We got confused also, and we used to interchange one and the other, but after much research, we now know the difference between handcrafted and handmade jewelry.
Handcrafted Jewelry
If at any time in its production process hand labor was employed, a piece of jewelry can be considered handcrafted. Actually, almost anything - jewelry, bags, clothes - can be called handcrafted. Handcrafted jewelry is usually consist of machine-made materials which are then hand-assembled.
Handmade Jewelry
To be called handmade, a piece of jewelry must be entirely made by hand. It should be hand-shaped and hand-formed from the raw materials used. Quite simply, in order to be described as handmade, the metals must be manipulated by handwork only and never by any machine. There is also a legal definition of handmade. Here is the Federal Trade Commission definition:
23.3 Misuse of the terms “hand-made,” “hand-polished,” etc.
(a) It is unfair or deceptive to represent, directly or by implication, that any industry product is hand-made or hand-wrought unless the entire shaping and forming of such product from raw materials and its finishing and decoration were accomplished by hand labor and manually-controlled methods which permit the maker to control and vary the construction, shape, design, and finish of each part of each individual product.
All PAUL RAYMOND products are handcrafted using various materials from around the world. We're hoping to launch handmade jewelry soon. :)