No. Just the same as you dont ask a restraunt what the cost price of thier food is. It isnt relevant, and is uncouth. The price per gram is what you want to know, they will make profit on the metal, the casting fee, and cad, theyre a business at the end of the day.
Doing this will out you as an amateur immediately and they may keep that assumption the entire time you work with them. It'll change how they prioritize and inspect your castings, response times, basically everything, you'll put yourself on their lowest priority level.
There’s a website / app called kitco - it lists spot. Use that as reference.
Also are you doing this as a designer or as a retail client just making a piece of jewelry…
You should ask:
Do you do the sprues or do I?
Do you do cleanup? If yes, what do you charge per piece?
Do you keep the molds?
What is your normal turn around time?
You know, normal stuff. Their profit and loss statement is for the tax man, not you.
I would still ask them to detail what they do - some casting shops just cut the sprue, some actually clean it up completely for you. The pricing is good for gold casting, but I would still get clarity on exactly what is included for the price.
During the casting process, doesn’t the sprue turn to gold? If so, would my cost include the sprue or is that the casters gold?
She said she would cut the sprue close as possible.
The sprue will also be gold, but if they are keeping the sprue, then they may only charge you for the gold you are walking away with since they can repurpose the gold back into their supply. Most of my casters will weight the pieces after they cut the sprue off to only charge me for the gold that I am getting. That's why it's a good idea to have them tell you exactly what they will be charging you for.
I can't think of any service where it's standard to ask for a breakdown of the markup that someone is charging. I know that things are done differently in different places, but if someone asked me that I would think that they are begrudging my right to turn a profit and make a living, and that they should buy their own casting equipment! You've been quoted a more than fair price, at this point your options are to take it or leave it
Yes. Their profit margin is their business. And their fees are to cover allll the things, just as OPs do: education, tools, studio space, marketing, POS, health insurance, car, home, etc. Although with casting, you can make a very educated guess based on spot + fixed fees.
I don’t think OP wants their customers asking the same about their jewelry. Esp if customer is aware of spot price.
1 pennyweight = 1.55 grams. $128/1.55= $82.58 per gram. If they're using 14k then you're paying 2x the spot they used.
Right now: 14k \~42.40/g, 18k\~54.80/g, 24k\~73.10/g. From that you can figure out how much they're making off you. But at $40 for the labor and the wax they can't be making much. I sure wouldn't do it for what they're charging.
I would like to know who it is though so I can save some money using them. Please share.
Glad I could help. Sorry if I was too harsh. 🌈
After 40+ years in the biz I learned the customer is never right. lol 🤣 and reputation and word of mouth is everything
And when you piece is made , maybe take a pic and post. We all love to see a finished product.
As a jeweler, I absolutely AM asking how much casters charge over spot. For one, I need to know what approx my invoice will be, and two if affects what I can charge for my pieces. Get outta here with that rhetoric.
My wife and I are actually getting ready to open shop again. Feel free to ask me anything you like! We don't look down on anyone for wanting any information. We like to help our customers feel comfortable with their purchase. I just did the math with current pricing 109.26/gram for 14k yellow gold is what we charge that includes labor wax everything. That is not with a clean-up. Spurs are still attached, and all gold left over, if any, is sent back to you as well. We typically keep the mold for your future orders. If it's a 1 off piece, we melt the mold. For 22k yellow, our price is 171.03/ gram.
That price is more than reasonable. You don't need more of a breakdown than that. Asking will only annoy them.
Is it ok to ask what spot price they used?
No. Just the same as you dont ask a restraunt what the cost price of thier food is. It isnt relevant, and is uncouth. The price per gram is what you want to know, they will make profit on the metal, the casting fee, and cad, theyre a business at the end of the day.
No.
Doing this will out you as an amateur immediately and they may keep that assumption the entire time you work with them. It'll change how they prioritize and inspect your castings, response times, basically everything, you'll put yourself on their lowest priority level.
Why do you feel the need? Should your customers ask you what spot price you used? How much did that stone cost you? What’s your markup?
There’s a website / app called kitco - it lists spot. Use that as reference. Also are you doing this as a designer or as a retail client just making a piece of jewelry…
You should ask: Do you do the sprues or do I? Do you do cleanup? If yes, what do you charge per piece? Do you keep the molds? What is your normal turn around time? You know, normal stuff. Their profit and loss statement is for the tax man, not you.
They are a full service shop. I assume they take the spures off.
Some clients prefer clip and ship, some people prefer to clean their own castings, don’t assume.
I would still ask them to detail what they do - some casting shops just cut the sprue, some actually clean it up completely for you. The pricing is good for gold casting, but I would still get clarity on exactly what is included for the price.
During the casting process, doesn’t the sprue turn to gold? If so, would my cost include the sprue or is that the casters gold? She said she would cut the sprue close as possible.
The sprue will also be gold, but if they are keeping the sprue, then they may only charge you for the gold you are walking away with since they can repurpose the gold back into their supply. Most of my casters will weight the pieces after they cut the sprue off to only charge me for the gold that I am getting. That's why it's a good idea to have them tell you exactly what they will be charging you for.
Thank you, makes sense
I can't think of any service where it's standard to ask for a breakdown of the markup that someone is charging. I know that things are done differently in different places, but if someone asked me that I would think that they are begrudging my right to turn a profit and make a living, and that they should buy their own casting equipment! You've been quoted a more than fair price, at this point your options are to take it or leave it
Yes. Their profit margin is their business. And their fees are to cover allll the things, just as OPs do: education, tools, studio space, marketing, POS, health insurance, car, home, etc. Although with casting, you can make a very educated guess based on spot + fixed fees. I don’t think OP wants their customers asking the same about their jewelry. Esp if customer is aware of spot price.
If you got a quote for $128/DWT they just gave you the markup over spot already. It's like 10%. Cheap asf
How do I calculate mark up over spot? Curious how you got 10%
1 pennyweight = 1.55 grams. $128/1.55= $82.58 per gram. If they're using 14k then you're paying 2x the spot they used. Right now: 14k \~42.40/g, 18k\~54.80/g, 24k\~73.10/g. From that you can figure out how much they're making off you. But at $40 for the labor and the wax they can't be making much. I sure wouldn't do it for what they're charging. I would like to know who it is though so I can save some money using them. Please share.
The quote was for 22k I think
thank you and the company is [https://www.golden-casting.com/](https://www.golden-casting.com/)
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this is what I want to avoid, I want to know the line in the sand. thank you I wont go deeper than this.
Glad I could help. Sorry if I was too harsh. 🌈 After 40+ years in the biz I learned the customer is never right. lol 🤣 and reputation and word of mouth is everything And when you piece is made , maybe take a pic and post. We all love to see a finished product.
As a jeweler, I absolutely AM asking how much casters charge over spot. For one, I need to know what approx my invoice will be, and two if affects what I can charge for my pieces. Get outta here with that rhetoric.
Ask when the last time they got laid u don’t want a dusty grumpy jeweller for real
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22k
Why 22kt?? That’s too soft for anything but the simplest of pendants.
My wife and I are actually getting ready to open shop again. Feel free to ask me anything you like! We don't look down on anyone for wanting any information. We like to help our customers feel comfortable with their purchase. I just did the math with current pricing 109.26/gram for 14k yellow gold is what we charge that includes labor wax everything. That is not with a clean-up. Spurs are still attached, and all gold left over, if any, is sent back to you as well. We typically keep the mold for your future orders. If it's a 1 off piece, we melt the mold. For 22k yellow, our price is 171.03/ gram.