Do You — or Don’t You: Do You Offer Free Rhodium Plating to Customers?

Published

13 years ago

June 11, 2012

Do You — or Don’t You: Do You Offer Free Rhodium Plating to Customers?

BY INSTORE TEAM

Published in the June2012 issue

29% YES, I DO

Anything purchased from us gets free rhodium for life. — Jeff Dennis, Jeff Dennis Jewelers, Gardendale, AL

If a person buys a ring from us we offer free rhodium for life, and we do a five-point spa treatment while they wait! If they didn’t buy it from us, many times we refinish while they wait and rhodium free to earn their business and show them we are different from other jewelers. — Tom Duma, Thom Duma Fine Jewelers, Warren, OH

Items we make and sell, lifetime no charge for rhodium plating. Items we did not sell, we charge $25. — David Schowalter, Miners Den, Royal Oak, MI

We rhodium our custom pieces for the life of the ring. Better jewelers have been offering rhodium plating for fine jewelry for the main reason that if your customers look good, people ask, “Where did you get that?” Enough said. — Denise Oros, Linnea Jewelers, La Grange, IL

71% NO, I DON’T

We treat it like any other shop or repair service. Prices start at $40. — Erik Mauter, Hudson Jewelers, St. Marys, OH

I fully disclose rhodium-plated pieces as such and explain the process and why it is necessary. I keep a white gold ring in stock that is not rhodium-plated for a visual example of the difference in color. Plating a woman’s ring ranges from $20 to $40 for a heavy plating. I use a lab because of the toxicity of the chemicals. — Elizabeth Breon, Coast Jewelers, Florence, OR

We do not rhodium-plate, but rather sell our clients on palladium white gold. — Deric Metzger, DeMer Jewelry, Oceanside, CA

A “permanent” at the salon is billed each time …. We charge $35-$75 per ring depending on the job. — Eileen Eichhorn, Eichhorn Jewelry, Decatur, IN

Doing a proper rhodium finish is much more than just a dipping and plating. It requires polishing, stone checking, etc., and we treat it in the same way as a ring sizing. Customers appreciate it much more when we charge for it and they get a good job. — Alex Weil, Martin’s Jewelry, Manhattan Beach, CA

I don’t do it in-house and I’m charged for it, so the customer pays. I get $45 per piece. — Daniel Spirer, Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, Cambridge, MA

We charge for it because David Geller said to, of course! We have a special $65 deep cleaning, buffing, tightening and rhodium plating package for white gold rings. Customers love getting back rings that look like new. — Dorothy Vodicka, The Gem Collection, Tallahassee, FL

Plating is time consuming, and rhodium is not cheap. — Bill Elliott, Ross Elliott Jewelers, Terre Haute, IN

Family Legacy, New Chapter: How Wilkerson Turns 89 Years of History Into Future Success

After 89 years of serving the Albany community, Harold Finkle Your Jeweler faced a pivotal decision. For third-generation owner Justin Finkle, the demanding hours of running a small business were taking precious time away from his young family. "After 23 years, I decided this was the time for me," Finkle explains. But closing a business with nearly nine decades of inventory and customer relationships isn't something easily managed alone. Wilkerson's comprehensive approach transformed this challenging transition into a remarkable success story. Their strategic planning handled everything from advertising and social media to inventory management and staffing — elements that would overwhelm most jewelers attempting to navigate a closing sale independently. The results speak volumes. "Wilkerson gave us three different tiers of potential goals," Finkle notes. "We've reached that third tier, that highest goal already, and we still have two weeks left of the sale." The partnership didn't just meet financial objectives—it exceeded them ahead of schedule.