Enamel pin Grading Guidelines + Manufacturing expectations

How do you know your enamel pins are of high quality?

Welcome creators to the important world of Pin grading!

You are most likely here because you found out that not all enamel pins are the same and you care about the quality of your enamel pins and you just want to know more :)

This guide covers why and how to grade enamel pins and defect rates. First of all, not every artist or manufacturer cares about scoring, and any good manufacturer or store should have a page like this explaining their scoring process.

Always trust artists and manufacturers who understand the enamel pin grading process, which shows that they care about their craft and their customers.

Our rigorous grading process and quality checks include each pin being individually assessed by two different team members, protective packaging for transportation, dust proof manufacturing areas, and the use of only the highest grade materials. Since grading can vary between creators and collectors, this guide compiles a variety of grading methods to create a true guide/standard for your enamel pin grading.

Why is grading important?

The manufacturing of the enamel pins is obviously handmade, making this product unique, no two pins are exactly the same. Handmade enamel pins are like works of art, and handmade means a much higher chance of imperfection. A grading sheet tells other artists and customers the quality of your enamel pins.

Pin grading is simply a quality check of a Pin using a predetermined grading standard.

Enamel pin defect rate

The defect rate refers to an obvious defect or a major defect, and depending on your manufacturer, your order should be between 10% and 50%. Products below 10% are considered good, and our quality is well within this range. To help artists reduce the defect rate, we also offer more pins than the number of pins you order. Be careful, a common horror story is that a lower price or quality factory will end up costing you more money for pins that you won't be able to sell.

Working with different manufacturers, the difficulty of the design, the size of the needle and the size of the area that needs to be filled with enamel, and the number of colors needed to make the design all increase the defect rate. Not all pins can be flawless, which is why the pin grading system was born :)

"A great way to get value out of lower quality or significantly defective enamel pins is to add them to a customer order as an additional gift, or if you're selling at a convention, give them away free to staff/volunteers as a thank you!" You'll have fans and friends for a lifetime."

Some artists choose to sell these pieces at a discount to cost, but doing so can really reduce your store value.

Standard for grading enamel pins

A grade

This level is for serious collectors and perfectionists. In order to avoid annoying this type of customer, please strictly adhere to the following standards, as these are the worst in Level A. Lower your rating when in doubt or let your customers decide :)

The guiding principles include:

·Tiny bubbles are trapped in the enamel

·Minor underenamel filling

·Slight defects or scratches in metal plating

·A small notch in enamel or metal plating

·The pin has a flaw on the side or back

Grade B

These pins have more obvious flaws. While some people will display their brooches, many will wear them. Grade b needles are mainly used to pin on jackets, bags and hats.

These are meant to be worn on bags and backpacks, so it's important that they don't fall off. Because they are not perfect, they are the best choice for those who like to show off their brooches. Two needle backs... Locking the backlock is still recommended for frequent use.

Who can't justify destroying a perfect pin.

The guiding principles include:

·A small area of enamel loss

·Moderately scratched or notched enamel or metal

·A small notch in enamel or metal

·Multiple defects

·Incorrect flash

·Plating missing or peeling

Class C

These pins are what no creator wants, which usually means that these pins need to be remade and cannot be sold. There will always be defects in the manufacturing process (check the defect rate section above), but a good manufacturer will take action when there are too many defects and prevent them with higher quality checks in the first place.

Manufacturing expectation

Each enamel pin is handmade, that is, they are all unique. So the order of your needles will change.

All enamel pins go through a strict quality classification before they leave the factory. While no order can be 100% perfect, we help provide the best experience for our creators by making more orders than we pay for and sending those orders along with them.

Below is a handy list to let you know what is acceptable for pin manufacturing.

Acceptable Unacceptable

Small areas of dust, fibers, bubbles<--->Missing/ chipped enamel paint

Uneven/overspill enamel paint/glitter<-->Variation of Pantone color in the same order

Slight variation in Pantone color<-------->Highly Tarnished

Minor variation from a previous order<-->Missing cut-outs

Some slight marks<----------------------->Broken fixing

Minor flashing on edges<----------------->Fixing position makes pin hang upside down

Variation in clutch position

Now that you have the knowledge to rate your enamel pins like a pro, it's time to teach others and maintain high quality.

Our team is very excited to work with you! Want to know more? Please feel free to contact us via email /WhatsApp.