Tracing Your Stones and Materials: A Maker’s Guide

Loch Ness · HANDMADE, CHECKED · Materials and sourcing

Part of: How Jewelry Makers Can Prove Their Work Is Handmade, in the guide Is Handmade Jewelry Really Handmade? What It Guarantees

By Camille G., founder of Loch Ness · Published September 29, 2026 · Last updated September 29, 2026

Short answer: keep a simple record of what goes into each piece, where it came from and what you did to it. You won’t publish most of it. But the day someone asks “did you really make this, and what is it made of?”, you’ll answer with dates and invoices instead of adjectives.

Human Origin Label · For jewelry makers Your paper trail is part of your proof. Show your materials and process once on a video call, and get a public page that says what was reviewed. Free during the pilot. Get verified, it’s free → Not ready for a review? Get the free self-declared badge →

Why materials matter for a “handmade” claim

In the US, the FTC’s definition of handmade starts from raw materials: sheet, strip, wire, metal clay, ingots, casting grain and similar stock that hasn’t already been turned into parts or blanks (16 CFR § 23.2). So what you start from is literally part of the claim. An invoice for silver wire tells a different story from an invoice for finished pendants.

The same Jewelry Guides also cover how you describe metal content, with separate sections on gold, silver and vermeil, and on disclosing treatments to gemstones (16 CFR Part 23). The gemstone rules ask sellers to disclose treatments that aren’t permanent, that create special care requirements, or that significantly affect a stone’s value (Federal Register, 2000 revision). You can only disclose what you know, which is why your supplier records matter.

What to keep

• Invoices, with the supplier name and what exactly you bought: “sterling silver round wire, 1 mm”, not just “silver”.
• Supplier statements about stones: origin if known, and any treatment such as heating, dyeing or stabilizing. Ask by email so the answer is in writing.
• Lot or batch references when suppliers give them.
• A photo of new stock on arrival, next to the packing slip. Ten seconds, and it dates your materials.
• Certificates for anything that comes with one.

A piece log that takes two minutes

One row per piece, in a spreadsheet or a notebook. It links your materials to your process photos and becomes the backbone of any proof you ever need.

Piece	Date	Materials (invoice ref.)	Done by hand	Photos
R-0142 ring	2026-03-12	Sterling wire 1 mm (INV-2231), labradorite cabochon (INV-2240)	Bezel, soldering, setting, polishing	Folder “R-0142”
N-0087 necklace	2026-03-15	Garnet beads (INV-2198), silk cord (INV-2201), clasp bought finished	Stringing, knotting	Folder “N-0087”

Notice the second row: the clasp was bought finished, and the log says so. That honesty is what makes the rest of the record believable.

What to share, and what to keep private

• Share: the type of material, whether stones are treated, what you do by hand, and what you buy ready-made.
• Keep private if you prefer: supplier names, prices and quantities. You can show them to a reviewer or a customer with a real question without publishing them.

Records show what a piece is made of. Photos show it being made: workshop photos and videos that convince buyers. Marketplaces handle all this very differently, as you’ll see in what Etsy and others actually verify.

Have your materials and process checked once, and link to it for good. Apply for a free review →

Full disclosure: Human Origin, the label mentioned on this page, is something I created. I’m flagging it so you can weigh what I say about it. The facts above rest on the sources below.

Sources

• FTC Jewelry Guides — 16 CFR § 23.2, misuse of the terms “handmade,” “hand-polished,” etc. (via Cornell LII)
• FTC Jewelry Guides — 16 CFR Part 23, list of sections (via Cornell LII)
• Federal Register — Revision of the Jewelry Guides sections on gemstone treatments (December 2000)

Update log

September 29, 2026 — First publication.