What sits under “Temple Jewellery”

• GI-certified Nagercoil Temple Jewellery (Tamil Nadu) — handmade in Vadassery, Nagercoil (Kanyakumari district), traditionally for adorning deities and now dancers (Bharatanatyam, etc.). Construction: silver sheet base, cavities filled with lac/wax + “kittakkal” powder, set with kemp (red/green) and other stones, gold electroplated and gold leaf applied to seal exposed wax; motifs include makara, yali, swan, parrot, mango.
  • GI records also note ~34 producer groups, ~700 artisans clustered in Vadassery.
  
• Fine gold “temple-style” jewellery — non-GI, 22K gold with kundan/stone work made across India; exported under HS 7113. (Sector-level export refs below.)
  
• Dance/costume temple sets — base-metal (copper/brass) with gold-plating and stones; these fall under HS 7117 (imitation jewellery).
  

Why this is specific to India & the region

• Geographical Indication (GI): Temple Jewellery of Nagercoil is officially registered with India’s GI Registry (Class 14). The GI dossier details the unique process, tooling, materials and the exclusive Vadassery cluster, establishing provenance.
  
• Cultural origin: Techniques trace to Chola-period temple adornment; modern craft serves classical dance communities, preserving region-specific motifs and methods (silver framework, lac setting, gold leaf sealing).
  
• Clustered skill base: The GI file documents family-based, piece-work production with role specialization (base makers vs. stone-setters/leaf appliers), a hallmark of the Vadassery ecosystem.
  

Export picture

There isn’t a separate HS line for “temple jewellery”, so buyers use the nearest HS categories below.

• HS 7113 (Jewellery of precious metal) — India exported ~US$13.1 bn of jewellery in 2023; top markets UAE, USA, Hong Kong. (Covers gold jewellery and silver jewellery such as Nagercoil pieces.)
  • Within this, HS 7113.11 (silver jewellery): India exported ~US$1.68 bn in 2023 (WITS/UN Comtrade).
  • Sector trend: Plain gold jewellery exports from India were US$6.79 bn in FY2023-24, up ~62% YoY (GJEPC).
  
• HS 7117 (Imitation jewellery) — India exported ~US$145 m in 2023; USA was the largest destination (~US$41 m, ~28%). (Relevant for base-metal temple “dance” sets.)
  

HS classification cheatsheet (for POs & shipping docs)

• GI Nagercoil pieces (silver base, gold-plated/leaf) → 7113.11 (Articles of jewellery of silver).
  
• Gold temple-style jewellery → 7113.19 (Articles of jewellery of other precious metal).
  
• Base-metal temple sets → 7117.19 / 7117.90 (Imitation jewellery).
  

Quality, compliance & what to spec

A. Craft/finish (GI Nagercoil)

• Materials/process to cite in specs: silver sheet base, vertical silver tape walls soldered, lac + “kittakkal” filler, stone setting, gold electroplating, gold-leaf sealing, typical kemp stones; list of traditional components (bindha saram, jimikki, vanki, ottiyanam, etc.).
  
• Durability claim (from GI file): the sealed, leaf-finished construction is noted to last for decades when made traditionally. (Phrase summarized from GI dossier uniqueness section.)

B. Precious-metal compliance (gold/silver)

• India hallmarking (gold): Sale of gold jewellery in India requires BIS hallmarking with 6-digit HUID (since Apr-2023). Current hallmark shows BIS logo + purity (carat/fineness) + HUID. If you source gold temple-style pieces in India, insist on HUID-hallmarked stock or export-only marking plan.
  

C. Imitation/costume temple sets (base metal) — EU/US rules to meet

• EU REACH (Annex XVII):
  • Nickel release ≤ 0.5 µg/cm²/week for skin-contact items; ≤ 0.2 for posts in pierced parts (EN 1811 test; 2023 update clarifies decision rules).
  • Lead in jewellery restricted (typ. ≤ 0.05% by weight where applicable).
  • Cadmium in jewellery ≤ 0.01% by weight.
  
• US (children’s items): CPSIA total lead in accessible parts ≤ 100 ppm; coatings ≤ 90 ppm; follow ASTM F2923 for children’s jewellery. For California, check DTSC metal-containing jewellery rules/Prop 65. (If you sell “dance sets” sized/marketed for children, you must test.)
  

Strengths that buyers can market

• Authenticity & provenance: GI-tagged craft with documented place, process and inspection body; verifiable artisan cluster — strong storytelling and traceability
  
• Distinctive design language (yali, makara, mango, etc.) tightly linked to South Indian temple/dance traditions — visual differentiation vs. global costume jewellery.
  
• Category coverage: same aesthetic is available as precious-metal (7113) or imitation (7117) depending on price point and compliance path, enabling tiered assortments.
  

Practical spec/RFQ pointers

• For GI Nagercoil (silver): “Temple Jewellery of Nagercoil (GI), silver base with gold electroplating + leaf finishing; kemp stones (red/green) per design; components per attached BOM (e.g., jimikki/necklace/ottiyanam); finish per GI process (lac + kittakkal filler, sealed with gold leaf). HS 7113.11. Provide maker/producer group and GI reference.”
  
• For gold temple-style: “22K (916) gold; BIS HUID hallmark required; stone work as specified; HS 7113.19; include fineness mark and supplier hallmark details.”
  
• For dance/costume sets: “Base metal alloy (nickel-safe spec), gold-plated; stones to meet REACH nickel/lead/cadmium limits, US CPSIA where applicable; test to EN 1811 (nickel) and heavy metals panel; HS 7117.19/7117.90.”