Wholesale Jewelry Supplies – Best Places to Buy

If your jewelry business is growing, you’re probably starting to look around for wholesale jewelry making supplies and which suppliers or distributors to buy from.

If you’ve been buying jewelry and other fashion accessories from local suppliers and are interested in exploring different sources to buy in bulk, this post will get you started.

After covid, many offline events are likely not happening or are starting back up. So here are some online vendors to consider as well as a list of offline jewelry and accessory-specific trade shows.

Updated March 2023

Buying Wholesale Jewelry Supplies Online

Many of you are probably already buying your jewelry supplies online. Shopping online for wholesale supplies can be tricky because when you’re buying in bulk, you want to see and touch the items before ordering.  Here are a list of sites based on popularity (Alexa rankings) that you can compare pricing and quantity minimums on.

Most online vendors provide a good collection of basic supplies like beads, chains etc. For the more specialty supplies, consider attending one of the trade shows listed later in this post.

Amazon

Most people don’t think of Amazon for wholesale jewelry but if you are looking for small quantities like 1 or 2 dozen chains or a pack of jump rings or a bag of beads , Amazon is a great source. Many of the bigger wholesalers sell in smaller quantities on Amazon.

For example, try searching for the below keywords and you’ll see so many different options. And it’s Amazon so you probably already have an account there, it ships fast and their customer service is good.

• wholesale gold chains (see current prices on Amazon)
• bulk turquoise stones (see current prices on Amazon)
• wholesale beads (see current prices on Amazon)
• bulk pearls (see current prices on Amazon)

On the flip side, Amazon may not have many unique styles or designs. That’s when you need a specialist wholesale store like many of the ones listed below.

I’m a jewelry photographer. If you’re in the US and looking to outsource your product photography, view my jewelry photography services.

Faire

Faire is a relatively new wholesale marketplace.  Per their site, Faire is “an online wholesale marketplace empowering small business owners and independent brands to buy and sell wholesale online.” Independent jewelry designers list their products in Faire’s jewelry marketplace to sell wholesale to retailers and boutiques. Given that sellers here tend to be artisans and indie designers, the collection here is very different from any of the other wholesalers listed here. 

If you’re looking for unique products made in small batches, this is the site to browse.

Alibaba

This is the biggest wholesale supply site out there – they connect you directly to manufacturers in China. This is not a jewelry specific site but there is a jewelry category along with fashion accessories, clothing, and everything you can possibly think of. There are two sites – Alibaba and Alibaba Wholesale. Alibaba has higher minimum quantities so pricing is lower. Alibaba Wholesale caters to smaller businesses – minimum quantities are lower but prices are a bit higher.

These sites are overwhelming in terms of the number of products on the site. It’ll take you some time to find what you need. Also, since most of them are overseas factories, this means that you may have to deal with import duties.

But if you find a supplier you like, the difference in prices can be well worth it.

PandaWhole.com / PandaHall.com

This is similar to Alibaba in that they source from Chinese factories. However, this is a store (not a marketplace like Alibaba is). So you are dealing with Panda as an online wholesaler who sells products from multiple Chinese factories. Similar to Alibaba, PandaWhole targets medium to large wholesale orders while Pandahall caters to small to medium volumes (still at very competitive prices).

And again, their listings can be overwhelming but the savings can make it worth your while.

Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

This is a popular US based wholesale supply destination. They have an easy to use site and a pricing system where they let you buy different quantity levels at different price points. And their site is categorized well.

They also cater to higher quantity orders through their Platinum Partner’s Program where you can get additional discounts on top of the wholesale pricing.

JewelrySupply.Com

Jewelry Supply has been around for over 25 years. They are US based too and they have an easy to navigate site. Their collection includes wholesale everything jewelry-related including tools, beads, Swarovski crystal, gemstones, chains, metals, etc. And they sell display and packaging products too. If you’re looking for ideas on new products to make, there is a section with tutorials where they walk you through how to make different types of jewelry.

Rio Grande

As their about page says “we remain committed to supporting anyone who has ever picked up a piece of metal and made something wearable”. They have a great collection of findings, beads, packaging, tools and everything else you may need along your journey as a jewelry maker. They also have a great selection of in-person classes in their New Mexico location and also online courses on Craftsy.

Etsy

You can also find small lots of wholesale deals on Etsy. While Etsy is known more for gifts and retail sellers, there are several wholesale supply deals that you won’t find anywhere else – because there are deals here that may be overstock from a bigger lot that a designer purchased for themselves. You’ll find opportunities to getting interesting custom-made beads and stones that you may not be able to get anywhere else at small quantities.

Jewelry & Accessories focused Trade Shows

There are many jewelry trade shows out there – jewelers.org has a great show listing page here. Most of these shows sell wholesale supplies as well as finished jewelry. We picked a few of them to feature here but if you’re looking for shows near you, take a look at listing page. Another way to find these shows is to Google “jewelry trade shows near me” and you should see listings, if there are any.

MJSA EXPO: The Show for Professional Jewelry Makers

MJSA is an association of jewelry makers, designers and suppliers. They hold a regular trade expo with a huge floor of global suppliers wholesaling different types of jewelry supplies including tools, equipment, metals, findings, chains, gemstones, and even some finished jewelry for store owners.

Their expo is held at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York. Non-members can attend with a minimal entrance fee.  Click here for the list of exhibitors to see if this is right for you.

Tucson Gem & Mineral Show

This is one of the the largest and longest running series of simultaneous shows targeted for wholesale and retail buyers. The trade show kicks off every first quarter of the year at the Tucson Convention Center in Arizona and runs for two weeks.

Check schedules and learn more about this show here.

