Diagram 1: Merchandising — India to USA

Diagram 1

Merchandising — India to USA

This is how the merchandising team actually operates when you're shipping high-value jewellery from Chennai or Hyderabad to a private exhibition in New Jersey, Houston, or Atlanta. The flow covers the full round trip — pieces going out, being shown, being sold or returned, and what happens at each stage on both ends.

flowchart TD A([Season Brief from Management]) --> B[Category & Budget Planning] B --> C[Shortlist Designs from Studio] C --> D{Design Cleared for Export?} D -->|No — revise| C D -->|Yes| E[Hallmarking & BIS Certification India side] E --> F[Third-Party Gem Lab Certificates GIA / IGI / SGL] F --> G[Photography & Digital Catalogue for Pre-Show Client Previews] G --> H[US Retail Price List Duty + Insurance + Margin] H --> I[Piece-Level Export Valuation for Customs Invoice] I --> J[Pack & Seal in Tamper-Evident Security Cases] J --> K[Export from India IEC · Shipping Bill · ARE-1] K --> L[US Customs Clearance HTS Code 7113 · CBP Entry] L --> M[Receive at US Exhibition Venue] M --> N{Exhibition Outcome} N -->|Piece Sold| O[Invoice Raised in USD Client Record Updated] N -->|Custom Order Placed| P[Specs Sent to India Studio Deposit Collected] N -->|Piece Unsold| Q[Decide: Store in US or Return to India] O --> R[Reconcile Stock — Update Merchandising Master Sheet] P --> R Q -->|Store in US bonded/consignment| S[US Storage with Insurance Endorsement] Q -->|Return to India| T[Re-import to India Bill of Entry · Drawback Claim] S --> R T --> U[Restock in India Inventory Update Export Records] R --> V([Season Closed — Report to Management]) style A fill:#1B2A4A,color:#C9A84C,stroke:#1B2A4A style V fill:#2C5F2E,color:#fff,stroke:#2C5F2E style D fill:#2C3E6B,color:#fff,stroke:#3D5A8A style N fill:#2C3E6B,color:#fff,stroke:#3D5A8A

Notes

Stage by Stage

What each step means in practice

1

Category & Budget Planning Before a single piece is selected, the merchandising team fixes the total number of pieces, the split between gold, diamond, and gemstone categories, and the price band mix. For a Telugu audience, you need pieces from Rs 2 lakh all the way up to Rs 50 lakh plus. Going without a plan means you either over-pack and pay excess insurance, or under-pack and miss sales.

2

Hallmarking & BIS Certification Every gold piece going to the US should carry BIS hallmark. It is not always legally required at the US end, but any sophisticated buyer will ask. It also helps if customs in India questions the valuation — a hallmarked piece has a traceable assay record.

3

Third-Party Gem Lab Certificates GIA, IGI, or SGL certificates for diamonds and coloured stones are non-negotiable for US exhibition sales. American buyers — including the Telugu HNI community — are used to certified stones. An uncertified stone above half a carat will almost always be questioned.

4

US Retail Price List The Indian manufacturing cost is not your US retail price. Add import duty (currently 5.5% basic + IGST equivalent on some routes, though the exact rate needs checking with your customs broker for 2025-26), insurance, freight, your agent margin if applicable, and the margin itself. Build the list in USD before the show, not during it.

5

Piece-Level Export Valuation Each piece on the shipping bill needs an individual declared value. Under-declaration to save on insurance or duties is a customs offence in both India and the US. Over-declaration inflates your insurance premium. Get an independent valuation if needed — jewellers in Chennai and Hyderabad who export regularly use GJEPC-approved valuers.

6

Export from India — IEC, Shipping Bill, ARE-1 Your Import Export Code (IEC) must be active. The Shipping Bill is filed through ICEGATE. An ARE-1 form is relevant if you are exporting under bond for exhibitions or trade fairs under the Customs Act. Your freight forwarder handles this, but your team needs to understand what each document is — otherwise you cannot chase delays intelligently.

7

US Customs Clearance — HTS 7113 Jewellery falls under HTS Chapter 71 at US customs. Your customs broker in the US will file the CBP entry. Make sure the invoice, packing list, and gem certificates all match exactly — weight, piece count, metal purity. Any mismatch triggers an exam, and an exam means days of delay.

8

Custom Orders Placed at Exhibition When a client places a custom order, take a minimum 25-30% deposit in USD, record the brief in writing, and send it to India the same night. Do not rely on verbal notes. The brief should include finger size, metal colour, stone preference, weight range, and a reference image if available.

9

Unsold Pieces — Store or Return This decision is purely financial. If you have another exhibition coming in 6-8 weeks in a different US city, it makes sense to store the pieces in a bonded warehouse or with a trusted insured storage partner. If the next show is 6 months away, the insurance cost of keeping pieces in the US likely outweighs the freight cost of returning them to India.

10

Return to India — Re-import & Duty Drawback Pieces brought into the US and then returned to India go through re-import. In India, you can claim duty drawback or re-credit of the export benefit if the goods are returned unused and unsold. Your customs agent in India needs the original shipping bill number and the US re-export documentation. Keep these files clean from the start — chasing them retrospectively is painful.

Checklist

Merchandising — India to USA

Stage by Stage

Operational Checklist