Home bench jewellery repair

Individual customers with worn or broken pieces, plus local jewellers, antique dealers and gift shops that outsource repairs.

A fixed price per repair, from small jobs like a clasp swap to larger jobs like resizing. Trade work for shops brings steady volume at lower prices.

• Bench jewellery skills such as soldering and sizing
• Steady hands and an eye for detail
• Honest, careful record keeping of customers' items

• Insurance that covers customers' items while in your care, ask a broker about jewellers' block or bailee cover
• Home-based business rules and any business licence from your municipality
• Fire and fume safety when using torches and chemicals, and your home insurer's position on a home workshop
• Keeping a clear log of items received, with photos, to avoid disputes over loss or damage
• If you buy scrap gold or second-hand jewellery, check provincial and local rules for second-hand dealers

Startup costs are estimated at typically around $3,000 to $10,000, depending on the bench tools, torch equipment and supplies you choose. Ask a broker about cover for customers' items while they are in your care.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $800 to $4,000, depending on how much repair work you win from walk-in customers and local shops. The estimates assume at least about 10 hours a week.

Check home-based business rules and any municipal business licence. Check your home insurer's position on a home workshop, fire and fume safety with torches and chemicals, and provincial and local second-hand dealer rules if you buy scrap gold or second-hand jewellery.