Pin Grading Policy

Because my pins are handmade sometimes small imperfections can occur during production. I grade pins in daylight, inspecting each and every one to the best of my ability and knowledge. Grading is assessed based on the quality of the front of the pin (i.e. only the areas you could see on display) - unless there are significant defects on the sides or back of a pin (such as damaged posts), only the front will be reflected in the grade.

I send standard grade pins by default unless they are described as a seconds pin. Any flaws are minor and/or only visible under close inspection or at certain angles. My grading is done on an arm’s length basis - that means none of the flaws on an A grade pin can be seen when holding the pin an arm’s length away (approx. 2ft). Depending on the design and materials used the flaws may be:

• tiny specks of dust in the enamel
• specks of mis-coloured glitter
• needle sized dots or bubbles on enamel or metal
• hardly noticeable underfill, overfill or uneven enamel areas (including small areas of epoxy overfill - that’s the clear stuff which can be seen on my pins which have recessed/sandblasted metal effects such as my “Serenity” or “For All Time” pins)
• small areas of uneven or rough metal plating

Using the same grading approach, seconds may have one or more of the following which can be seen when the pin is held at an arm’s length away:

• large and/or multiple pieces of incorrect colour glitter
• noticeable bubbles in enamel or epoxy coating
• large and/or multiple imperfections in the metal on the front or sides of the pin
• dents or scratches on metal surfaces
• larger areas of enamel overfill, underfill, or unevenness (including significant epoxy overfill)