How the math works
There is no model and no projection here — just your own numbers divided out. Profit per bracelet is your price minus chain and clasp cost. Break-even in bracelets is your startup cost divided by that profit. Break-even in events assumes the bracelets-per-event you enter, minus the table fee, because a weekend market booth is where most new artists actually sell.
The defaults are not a promise; they sit inside the ranges our guides document — customers typically pay $40–100 per bracelet depending on metal and market, and operators commonly report $60–90 of profit per weld. Change any number and the answer is yours, not ours.
One honest caveat the sales pages skip: the margin is rarely the problem. The constraint is throughput — how many paying wrists sit down at your table. That is why the equipment decision (which welder, which kit) is really a question of how many events you can book before the novelty of the spend wears off. Our guide to starting a permanent jewelry business walks the full cost stack.
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Profit calculator FAQ
Is permanent jewelry profitable?
The per-unit economics are strong: working operators commonly report roughly $60–90 of profit on a welded bracelet after chain and clasp cost, because a foot of gold-filled chain plus a connector often costs just a few dollars while customers typically pay $40–100. The constraint is customer volume — how many wrists you can weld at the events you can actually book — not the margin on each piece.
How many bracelets does it take to break even on a welder?
Divide your total startup cost by your profit per bracelet. At a $1,500 startup cost and roughly $70 profit per bracelet, that is about 22 bracelets — one to two busy events for many operators. A pricier machine simply moves the line: the same math at $4,000 is around 58 bracelets. Run your own numbers in the calculator above.
What should I include in my startup cost?
Everything you spend before your first sale: the welder, starter chain and connectors in sellable metals (gold-filled and sterling), tools, argon if your machine uses it, training if you pay for it, and basics like insurance and a table setup. Our starting-a-business guide breaks the typical line items down.
Ready to price the equipment side? Compare the best welders and starter kits, or start from what permanent jewelry is.