Jewelry Repair Market Is Growing: How Retailers Can Scale Repairs Without Losing Track of Jobs

There are two kinds of jewelry stores in 2026:

1. The ones who treat repairs like a “nice extra.”
2. The ones quietly building a repair-first profit engine—because they noticed something big changing in customer behavior.

More consumers are choosing repair instead of replacement. Sometimes it’s budget. Sometimes it’s sentiment (“this was my grandmother’s”). Sometimes it’s sustainability. Often, it’s all three. Market research publishers are even projecting 5% CAGR growth for the jewelry repair service category over the coming years (estimates vary by source, but the direction is consistent: up and to the right).

Which is great—until your store hits the operational ceiling where “more demand” turns into:

• more phone tags
• more “where did we put that ring?”
• more delayed approvals
• more “we’ll call you when it’s ready” (and then… forget)
• more staff time spent playing detective instead of selling

So the real question isn’t “Is repair growing?” It’s: Can your workflow scale without turning your counter into a lost-and-found?

If you'd like to scale up your jewelry & watch repairs, try Luxare. Contact us here or book a demo directly.
‍

Let’s break it down—retailer-style: what’s driving the repair wave, what customers now expect, and what it takes to run repairs like a system (not a daily scavenger hunt). And yes—we’ll talk about how the right repair management software for jewelers turns repair volume into repeat revenue.

The “fix it” customer is here (and they’re not going away)

Even outside jewelry, the broader “repair vs replace” mindset is gaining traction—helped along by economics, sustainability, and a growing right-to-repair movement. In the EU, lawmakers have pushed new rules to make repair more accessible and attractive to consumers (with measures like encouraging repair over replacement and incentives around repairability).

Now translate that mentality to jewelry and watches, where:

• items often carry emotional value
• repair is frequently cheaper than replacement
• the “new” version isn’t the same as this version (hello, heirlooms)
• and repairs can be done quickly when the workflow is tight

That’s why many industry observers point to growing consumer preference for repair over replacement as a core driver in the jewelry repair services segment. Repair is growing because customers want to save money, keep sentimental pieces, and reduce waste—and retailers who can deliver fast, transparent service will win more repeat business.

If repair volume rises, customer patience doesn’t

Customers have learned “real-time updates” from every other industry.

They don’t expect you to text them every 10 minutes. But they do expect:

• a clear estimate
• a clear timeline
• a clear approval step
• a clear notification when it’s ready
• and zero mystery about “where it is right now”

When that doesn’t happen, the experience doesn’t just feel old-fashioned—it feels unsafe. Because the item is personal and valuable.

Which is why scaling repairs isn’t just about bench capacity. It’s about process.

The hidden math: repairs are a revenue stream, not a chore

Let’s zoom out: what is repair worth to a jewelry store?

One industry-facing explainer puts repair services at 10–25% of a jewelry store’s revenue (often 15% average), depending on the store’s model and how intentionally repairs are managed.

Even if your store is below that range today, the point is simple: Repairs can be meaningful revenue, steady foot traffic, and retention—if your process doesn’t leak.

Because leaks are expensive:

• one missed follow-up = lost pickup + bad review risk
• one unclear intake = dispute risk
• one “we can’t find it” moment = reputational damage you can’t discount your way out of
  ‍

Related Read: From Valentine’s Rush to Repair Revenue: Don’t Miss the Follow-Ups

The real bottleneck isn’t repairs. It’s repair operations.

Here are the most common pain points we see in retailer repair workflows:

1) Intake lives everywhere
A little on paper, a little in POS notes, a photo in someone’s phone, and the rest in the employee’s memory (which is… brave).

2) Estimates aren’t standardized
Some are itemized, some are verbal, some are “we’ll see.” Customers don’t love surprise endings.

3) Approvals stall work
A repair job can sit for days waiting for “yes,” and that’s how turnaround time quietly explodes.

4) Updates depend on the customer asking
Which means the customer feels like the project manager of their own repair.

5) Chain-of-custody is informal
Most stores are careful—until you hit volume and suddenly “careful” needs a system.

