Most mail-in repairs are about one to two weeks door to door, both insured shipping legs included, and many pieces are back within 7–10 days. But that headline number hides the useful part: the time at the bench is rarely the longest block in the calendar. Most of the waiting is transport and decisions — and two of the four blocks belong to you, not to us.
The short answer, and what it is worth
One to two weeks door to door is an estimate, not a promise, and it is worth saying plainly which it is. Your exact timeline is confirmed in writing with your quote, once a jeweler has seen what the work actually involves. A worn prong and a rebuilt shank are not the same job, and no honest jeweler can tell you the second one from a headline number.
What is fixed, and what you can plan around, is this: the free photo quote comes back within one business day, the prepaid insured kit ships as soon as you approve, and nothing is worked on — and nothing is owed — until you say yes.
Where the days actually go
Here is the same five-stage process shown on our turnaround timeline, with the part nobody usually spells out: who is holding the clock at each stage.
| Stage | What it takes | Who holds the clock |
|---|---|---|
| 1. You send a photo | A few minutes. Nothing is shipped yet | You — and this is the cheapest day to spend |
| 2. Your free quote arrives | Within one business day, written by a jeweler | Us |
| 3. You approve, the kit ships | The prepaid insured kit goes out as soon as you say yes | You — the most commonly wasted block |
| 4. Transit, then the bench | Insured and tracked each way; work starts only after approval | Shared — the courier, then us |
| 5. Insured return | Tracked, in a keepsake box, adult signature on delivery | The courier — and someone has to be home |
Notice what is missing from stage 4: no waiting for an estimate, no back-and-forth about price. That was settled at stage 2, which is the whole reason the mail-in process is faster than it sounds. What that one number does and does not cover is set out in what a repair quote actually covers.
The weekend rule, and why Friday costs more than a day
We do not process pieces on weekends or public holidays. That is a normal bench schedule, but it has a practical consequence worth planning around: a package that lands on a Friday is quoted on the next business day, which in practice means Monday. A holiday weekend stretches the same gap further.
So the single most effective scheduling trick has nothing to do with rushing anyone. Hand the kit over early in the week. The same piece, the same bench work and the same courier can come home noticeably sooner simply because the calendar was on your side.
A useful way to think about it. Business days are the currency, not calendar days. Two days of your own hesitation over the quote and one Friday drop-off can add up to more delay than the actual repair — and none of it bought you anything.
Five ways to shorten it, without rushing the bench
None of these ask a jeweler to work faster. They just remove the days that were never doing anything.
- Send the photo today, not the pieceThe first stage costs a few minutes and ships nothing. One clear, well-lit photo and one line about what is wrong is the entire first step, and the quote comes back within one business day. People who wait until they have found a box have already lost the cheapest days of the process.
- List every piece in the same requestOne kit can hold several pieces — just list each one in the quote form so the shipment can be insured correctly. Sending several together also qualifies for package pricing. The piece you remember after the kit has shipped needs a whole second round trip, and that is the most expensive kind of delay there is.
- Answer the quote the day it arrivesNothing is booked and nothing is owed until you approve, which also means nothing moves until you approve. This block of the calendar is entirely yours. If you need to think about it, that is completely fine — just know that this is the stage where a one-week repair quietly becomes a two-week one.
- Drop the kit off early in the weekEverything above about Fridays and holidays. A Tuesday hand-off keeps the weekend out of your timeline entirely.
- Do not try to fix or clean it up firstSend it clean if you can, but do not polish it and do not try to fix anything yourself. Glue has to be burned off before a jeweler can work, and an amateur solder usually has to be undone before the real repair starts. Both add bench time you would otherwise not be paying for.
What genuinely does add time
Some things really do stretch the calendar, and they are worth knowing about in advance rather than being surprised by.
A stone that has to be matched
If a stone is missing, we source a matching diamond or colored gemstone and set it so it blends with the rest of the piece — and matching cut, color and size is not something anyone can put a date on before looking. Replacement stones and materials are charged at cost, on their own line of the same written quote. This is the most common honest reason a timeline is confirmed as a range rather than a date.
