry but is much cheaper to produce.

I recommend: Read about the chemical process of gold plating, the various colors that plating can be done in and the amount of gold needed to plate jewelry at Products Finishing Magazine. Register for a free account at Olympia Gold, a costume jewelry distributor that specializes in plated jewelry, or look through the big variety of gold-plated jewelry from jewelry wholesale distributors like EMFEX.

Look for sterling silver wholesale costume jewelry

Sterling silver is a silver metal that much costume jewelry is made from because of its low price. Fine silver is between 92.5 and 99.5 percent pure - anything less will tarnish and discolor very quickly.

I recommend: Learn about the science behind sterling silver as well as how to care for it on 925-1000.com, an online encyclopedia of silver. Buy from costume jewelry distributors specializing in Sterling Silver, like AASilver or Silvex.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Purchase an illustrated guide of costume jewelry to aid in the understanding of wholesale costume jewelry key terms.

Start your search for wholesale costume jewelry to sell at retail by surveying costume jewelry suppliers. These suppliers sell earrings, necklaces, bracelets and a variety of other jewelry products at wholesale prices, allowing you to sell the same items at higher suggested retail prices and retain any profits.

There are dozens of costume jewelry distributors with wide-ranging inventory — everything from costume gemstones, to rhinestones, to silver and gold pieces. When planning your budget, consider the three factors below that will affect wholesale costume jewelry pricing and costs:

1. Costume jewelry wholesalers typically offer volume discounts that reduce the per-piece price with a minimum buy.

2. Many costume jewelry distributors require a minimum on all orders.

3. Costume jewelry pieces are often sold in sets containing multiple pieces.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Take advantage of volume discounts frequently offered by costume jewelry distributors

Volume discounts can save your business significant amounts of money. The more you buy, the lower your price per piece. Discounts can be up to 25% additional off wholesale. The savings become substantial if your business requires a large inventory of costume jewelry.

I recommend: CostumeWholesaleJewelry offers up to 25% off the total price when customers spend more than $5,000. Accessory Wholesale provides an extra 5% discount on orders exceeding $500.

Note the minimum order required to buy cheap wholesale costume jewelry

Most wholesale costume jewelry companies require a minimum order. They usually do not sell to individuals, but only to boutiques or other vendors that offer costume jewelry as part of their inventory.

I recommend: Cool Jewels by Phillip International requires a $250 minimum on first-time orders and $200 for repeat customers. Cheap Wholesale Jewelry requires a $100 minimum when purchasing costume jewelry.

Buy from costume jewelry wholesale companies that sell items in sets

Many costume jewelry wholesalers sell their items in sets containing multiple pieces of the same jewelry. Still others offer sets of multiple pieces of jewelry containing earrings, necklaces and even bracelets. Either way, buying sets can save your business money because the per-piece price is reduced.

I recommend: CloseoutCostumeJewelry sells 350 pairs of earrings or a 400-piece assortment of rings, necklaces and bracelets for $150. Hannah D has a wide variety of costume jewelry sold in packs of 12 called "dozen packs", starting at $7.50 per pack.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Some costume jewelry distributors offer membership clubs. A membership of this sort may be worth considering if your business purchases a lot of costume jewelry. Membership benefits include steeper discounts, member-only offers and previews.