What Extra Fees Hide in a Custom Jewelry Quote?
Direct answer
The usual surprises in custom jewelry are resizing after delivery, replating white gold (rhodium is maintenance, not a defect), import duties on EXW or FOB orders, and chargeable redesign if you change the design after approving it. A factory that quotes from metal, stones and hours states which basis your quote uses up front, so nothing arrives as a surprise at your door.
Where the extra line items actually come from
Nothing here is a trick — each is a real second operation that a first quote simply does not cover yet. Resizing after delivery is a fresh bench job on a finished piece. Rhodium plating on white gold wears and is re-booked like any maintenance, not warranty work. Import duty is charged by your country on the way in, and whether it is yours or included depends entirely on the shipping basis the quote names (EXW/FOB puts it on the buyer, delivered terms do not).
The one that bites most people is design change after approval. Reasonable CAD revisions inside the approved scope are part of the service — that is the point of the approval gate, where changes cost minutes in CAD instead of a new casting in metal. But once you approve and we cast, moving the design again is re-work, and it re-costs. A quote that says 'no surprise fees after confirmation' means the confirmed scope; it does not mean free redesign later.
Stone count and setting are the other quiet multiplier. Every set stone is labor, so a quote that rounds one price for 'any design' is guessing. An honest estimate counts stones and names the setting style, which is exactly why it can promise that the number will not drift after you confirm.
A sample line-item quote showing how resizing, plating, shipping basis and stone count are stated up front.
This is part of our guide on Custom Jewelry Cost.
Related questions
More questions on this
Do you charge for CAD revisions before approval?+
Reasonable revisions inside the approved scope are part of the service — the design conversation happens in CAD, where changes cost minutes, not in metal, where they cost a new casting.
Who pays shipping and import duty?+
It depends on the basis your quote states. On EXW/FOB terms, import costs fall to the buyer and are charged by your country; a delivered quote handles them up front. We name which basis applies so it is never a surprise at the door.
Is white-gold replating a warranty issue?+
No — rhodium plating is normal maintenance that wears with wear, not a manufacturing defect. It is a bookable service, not a free-of-charge fix.
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