How Much Is Permanent Jewelry?

The short answer

There is no single answer to how much permanent jewelry costs, and we would rather say so plainly than guess. Every piece is a different job. A fine Sterling Silver bracelet and a 14K Gold necklace do not use the same metal or the same amount of chain, so they do not cost the same.

The cost comes down to the metal you choose, the chain you choose and how long the piece needs to be. Once you have chosen those three things, we quote you at the counter. That happens before anything is welded, so nothing comes as a surprise afterward. You decide with the full picture in front of you, and you can say no at that point.

Walk-ins are welcome during showroom hours, Monday – Saturday 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM and Sunday 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM. If you would rather have a time held for you, you can book one ahead. Either way, the quote comes first.

Metal is the biggest factor

Metal moves the cost more than anything else. We weld four: Sterling Silver, 14K Gold-Filled, 10K Gold and 14K Gold. That is the order they rise in, with Sterling Silver at the low end and 14K Gold at the top.

Sterling Silver is a bright, cool white metal and the natural place to start. It darkens a little with wear, and a polish brings the shine back. 14K Gold-Filled is a thick layer of gold bonded over a base metal. It gives you a gold color at a lower cost than solid gold, and we never call it solid gold, because it is not.

10K Gold and 14K Gold are solid gold through and through. There is no base metal underneath them. 14K holds more pure gold than 10K, so it sits higher in cost and shows a richer, warmer yellow. 10K is a little paler and a little harder. Both are a real step up from gold-filled, because the gold runs all the way through the chain and not just across the surface.

Chain style and thickness

After metal, the chain matters most. A thicker chain uses more metal than a fine one, so in the same metal it costs more. A chain with a more detailed pattern also takes more work to make than a plain one, and that work is part of what you pay for.

Thickness is a choice about how the piece looks as much as what it costs. A very fine chain sits quietly on the skin and stacks well with others. A heavier chain is easier to notice and reads as a statement. Neither is the right answer. The useful step is to lay a few chains on the counter and hold them against your skin, and we can show you the options in the metal you are considering. Then we quote the one you pick.

Length

Length is the third factor and the easiest one to picture. A longer piece uses more chain, and more chain means more metal. A permanent necklace uses far more chain than a permanent ring, with a bracelet somewhere in the middle and a permanent anklet a little longer than that. The same chain in the same metal costs less on a finger than it does around a neck.

We size every piece to sit comfortably on you, and that fitted length is the one we quote. You are not asked to pick a length off a chart and hope it fits. We measure against you, you say how you want it to sit, and the quote follows from that.

Why solid gold costs more and when it is worth it

Solid gold costs more because you are buying more gold. In a 10K or 14K piece the gold runs through every link. In 14K Gold-Filled it is a layer bonded over a base metal, so far less gold is involved. The price of gold moves over time, and so does the price of silver, which is one more reason we quote at the counter and not from a printed list.

Here is the honest trade-off. Gold-filled is a good, sensible way into permanent jewelry. The layer of gold is thick, and it holds up for a good while. It is still a layer, though, and over years of daily wear it can thin where the chain rubs most. Solid gold does not have that limit, because there is no layer to wear through. If you plan to wear a piece every day for years, solid gold is the metal to look at. If you want to try permanent jewelry, or you like to build a stack, Sterling Silver or 14K Gold-Filled is a reasonable place to start.

We would rather you left with the right metal than the most expensive one. Tell us how you live and how you wear your jewelry, and we will say which of the four suits you.

What is included

The quote covers the visit: the fitting and the weld. We fit the chain to you so it sits the way you want. Then we close it with a tiny jump ring that is welded on the spot. The weld happens on the jump ring, held away from your skin, and a small leather or rubber shield sits under the spark. There is no heat on your skin, and the whole appointment takes minutes per piece.

A piece of permanent jewelry comes off with a snip of the jump ring whenever you need it to, and afterward you can ask a jeweler to close it again. We explain how removal works in our guide on how to remove permanent jewelry, including what to do if a doctor or technician asks you to take it off.

We weld chains only. That means bracelets, anklets, necklaces, rings and hand chains, and it does not include charms or earrings. When you are ready, walk in or book a time, and we will give you the quote before we weld a thing.