Before you approve a sample, know what you are approving

1. Identify the sample and version

Before judging whether a sample looks right, establish what it is intended to prove. A concept model may explore shape. A finish sample may show color and texture. A production approval sample may represent a much broader set of agreed requirements. These purposes should be explicit because one sample does not necessarily answer every question.

Record the sample identity, the style and the design or technical revision under review. Link the relevant drawings, materials, stone information, finish reference, branding and packaging. Identify any substitute component, temporary process or unfinished detail. A beautiful image with no revision cannot identify the complete production basis.

For remote review, request views that reveal the required feature: a front image for the overall form, a side view for profile, and a close-up or measurement for the detail in question. Mark the location clearly so another person can reproduce the check. A photograph can support discussion; it cannot replace a required physical fit check, measurement or test.

2. Check agreed details

Build the inspection list from the current agreed requirements, not from memory. Check dimensions and units, construction and function, materials and stones, finish, branding and packaging. Use the required evidence where a visual check is insufficient. Separate observed results from proposed changes.

A hypothetical clasp that closes in a photograph but has no functional review remains an open item. Do not label the whole sample approved merely because its visible surfaces pass. Likewise, an agreed appearance does not establish composition, safety or compliance.

3. Record a specific decision

Make the decision specific: approve the identified scope, reject it with reasons, or request changes with clearly recorded conditions. Name the approver and record the actual decision date, sample and technical version. Keep the result in the project rather than in an isolated message.

For a conditional decision, state exactly what must change and whether a further sample or evidence is required. “Approved except the finish” is incomplete if nobody knows which finish reference applies or who confirms it. Separate accepted points from open points, assign the next action, and identify the evidence that will close it.

• Which sample and technical revision were reviewed?
• Which requirements passed, failed or remain unverified?
• Who made the decision, and when?
• What changes, evidence or new sample are required?
• Which reviewed and locked version will become the production basis?

An approval does not silently extend to later substitutions or altered files. A material, construction, finish or packaging change needs the applicable review and an updated production basis. Keep the earlier decision for traceability instead of rewriting its history.