Casket Handle Colour Consistency
Why colour shifts between orders
Plated and metallised colours shift between production runs. A gold plating from one run and a gold plating from the next run can differ enough to be visible on the same casket, even though both are described as gold, and the same applies to metallised plastic colours. The shift is a property of the plating and metallising processes, not a defect in any single run, and it must be managed by confirmation and by samples, not by complaint after delivery.
The company profile identifies consistency of colour across repeat orders as a buyer concern, and this blog explains how to manage it. The method has three parts: a physical sample as the reference, a confirmation in the enquiry that the new order will match that sample, and a record of the finish, sample reference and order date, so that the next order can cite the same reference. The repeat-order guide gives the confirmation wording, and the finishes guide lists the colours in each material.
Samples are the reference, not photographs
A photograph is not a reliable colour reference for plated or metallised finishes, because screens render colour differently and because plating and metallising render colour differently from each other. A physical sample is the reliable reference, and samples are available for most products before a bulk order. A buyer who orders on the basis of a photograph and then complains that the colour differs has used the wrong reference, and the complaint cannot be resolved by reference to the photograph.
For a repeat order, the sample from the previous order is the reference, not a new sample chosen at random. The previous sample should be kept, labelled with the finish, the model and the order date, and sent or cited in the enquiry, so that the sales team can match against it. A sample that is kept but not labelled is almost as useless as no sample, because its finish and date cannot be proved.
Wording that prevents a mismatch
The enquiry should state the finish by name and by sample, and ask for confirmation that the new order will match that sample. The wording given in the repeat-order guide is: please confirm that the finish for this order matches the sample supplied with the previous order, with the reference number and date given. That wording gives the sales team a concrete reference, rather than a colour name alone, which is not enough to guarantee a match.
For a set, the finish should be stated once, for the whole set, rather than piece by piece, so that handles, corners, ornaments and fittings are all produced to the same finish reference. A set ordered piece by piece with the finish restated each time can drift, because each restatement is an opportunity for a different interpretation of the same colour name.
Metal and plastic together
Where a casket mixes metal handles with plastic decoration, colour matching needs the most care, because plated metal and metallised plastic are made by different processes and render colour differently. A gold-plated handle and a gold-metallised ornament are both described as gold, but they will not necessarily match, and the match should be checked with a sample set, containing one handle and one ornament in the intended finish, before the bulk order is placed.
That sample set should be kept as the reference for repeat orders, alongside the individual samples. A buyer who keeps only a handle sample and not an ornament sample cannot prove that the ornament finish matched in the previous order, and cannot ask for the same match in the next order. The set, not the single piece, is the unit of colour consistency for a finished casket.
Records that make the next order easy
Keep the finish, the sample reference, the model numbers, the quantities and the dates for every order. A repeat order that cites those details can be confirmed quickly, while a repeat order that says only the same as last time cannot, because last time is not a specification. The record should be kept by the buyer, not relied on from the supplier alone, because the buyer's record is the one that will be cited in the next enquiry.
Where a finish has changed deliberately, for example where a range has moved from gold to antique brass, the record should note the change and its date, so that a later order is not matched against the old finish by mistake. A record that does not note changes is a record that will cause a mismatch, and the discipline of noting changes is part of colour consistency, not an administrative extra.
What to do when a mismatch arrives
When a delivery arrives with a colour mismatch, the first step is to compare it with the sample, not with a photograph or with memory. If the delivery does not match the sample, and the enquiry cited that sample, the mismatch is a supplier issue and should be raised with the sample reference and the order details. If the delivery matches the sample but differs from the buyer's expectation, the expectation, not the delivery, was wrong, and the sample should be updated for the next order.
In either case, the mismatch should be raised before the hardware is mounted, not after the casket is finished, because a mounted handle with the wrong finish cannot be returned as easily as an unmounted one, and a finished casket with mismatched hardware is a larger loss than a single order of handles. Colour consistency is therefore a matter of samples, wording and records before ordering, and of checking against the sample on delivery, not of cleaning or handling after the event.
Photography pitfalls in colour matching
Photography is the most common pitfall in colour matching, because a photograph of a finish depends on lighting, camera, screen and file compression, all of which shift colour. A gold handle photographed under warm light will look different from the same handle photographed under cool light, and the same photograph viewed on two screens will look different again. A buyer who matches a finish from a photograph is therefore matching against a shifted colour, not against the finish itself.
The remedy is to use photographs only to identify a finish family, and to use a physical sample to confirm the exact shade. A photograph can show that a handle is gold rather than nickel, but it cannot show which gold, and the shade is what must match across orders. Where a sample cannot be obtained before ordering, the enquiry should state that the finish must match the previous order's sample, with the sample reference given, rather than citing a photograph, so that the supplier matches against a real reference, not an image.
Before payment, confirm the model number, material, finish, quantity, lead time and any load-test record for your order with the sales team.