Thank you so much for your interest in The Pearl Girls ® Jewelry Repair Service! If you are ready to get started on a repair, click here. Here are some more details on costs to repair pearls!
How much does it cost to repair pearls?
Do you have a broken strand of pearls? Are you wondering how much it costs to repair pearls? Maybe you don’t have pearls but you have a beaded necklace and you are weighing the cost and benefit of getting it repaired. Finally, you might simply have an outdated necklace that needs to be re-envisioned. Or your grandmother’s necklace is so dirty it needs a good cleaning and fresh silk. Maybe your jewelry needs a style update, or your jewelry needs to be lengthened or shortened. The Pearl Girls are here to help! The cost to repair pearls can vary greatly so let me break down a few costs for you.
Size Makes A Difference
If you have a necklace with knots in between each pearl or beads, the size of the beads will make a huge difference in the labor involved in knotting that necklace. The big beads simply require fewer knots than the smaller beads. So, it takes a repair technician less time to repair that necklace. Maybe the necklace does not require knots at all but it simply strung on thread without knots. At The Pearl Girls we charge $3 per inch for beads 5mm or larger, we charge $1.50 per inch for any size bead that does not require knots and, if the beads are smaller than 5mm and require knots, we charge $0.75 per knot.
How big are my beads?
I know many of you probably have no idea how big your pearls or beads are. The size of the diameter of beads is measured in millimeters. However, you can use ruler to determine the average size of your pearls. An inch is around 25mm. And knots take up space, too! So, if you measure an inch of your 5mm necklace, there should be 5 pearls side by side within that inch. Since knots take up space, too, your knotted 5mm necklace will have around four pearls and the knots within the span of that inch. If there are more than four pearls, you know that your pearls are less than 5mm in diameter and your necklace will be quoted per knot rather than per inch.
To put it another way, if there are 4 or less pearls in 1 inch, your investment is $3 per inch. If there are 5 or more pearls in one inch, your investment will be $.75 per knot. Again, no knots means your investment will be $1.50 per inch.
Price Comparison
Although The Pearl Girls is not the only company that offers pearl and beaded jewelry repair service, the standard cost to repair pearls, throughout the industry, is between $3 and $5 per inch.
Who Repairs Pearls?
The reason we launched The Pearl Girls Jewelry Repair Service was out of a desperate need to find quality pearls knotters. We were already making The Pearl Girls jewelry so we had U.S. based pearl knotters that we had trained to create quality jewelry, it only made sense to launch a repair business, too. Many years ago, jewelers would keep a pearl knotter on staff. However, pearl knotting is a dying art. Most jewelry companies have all their pearl knotting done overseas and they do not have access to a pearl knotter within their company. In fact, along with servicing individual clients, we also work with jewelers who mail their customer’s pieces to us to reknot and repair.
More About Cost
Okay, so you know how much it cost to do the work, there are other cost factors to take into consideration. The supplies to do the work are another investment. Repair companies will choose between silk and nylon thread. At The Pearl Girls we use silk thread and the investment is $8 for the silk and the french wire to finish the piece. Silk thread comes in up to 10 different sizes to accommodate for the different sizes of holes in pearls and beads. We carry all sizes and a variety of colors to perfectly match your piece. Have you ever had a necklace that didnt sit right or that the pearls were too loose? That is because the wrong size thread was used in creating or repairing a piece. In repair jobs, the thread size can make a huge difference.
Are These My pearls?
We have many customers who receive their finished jewelry and they are so thrilled with the job we have done they send us a message saying, “Are these really my pearls!?” It always gives us a fright! However, we know one of the benefits of our service is the way we document every piece of jewelry that comes through our repair department. Upon receiving the jewelry,we document it and photograph it and write details on the piece, its condition and the work that needs to be done. This costs a $10 handling fee but it protects us and our customers so there is never any confusion about whose pearls belong to whom. We have a strict way to document and track your repair from start to finish.
Count?
