System of Product Codes

Has anybody ever developed a system of codes for cataloging jewelry
products that they would be willing to share? What I’m looking for
is a system of numbers (or numbers and letters) that would
essentially describe an item of jewelry. To take rings for example,
in the simplest form, there would need to be something to represent
the material (silver, 8K gold, 14K gold, white gold, etc.), as well
as combinations of different materials, and the type of setting
(channel, prongs, etc.) along with the general design of the
setting. From there, we get into earrings, pendants, bracelets and
everything else. How detailed can you get without coming up with
something impossible to remember? I’ve been scratching my head over
this for days (and losing what little hair I have left).

Thanks.
John

John, Retail Jewelers of America (RJA) published a “Merchandise
Classification System” booklet in 1979. I don’t know if it’s still
available. If it is out of print, I could copy it for you. You should
check with RJA. David Barzilay, Lord of the Rings.