If any of this feels familiar, you don’t need more sticky notes. You need a repair workflow that scales.

What “scaling repairs” actually means (without hiring five more people)

Scaling repairs isn’t a motivational poster. It’s a handful of operational moves:

1) Make intake consistent (every time, every employee)

A good jewelry repair intake should capture:

• customer details + preferred contact method
• item details (metal, stones, watch model if applicable)
• condition notes (customer-stated vs store-observed)
• photos (front/back, any damage)
• requested work + promised timeline
• estimate range + approval method

Market research publishers call out “technological advancements improving repair efficiency” and “service accessibility” as growth drivers in the category. At store level, that starts with something unglamorous: better intake data.

2) Standardize estimates + approvals (so work doesn’t stall)

The fastest stores don’t do “faster bench work.” They do faster decision-making.

A simple best practice:

• send the estimate in a consistent format
• make approval frictionless
• log the approval automatically
• move the job status the moment it’s approved

That reduces phone tag, reduces “he said/she said,” and speeds everything up.

3) Make status visible (internally and to customers)

Every repair should have a simple status path:

• Received
• In Inspection
• Estimate Sent
• Approved
• In Progress
• Ready for Pickup
• Picked Up

When status isn’t visible, employees become human dashboards. And human dashboards take lunch breaks.

4) Measure turnaround time like you measure sales

If you can tell me your best-selling bridal designer, you can also track:

• average turnaround time by repair type
• vendor/bench bottlenecks
• approval time (the silent killer)
• rework rate
• margin by repair category

This is where repairs stop being a “service” and become a managed operation.

The “repair wave” doesn’t just mean jewelry. Watches are part of it too.

Retailers who sell watches (or even just accept watch service) already know: watch customers come back. A lot.

Industry voices have long pointed out that watch repairs—starting with basics like battery replacement done properly—can be a differentiator and profit opportunity for jewelers.

Now pair that with a growing repair mindset and you get:

• more bracelet sizing
• more battery swaps
• more strap changes
• more servicing inquiries
• more “can you take a look at this?” foot traffic

Which is great—unless watch repairs are managed in a totally different process than jewelry repairs. (That’s how things slip.)

“But we’re a retailer, not a repair shop.”

Perfect. That’s exactly why you should care.

Repair is how retailers win on:

• repeat visits (service brings people back)
• trust (you’re handling valuable items)
• lifetime value (you become their jeweler)
• referrals (“they fixed my ring perfectly”)
• add-on sales (cleaning, inspections, upgrades, anniversaries)

In other words: repair is customer experience with a receipt attached.

Where Luxare fits: Repair for Retailers software (built for the real world)

Most retailers don’t have a repair problem. They have a repair coordination problem.

Luxare’s Repair for Retailers is designed to help you run repairs like a system:

• standardized intake (with photos and condition notes)
• clear estimates and approvals
• repair tracking from drop-off to pickup
• proactive updates (so customers don’t chase you)
• clean chain-of-custody and accountability
• reporting on turnaround time and repair performance

So when repair demand rises (and forecasts suggest it will), you don’t just “handle it.” You profit from it—without chaos. And yes: it also makes your store feel more premium, because premium isn’t just what’s in the case. It’s how smoothly you operate.

Quick answers

Is jewelry repair growing?
Multiple market research listings and industry commentary point to rising repair demand, tied to consumers choosing repair over replacement and sustainability-driven behavior.

What’s the projected growth rate for jewelry repair services?
One market report listing cites a projected CAGR of 5.1% for jewelry repair services (forecasts vary by publisher and methodology).

What % of a jewelry store’s revenue can repairs represent?
A commonly cited benchmark range is 10–25% of revenue (often 15% average), depending on the store and how intentionally repairs are managed.

What’s the biggest operational bottleneck in repairs?
Approvals + status visibility. When estimates, approvals, and updates aren’t standardized, turnaround time and customer experience suffer.

‍
Learn more about how you can scale your repairs from our experts. Contact us here or book a demo.