Costs to Start a Jewelry Business

Costs Required to Start Jewelry Businesses

This list of expenses for opening various types of jewelry businesses is broken down into three parts: startup costs, inventory and supplies, and ongoing expenses.

Setup costs are the initial amount of capital required to buy inventory, make rent deposits, and complete building renovations. Meanwhile, overhead includes the costs that your store, website, or manufacturing shop you will incur on an ongoing and monthly basis.

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Costs to Open Retail Jewelry Stores – Brick-and-Mortar or Online

These are the costs required to start a retail jewelry store, either physically in your area or online, selling fine, vintage, fashion, and gold jewelry directly to customers.  

Brick-and-Mortar Jewelry Store Startup Costs

The total cost to open a retail jewelry store is between $9K and $30K, which includes setup costs of business registration, rent deposit, building renovations, display cases, equipment purchases, logo design, advertising, and inventory purchasing. Of course, there can be a tremendous amount of variance depending on what type of jewelry you’re selling. In this guide, our cost estimates will assume that you’re starting a smaller specialty retail shop rather than a large fine jewelry store selling pieces that cost thousands of dollars each.

Setup Costs 

• Legal business registration: starting at $0 (plus state fees)
• Logo design, business cards, and signs: $0–2,500
• Website: $20–600
• Telephone (you may be able to use your personal cell phone at first): $0–50  
• Rent deposit: $2,000–5,000
• Store renovations: $2,000–3,500  
• Display cases: $4,000–10,000  
• Display items, shelves, and tables: $100–1,500
• Launch events: $100–2,500
• Advertising campaigns: $500–7,500
• Social media: under $25 per month

Inventory and Supplies

• Initial inventory: 3x the amount of inventory you expect to sell monthly
• Jewelry-making materials: $250–4,000
• Supplies: $150
• Packaging, boxes, shopping bags, etc.: $300–800 

Total Startup Costs = $9,000–$30,000+

Overhead and Ongoing Expenses (Monthly)

• Inventory and manufacturing supplies: $500–5,000
• Telephone: $0–50
• Software: $20–150 
• Web hosting: up to $15
• Advertising: $1,500–3,000
• Labor (salespeople, jewelers, display window merchandisers, security): $4,000–12,000
• Owner salary: $4,200
• Utilities: $600
• Cleaning services: $300

Do you need help funding your brick-and-mortar jewelry store? Our resources can help you find the best retail loan for your needs.

Online Jewelry Store Startup Expenses

The total cost to begin an online jewelry store from your own home is between $3K and $15K, which includes setup costs, legal business registration, logo design, social media, website development, online advertising, and inventory purchasing.

Setup Costs 

• Legal business registration: starts at $0 (plus state fees)
• Logo design and business cards: $0–2,500 
• Website: $50–2,500
• Telephone (you may be able to use your personal cell phone): $0–50  
• Display props and shelves (for photoshoots and inventory storage): $100–1,500
• Online advertising campaigns: $500–7,500  
• Social media: under $25 per month 

Inventory and Supplies

• Initial inventory: 3x the amount of inventory that you expect to sell monthly
• Jewelry-making materials: $250–4,000 
• Labor costs: $500
• Supplies: $150
• Packaging, boxes, shopping bags, etc.: $500–1,500 

Total Startup Costs = $3,000–15,000+

Overhead and Ongoing Expenses (Monthly)

• Inventory and manufacturing supplies: $500–5,000  
• Telephone: $0–50
• Software: $20–150 
• Web hosting: up to $15
• Shipping costs to customers: $250–1,200
• Advertising: $1,500–3,000
• Labor (web developer, graphic designer, photographer, customer service reps, shipping clerks): $1,500–6,000  
• Owner salary: $4,200
• Utilities: $200

If you need help raising money, don’t fret. Our list of ways to generate funds for an online retail business can point you in the right direction.

Startup Costs for Home-Based Jewelry Businesses

It costs from around $600 to $16K to start a home-based jewelry business. Startup costs vary depending upon the type of home jewelry company you want to launch: home jewelry shows, network direct sales, craft and art shows, vintage jewelry resale, online jewelry boutique, or crafting handmade jewelry. Here are some detailed lists of potential expenses for various business types.

Starting Expenses for Making Handmade Jewelry

The total cost to begin a handmade craft jewelry business is between roughly $3K and $16K, which includes setup costs, legal business registration, logo design, social media, jewelry-making supplies, website development, and advertising. 

Setup Costs 

• Legal business registration: starting at $0 (plus state fees)
• Logo design, business cards, and signs: $0–1,500
• Website: $250–1,500
• Telephone (you may be able to use your personal cell phone): $0–50  
• Equipment and tools: $250–1,200 
• Display props and shelves (for photoshoots and storage): $350–750
• Camera or photography services: $500–1,500 
• Advertising campaigns: $500-7,500  
• Social media: under $25 per month 

Inventory and Supplies

• Jewelry-making materials (to make new inventory after items sell): $250–4,000
• Supplies: $150
• Packaging, boxes, shopping bags, wrap, etc.: $500–1,700 

Total Startup Costs = $3,000–16,000+

Overhead and Ongoing Expenses (Monthly)

• Inventory and manufacturing supplies: $500–5,000  
• Transportation costs (for travel to craft shows and associated expenses): $250–2,000
• Show fees (paid to organizers for displaying at shows): $100–1,700
• Telephone: $0–50
• Software (accounting, POS credit card processing, graphic design): $20–150
• Web hosting: up to $15 per month
• Shipping costs for merchandise to stores or customers: $750–1,200
• Advertising: $1,500–3,000
• Labor (salespeople, jewelers, shipping clerks): $1,500–6,000
• Owner salary: $4,200

Selling on Etsy is a great way to start your new jewelry-making business, as it can be a profitable platform. There are plenty of Etsy success stories to go around. However, Etsy is just one of many options for home-based businesses. We have resources that can point you toward some unique places to sell your products.

Independent Jewelry Consultant Startup Costs

The startup costs to sell jewelry as a home-based consultant are from around $600 to $3,000+ and depend upon which direct sale company you represent. In addition to your starter kit of sample jewelry and marketing materials, you’ll incur costs for legal business registration, social media, transportation, and office supplies.

Setup Costs 

• Legal business registration: starts at $0 (plus state fees)
• Business cards and catalogs (sometimes included in starter inventory kit): $100
• Starter kit of jewelry samples and marketing materials: $50–600
• Website: up to $250
• Telephone (you may be able to use your personal cell phone): $0–50  
• Equipment (POS to charge customer credit cards): $0–50
• Promotion campaigns: $150–1,500  
• Social media: under $25 per month 

Inventory and Supplies

• Inventory (vendor sends your customer orders directly): $0
• Supplies: $150
• Packaging, boxes, shopping bags, wrap, etc.: $100–350

Total Startup Costs = $600–3,000+

Overhead and Ongoing Expenses

• Telephone: $0–50
• Software (POS credit card processing, graphic design): $20–100
• Web hosting: up to $15 per month

Sales prospecting, networking, and direct sales skills are crucial if you want to succeed as an independent jewelry consultant. Master your prowess with our resources to develop best practices for sales and bring in more customers.