G&LW Trade Shows

The Gem and Lapidary Wholesalers organizes a series of trade shows all year round across the US. This show focuses on wholesaling gems and minerals. You can register here to attend. They have a lot of shows so check if their site to see have one near you.

 

AKS GEM Shows

AKS Gem has been organizing and managing jewelry wholesale events for more than 35 years. Their shows feature a variety of finished jewelry and supplies. Thes shows are also open to the public but wholesale pricing is only for those with seller permits. You can view their current schedule here.

Bead and Button Show

If you’re a beader, then this show is perfect for you. Aside from selling beads, they have a host of classes where you can learn new techniques and expand your collection.

Their show is held in May/June each year at Milwaukee. Show dates can be found on their site.

JCK

They have a big one in Las Vegas in June each year. They claim to be the largest jewelry trade show in the US selling everything from finished pieces to wholesale supplies and tools. Their Vegas about page has some impressive stats: 2300 exhibitors and 23000+ retailers in attendance.

They have 5-7 shows per year across the US. Click on the ‘Shows’ button on the JCK site for dates.

Wholesale supplier tips from our readers

In a recent newsletter, I asked for my readers to reply with tips on where they buy jewelry supplies and any jewelry related resources. Here are some of the notes I received. Some of the links here overlap with the ones above but there is some more context here.

Submitted by Carole from Indigo Turtle Art

We purchase the supplies we finish our handcrafted porcelain jewelry with from:

• Firemountain Gems – findings, chains, crystals, cord for Kumihimo braids
• Rio Grande – findings
• Fusion Beads – crystals
• Tuscon Gem & Mineral show – beads
• Bead & Button Show – Milwaukee, WI – crystals for our porcelain jewelry & beads for Kumihimo

Submitted by Judi from Judi McCormick Jewelry

• I get most supplies from the regular places that everyone already knows, i.e. Rio, Stuller, CGM, and Otto Frei.
• As a source for pearl knowledge, the forum of Pearl-guide.com is invaluable. Information is top quality and monitored. The search engines are helpful and well maintained. They don’t allow any outright plugging of personal sales, but sourcing is great. 

Submitted by Andrew & Trish from AGTG Creations

Fashion Chainmaille (Anodized Aluminum, Copper, Stainless Steel jump rings)

• The Ring Lord – good quality jump rings, great prices, excellent resource

Fine Chainmaille & Fine Wire-work (including clasps, chain and findings)

• Rio Grande Jewelry Supply – great quality, huge selection, fast shipping, we feel they’re just the best overall jeweler supplier we’ve found and we get all our wire and some of our fine jump rings there since we use Argentium® for 98% of our silver jewelry
• Urban Maille (superb quality, fantastic prices on jump rings, all orders custom so 1-2 week wait time)

Fashion Wire-work, Beads, Clasps, Chain & Findings

• Fire Mountain Gems & Beads – good quality, decent sales, a bit pricey unless you get unit discounts for higher volume orders, huge selection, fantastic informational resource
• Artbeads – good quality, lots of worthwhile sales, cash back and points rewards are nice, good selection, free economy shipping over $25, note; can be unreliable on item count when purchasing larger quantities of items, easy to be shorted, MUST count all items, helpful customer service
• Beaducation – good video tutorial and informational resource, good quality, a bit pricey

Wholesale packaging supplies, business supplies and more…

• Allure sells a full line of quality jewelry packaging, displays, and jewelry store supplies.  They offer in-house custom imprinting with small minimums, granting easy access to custom branded packaging.  
• Store Supply – large selection of all kinds of store display, lovely acrylic jewelry displays and lockable acrylic table displays, function and day to day business items for physical locations and events, fantastic prices, fast shipping.
• Vistaprint – good prices, useful sales, great resource for printed advertising such as signs and business cards
• Packaging Price – good prices, large selection, great for corrugated mailing boxes
• Fire Mountain Gems, Hobby Lobby, Joann’s Fabrics, Rio Grande, Amazon, Ebay – all of these are good resources for jewelry supplies & displays as well

This is information I would have absolutely loved having when we started our journey, so we hope this can now help someone else on theirs!

Submitted by Nicholas from Viva Latina

• For gold chains, clasp and findings for gold earrings, I go to Otto Frei and also Cooks on Gold, I usually find what I need to one in one of these stores.
• For hand tools for metal working, I go to Jets Inc. or PMC Supplies, they both have a large choice of tools at good prices.
• For stones, I go to Alpha Imports, they have a very large choice of gemstones, with a lot of cuts, sizes and quality. Other sites I use are Stachura and Gem Rock Auctions.
• I tend to buy diamonds from Brilliance as they have good prices and ship to Mexico. They are friendly on chat and respond quickly.
• Israel Diamonds is another site I use for diamonds. It’s a bit more expensive than Alpha Imports or Brilliance but is a good option when I cannot find the diamond I am looking for on the other sites.
• When I need cubic zirconia for silver project or cheaper pave jewelry, I use Wholesale Loose CZ. They are in China. The quality is good to excellent depending of your choice and they deliver fast.

That’s it for responses from our readers.

And a plug for our own services: If you you need help photographing your jewelry for your ecommerce store or Amazon/Etsy and you’re located in the US, learn more about our jewelry photography services.

---

Summary

In general, if you’re buying in smaller quantities, buying from businesses in your home country is better because you don’t have to deal with duties or face communication hurdles. For larger quantities, where price becomes a key factor, it’s worth exploring suppliers in other countries, depending on what that region specializes in supplying.

And of course, there’s also Amazon and Ebay to browse through for bulk supplies.

Know other great wholesale jewelry suppliers or trade shows – submit your site here. I may update this post or feature your site in a future blog.