For jewellers
Taking a deposit on custom jewellery: how much and why
No custom job should ever start without a deposit. It is the single policy that protects a jewellery business more than any other, and it is the one jewellers most often skip because it feels awkward to ask. It should not. A deposit is normal, expected and fair, and once you treat it as a fixed part of how you work, the awkwardness disappears for you and the client both.
What a deposit actually protects
Custom work commits you before the client pays a cent. You order metal, you buy or hold a stone, you spend hours on CAD and at the bench, all for a one-off piece that fits nobody else if the client walks away. A deposit covers your materials, commits the customer to the job, and means that if plans change, you are not left carrying the cost of work done in good faith. It is not a favour you are asking for, it is basic protection for a bespoke maker.
How much to ask for
Fifty percent of the total is the common and fair place to land for custom work, and it is what most clients expect. It roughly covers your materials and the bulk of your outlay, with the balance due on completion before the piece leaves your hands. For a job with an expensive stone or a long build, you might stage it further, a deposit to start, a payment when the stone is bought, and the balance at collection. The right number is the one that means you never fund a client's piece out of your own pocket.
Make it policy, not a negotiation
The moment a deposit becomes a conversation you have differently with every customer, you will talk yourself out of it with the ones who hesitate, and those are often the very jobs where you most need the protection. State it plainly and consistently: this is how custom work runs here, a deposit to begin and the balance on collection. Said as a matter of fact, it is almost never questioned, because it is exactly what a serious maker should do.
Credit anything already paid
If the client has already put money toward the piece, a holding payment, a stone deposit, credit it clearly so the amount due to start is obvious. Nobody should have to wonder whether they are being charged twice. Show what has been received, what the deposit is, and what remains, so the numbers are transparent and the client feels looked after rather than nickel-and-dimed.
Put it on the proposal, in writing
A deposit should be part of the quote the client sees, not a verbal aside. When the proposal states the total, the amount due now to begin, and the balance due on completion, everyone is clear from the start and there is a record of what was agreed. That clarity prevents the uncomfortable conversation later, and it makes you look organised and professional, which is exactly the impression that wins the job.
Then collecting it is easy
With the deposit shown on the proposal, taking it is simple: the client sees the amount, pays by your usual method, and the job begins. Track what has been received against the piece so the running balance is always right, and you will never start work unpaid or lose track of what is still owed. A clear deposit at the start is the foundation of a job that gets finished and fully paid.
Deposits, built into the quote
Workshop Pilot puts the deposit on the proposal automatically, your set percentage of the total, less anything already paid, with the balance shown as due on completion. The client sees one clear figure to get started, and you track every payment against the job. Try it free for 14 days, no card required.
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