How to read a jewelry test report (and the four attributes that make it evidence)
Standard, laboratory, report number, date. Miss one and the report is decoration. A buyer's guide to verifying compliance documentation.
A test report is not a certificate of virtue. It is a measurement, made by a laboratory, on a sample, at a point in time. Four attributes make it usable as evidence — and any one missing makes it decoration.
The four attributes
- The standard — which method was applied. For coated jewelry, nickel release must be tested after EN 12472 wear simulation; a report citing only EN 1811 does not cover the article as sold.
- The laboratory — who made the measurement. Cross-check the report number with the issuing laboratory directly; this single step filters most fabricated paperwork.
- The report number — the traceable identifier that ties the document to a specific measurement.
- The date — when the measurement was made. Plating baths drift; a report from six lots ago says nothing about the lot you are buying.
Per-batch or not at all
This is why our compliance position is per-batch testing: the report for the matching alloy, plating and batch travels with your quotation. A site-wide “compliant” badge would be a claim about products that have not been made yet — which is precisely the kind of claim a buyer should refuse to accept.