Believe it or not, we in the jewelry repair/modification business don’t just make-up the costs associated with repairing, modifying, or sizing your piece. Like most services, there is a standard that is used to calculate how much is charged for a particular repair or modification. Being in the jewelry business for over 30 years, we use the industry standard, Geller’s Blue Book to Jewelry Repair and Design, which is a comprehensive manual that breaks down almost every conceivable repair that there is.
One of the most frequent questions we get asked when people call us at the shop is how much it costs to get a ring sized, which seems like a simple question…if you’re not the jeweler doing the actual work, that is. I usually say that every ring is different and requires various measurements before we can determine the price…if you bring your ring in, I can take the measurements and tell you exactly how much it will cost once I look it up in the manual. Most people understand this, and will come in with their ring for further information. Still, others will press for a ballpark price, to which I say: Most ring sizings range from $40 dollars and up. And while this is a true statement, there will always be someone with a stone-heavy, white gold, thick and wide-shanked ring that will come in and about have a heart attack when I show them that their ring will cost over $200.00 to go up 2 sizes.
Here’s a typical example: Your ring is white gold. The lower shank (where the ring is cut to size) measures 4mm. There are 40 stones in the ring. You need the size increased by 2 finger sizes. According to the repair manual, it will cost $269.00 to size this ring. Why so expensive? The majority of the cost is the labor and gold that has to be added to make the ring larger, in this case, by two sizes. The repair manual takes into account the current price of gold, which is high at the moment, around $1,900.00 p/oz. There are also 40 stones in the ring, and the second most expensive part comes in here: a jeweler has to go over each stone and ensure that they have not loosened-up during the sizing process. This is time consuming, and just like a lawyer, doctor, plumber or electrician, a jeweler’s time, education, and expertise are valuable…in other words: pay a cut-rate price for jewelry repair, you’ve likely found a cut-rate jeweler…don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Once all stones are secure, the piece must be buffed and sterilized so that the rhodium plate (a platinum metal) can be applied. This exact same ring in yellow gold would cost $214.00, for a difference of $55.00 from its white gold counterpart…the extra $55 dollars on the white gold piece is for the rhodium plate that must be applied to keep the piece looking like the white metal that it was intended to be (see my blog on Ring Sizing for more information on the differences between white and yellow gold, and why rhodium is necessary whenever white gold is worked on with heat).
Another frequent repair that can be costly are broken chains. If you have a solid gold chain, the charge to solder it (depending on how much clean-up work is needed where the piece broke) is minimal…a “simple” solder will run you $29.00. However, if your gold chain is hollow (semi-solid) it’s a whole other ball game. This changes the solder category from “simple” to “difficult,” as the piece has to be soldered at four-spots around the break-point, and will likely run $53 to $75 dollars. More time, more gold, and a higher level of expertise is required, as quite a few jewelers won’t even work on hollow pieces due to the chance that they can wind-up as a puddle of gold on their bench.
Another common repair is re-tipping prongs. Of course we recommend that you bring in your rings with prongs at least twice a year so that we can prevent stone-loss by re-tipping as a part of routine maintenance, but with today’s hustle and bustle, we understand how things like this can get put on the back burner. And even though re-tipping of prongs is not cheap, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than replacing lost stones, especially diamonds! So whether your prongs just need to be re-tipped or rebuilt, we can take care of it. Currently, the cost of just re-tipping is $38.00 for the first prong, and $20.00 p/prong after that (the price continues to go down by the prong the more prongs you have that need re-tipping). And as usual, add $55.00 for rhodium, if the piece is white gold.
We remember the days before standardized repair manuals. Though the price of gold was a lot lower back then, many jewelers undersold their time and materials without even realizing it (and not surprisingly many of those same jewelers are out of business today), and quite a few charged way too much. This also led to wildly differing prices for repairs from one jeweler to the next. These days, with the development of comprehensive, standardized repair manuals by Geller and others, customers can rest assured knowing they’re being charged a fair price for the labor and materials on their items.
Determining the cost of repairing jewelry shouldn’t be something that is “spitballed.” As jewelers, we understand the importance and sentimental value that your jewelry has to you, and that is why we take our repair and modification work seriously; treating every piece as if it was our own, and making certain we get it right the first time. We also understand that some repairs can be costly, due largely in part to the high cost of gold, which is why we’ll let you make payments on your repair, so you can get that piece back where it belongs. Whether it’s a simple repair, or a from-scratch custom job, we’ll work with you to keep your precious pieces in wearable condition, at a price you can trust.