Although this has nothing to do with the cost of a repair, a few earlier customers at The Pearl Girls would share stories of repairs at other jewelers and mysterious stories of lost pearls. One story was about a jewelers with an amazing reputation and one missing Tahitian pearl. Although I would never share these details and spread stories about other companies, I would like to share a piece of advice with you: If you are sending your high priced pearls off for repair, count them! At The Pearl Girls we count every piece that comes in and we recount before the pearls are returned. This is an easy thing you can do before sending off your jewelry!
Just the Facts
Now, if you have read through this post on the cost to repair pearls and you sre still confused, here are the fact. How Much Does It Cost To Repair Pearls in an 18″necklace? An 18 inch strand of 7mm pearls will cost $54 (18″ x 3) plus $8 for silk $10 for processing and handling and any applicable taxes and shipping ($5). So, the total will be $77. For multiple strand pieces, add up the entire length of all strands.
If your necklace or bracelet is not knotted (and you want to keep it that way!), how much does it cost to repair pearls? If your pearls are not knotted, your investment will be $1.50 per inch plus $8 for silk. So, an 18 inch strand of 7mm pearls without knots (we call it stringing) will cost $27 plus $8 for silk $10 for processing and handling and any applicable taxes and shipping ($5). The total will be $50. Again, for multiple strands, add up the entire length of all strands.
— Order a Jewelry Repair Kit. CLICK HERE for more info! —
More Details on Costs
If you need us to drill pearls for you, no problem, the drill fee is $6 per pearl. We can also replace pearls in rings. The price starts at $20 per pearl. If you need earrings removed from their back and set in new backs or another piece of jewelry, no problem! We can make jewelry with your extra pearls. The Pearl Girls love getting our creative juices flowing and creating new pieces for you! Finally, do you need pearls added to lengthen a necklace or bracelet? We have both new and vintage pearls in stock to add to strands.
For any additional consultation or design, we charge $20 per hour.
Can I get a quote?
Absolutely! Send us your jewelry and we will contact you with estimates before we begin. Thank you! You can mail your gems directly to us at our showroom:
The Pearl Girls
548 Hawthorne Ave
Athens, GA 30606
or order a Jewelry Repair Kit. CLICK HERE for more info! And if you want to simply email photos to us, great! Our email address is info@thepearlgirls.com
A Big Thank You!
We receive packages daily from all over the world and we are truly humbled by the work we get to do for you. Thank you. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Also, we will contact you when your package arrives.
Payment?
So how are you going to pay for this work?
We will not bill you until we are done! If you want to include your credit card number to expedite the process, great! Otherwise, we can get the number from you afterwards. We can also email you a paypal or credit card link for payment. Once the work is finished, we will email you a receipt with the final charges and let you know your jewelry is on its way back home.
A Jewelry Return Kit
We know sometimes it is a pain to get to the post office so we created what is called a Jewelry return kit.
— You can order one here: Order a Jewelry Repair Kit.—
When you order a Jewelry Return Kit, here are the steps. We will pack a box with bubble wrap and information about our service. When it arrives, complete the enclosed form and place your jewelry in this package. Affix the prepaid return mailing label and give it to your postal carrier. We have preset this label at 12oz (.75lb) since 99% of packages we receive are less than 12oz. If yours weighs more, let us know and we can reprint the label for you! Feel free to count your pearls or beads or photograph your jewelry prior to mailing it to us. We will do the same once it arrives! The Pearl Girls technicians will work their magic, treating your jewelry with tender love and care. We aim to return your jewelry to you in two weeks.
Thanks so much for being a Pearl Girl! Or, a Pearl Guy!!
Who Are We?
Do you want to hear what our customers are saying about the work we do, see our wonderful reviews on our Facebook page!
And, if you are in Georgia or passing through, come see us in person, we would LOVE it!!
Our showroom, The Pearl Girls, is a cute cottage located at 548 Hawthorne Ave, Athens, GA 30606
All the Best,
India
I am a modern day treasure hunter who travels the world for gorgeous pearls and amazing adventures. I own a pearl jewelry and jewelry repair business, ThePearlGirls.com, with a cute retail store in Athens, GA. I also have a Pearl Travel business and travel blog at TheWorldofPearl.com.
