[Jewelry making - Article 00066] - Re: [Orchid] Bead setting prices

[David Keeling]

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Hi Vanessa,

    You have to charge what the market will bear. For prepared settings
    such as the ones you have described with tiny stones, the work is
    fairly rapid. If you base your pay rate on $50.00 per hour, and
    divide that by the number of stones you set, then you have an
    average per stone. 

    I often charge, at retail, $10.00 to $15.00 per stone for pave'
    where I am preparing the surfaces from scratch. The wholesale work I
    sometimes do averages about $8.50 per stone. Where the stones vary
    in size, I charge more, because the drilling and seating takes much
    longer. Sometimes, these charges are not enough. 

    Retailers are often reluctant to pay any more for these services,
    and will outsource to the lowest bidder. They are usually the ones
    who spend an awful lot of time explain to customers that "bead set
    stones are lost all the time, don't worry about it, we'll replace it
    for you at a modest charge." 

    I haven't had to replace any. That's why my charges are justified.
    If your work is superb, it will stand out as being worth more than
    that of the setters who simply plug holes with stones and shove the
    material around a bit.

Hope this helps.
David Keeling
www.davidkeelingjewellery.com

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