Work you add after the piece is already here
Deciding on the extra rhodium plating or the stronger clasp once the piece is already on the bench is usually the efficient moment to do it — the piece is there, and a second visit would cost you another round trip. But each addition is its own line, quoted separately, and you say yes or no line by line, so the approval clock runs again.
Nobody home for the signature
Your jewelry comes back insured and tracked the whole way, with an adult signature required on delivery. It is never left on a doorstep. That is the right way to return something valuable, but it does mean a missed delivery attempt costs you a day at the very end.
One thing that does not add time: asking questions first. Sending a photo and asking whether a piece is even worth repairing costs you nothing and delays nothing — you have shipped nothing and you owe nothing at that stage. The people who lose the most time are the ones who spend two weeks deciding whether to ask.
When you genuinely need it faster
Rush service is available if you ask for a faster turnaround. It is quoted separately and up front, like everything else, so you see the cost before you decide. The one piece of advice worth giving: ask for it in the quote request, not after the piece has already shipped. A wedding, an anniversary or a flight is a reason to say so in the first message, in the same line where you describe what is wrong.
What the last day is actually buying
Before anything ships back, the piece is inspected by a trained gemologist, cleaned and polished, and packed in a keepsake box. Ultrasonic cleaning and polishing is already included free with every repair — it is never sold as an add-on — and every repair carries a 12-month workmanship warranty. That is where the last day of a timeline goes, and it is not a day worth cutting.
None of the work below is unusual or slow bench work. These are the lowest starting points from our repair pricing table, and each one is quoted individually after inspection.
| Repair group | Typical work | Starting at |
|---|---|---|
| Rings & Bands | Sizing, prong re-tipping, shank replacement, rhodium plating | $139 |
| Necklaces & Chains | Soldering broken links, clasp replacement, bail repair | $79 |
| Stone Setting | Re-setting loose stones, prong rebuilding, bezel repair | $79 |
| Bracelets & Bangles | Link replacement, clasp repair, resizing, refinishing | $79 |
| Earrings | Post replacement, friction back repair, hinge repair | $79 |
| Polish & Cleaning | Hand polishing, rhodium re-plating, deep cleaning | $99 |
These are the lowest starting points, not the final price, and the price is not a proxy for the time. Your firm number and your confirmed timeline arrive together, in the same written quote, and nothing is worked on until you approve them.
Want a real date rather than a range? Send one clear photo and a line about what is wrong. A trained jeweler replies within one business day with a firm price and your expected timeline, the shipping kit and insurance both ways are free, and you pay nothing until you approve the number. If you need it by a particular day, say so in the first message.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a mail-in jewelry repair take?
About one to two weeks door to door, with both insured shipping legs included, and many pieces are back within 7–10 days. That is an estimate rather than a promise — the exact timeline for your piece is confirmed in writing with your quote, once a jeweler has seen what the work involves.
How quickly do I get the quote?
Within one business day. You send one clear photo and a line about what is wrong, and a trained jeweler emails you one firm price. It is a real quote written by a jeweler, not an autoresponder, and nothing is booked and nothing is owed at that point.
Does the clock start when I send the photo or when the piece arrives?
Both stages have their own clock. The photo quote comes back within one business day of your request, and the written quote is confirmed within one business day of the piece reaching our Miami bench. Nothing is worked on in between, because nothing is worked on until you approve the number. Remember that weekends and public holidays are not business days — a piece arriving on a Friday is quoted the next business day.
Can I get my piece back faster?
Rush service is available if you ask for a faster turnaround. It is quoted separately and up front, like everything else, so you see the cost before you decide. Ask for it in the quote request rather than after the piece has already shipped.
Does sending several pieces at once slow it down?
One kit can hold several pieces, and sending them together also qualifies for package pricing — just list each piece in the quote form so the shipment is insured correctly. What costs real time is remembering a second piece after the kit has already shipped, because that piece then needs its own round trip.
What happens to the timeline if I decide not to go ahead?
Nothing is worked on until you approve the quote. If you pass before shipping, you have shipped nothing and you owe nothing. If you change your mind after we have seen the piece in person, it ships back to you free and fully insured, tracked and signed for — we cover the return.