Exports 

Imitation jewellery (HS 7117, finished bead jewellery)

• India exports, 2023: US$ 145 million; top buyers include the USA (largest), UK, Spain, etc. (UN Comtrade via TrendEconomy/OEC).

Glass beads & smallwares (HS 7018, bead inputs/components)

• India exports, 2023: ~US$ 49.3 million; key buyers USA (~US$ 24.9m), Austria (~US$ 10.9m), Nepal. (OEC bilateral reporter: India → HS7018, 2023).
  

Handicrafts overall (context for category buyers/channels)

• India’s handicrafts exports FY2023–24: ₹31,095 crore (≈US$3.8 bn) per EPCH/IBEF; EPCH reports growth to ₹33,122.79 crore in 2024–25 (provisional, 179 HS codes). These flows power channels that also carry bead jewellery/handicrafts.
  

Quality & compliance 

Chemical safety for jewellery & components (especially metal-plated parts, clasps, findings, coatings):

• EU REACH Annex XVII
  
  • Nickel release: ≤ 0.5 µg/cm²/week for items in prolonged skin contact; ≤0.2 µg/cm²/week for piercing items (test per EN 1811, updated EN 1811:2023).
    
  • Lead (Entry 63): ≤0.05% by weight in any jewellery part.
    
  • Cadmium (Entry 23): ≤0.01% in metal parts of jewellery.
    
  • Consolidated list: ECHA Annex XVII.
    
• United States (children’s jewellery)
  
  • CPSIA total lead: ≤100 ppm in accessible components; ≤90 ppm in surface coatings.
    
  • ASTM F2923 (referenced standard for children’s jewellery): chemical & mechanical safety methods.
    

Product performance 

Colour fastness of coatings/dyes, plating adhesion, string/cord tensile strength, clasp cycle life, and sharp-edge checks—typically aligned to retailer QA manuals and ASTM F2999/F963 where applicable (not legally cited here; treat as buyer-specific test plans). (Note: no Indian BIS mandatory QCO for imitation/bead jewellery as of Aug 28, 2025; exporters follow destination-market rules plus retailer protocols.)

Why India / regional specificity = an edge

GI-tagged bead craft & deep cluster capability

• Varanasi (Banaras) Glass Beads — GI-registered (certificate date 10-Nov-2016); traditional lamp-work bead-making with documented craft process and artisan base.
  
• Firozabad (Uttar Pradesh) — India’s historic glass cluster; ODOP-listed for glassware/bangles; the cluster contributes >70% of MSME glass output and almost the entire bangle production in India, supplying bead/blown-glass inputs and skilled labour.

Tribal/heritage beadwork with clear provenance stories

• Nagaland bead jewellery (Konyak, Ao, Angami, etc.)—multi-strand glass/stone bead traditions; documented by NEHHDC and cultural scholarship, giving powerful authenticity cues for premium lines.
  
• Gujarat “Moti Bharat” (Saurashtra/Kutch) bead craft—state craft profiles and museums document the bead-weaving idiom used for jewellery and torans, supporting “craft provenance” labelling.
  
• Lambani (Banjara) embroidery, Karnataka—GI-tagged (Sandur Lambani Embroidery, 2010); bead-embellished textiles & accessories often merchandised with bead jewellery sets.
  

Export ecosystem built for handcrafted/value-added

• EPCH networks (9,000+ members) and global fairs facilitate buyer access; India’s handicraft exports remain ~US$3.6–3.9 bn/yr, keeping category buyers active in India for both bead inputs (7018) and finished jewellery (7117).
  

Strengths to highlight in your buyer decks

• Authenticity & GI: Varanasi Glass Beads (GI) and Sandur Lambani embroidery (GI) = verifiable origin stories for differentiation and IP protection on names/claims.
  
• Cluster scale + craft skill: Firozabad furnaces/know-how + Varanasi lamp-work + Naga/Gujarat bead traditions enable diverse looks (lamp-work, seed-bead weaving, tribal multi-strand).
  
• Market access track record: India already sells HS 7117 globally (US$ 145m/2023) and HS 7018 components (US$ ~49.3m/2023), with handicrafts channels touching US/UK/EU/GCC—ease of onboarding new bead lines.
  
• Compliance maturity: Established testing workflows for REACH nickel/lead/cadmium and CPSIA/ASTM F2923 where children’s items are involved.
  

Quick spec & compliance checklist (copy-paste ready)

For bead jewellery (HS 7117):

• Metals/findings: verify REACH — Nickel (EN 1811), Lead ≤0.05%, Cadmium ≤0.01%.
  
• Children’s lines (if any): CPSIA lead 100 ppm; coatings 90 ppm; consider ASTM F2923 methods + small-parts/sharp-points where applicable.
  
• Labelling: material claims (glass/seed beads; plated metals), country of origin, age-grading where relevant (children’s jewellery). (Retailer manuals may add barcode/packaging specs.)
  

For bead components (HS 7018):

• Material specs: glass composition & colour fastness of coatings; dimensional tolerance/hole size; bulk density; defect rate (chips/voids); batch colour consistency.
  
• Provenance add-ons: Varanasi Glass Beads (GI)—cite registration in catalogs; Firozabad cluster capabilities for lamp-work/blown forms.
  

Region spotlights you can use in catalogs

• Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): GI-registered Varanasi Glass Beads; lamp-worked beads made by artisan households and MSMEs since mid-20th century; technique documented in GI dossiers and craft studies.
  
• Firozabad (Uttar Pradesh): India’s principal glass cluster (ODOP); ~entire bangle output & majority MSME glass; traditional mouth-blowing and lamp-working feed bead components.
  
• Nagaland (Northeast): Tribal multi-strand bead jewellery with documented cultural significance; great for “heritage collections.”
  
• Gujarat (Saurashtra/Kutch): Moti Bharat bead-weaving used for jewellery & décor (torans); state craft portals/museums document motifs & techniques.
  

Caveats

• HS 7117 and 7018 are broad headings; the values above reflect the entire category, not just bead-only SKUs. Use them to size the channel, then validate SKU-specifics with your shipment data.