Custom Jewelry Display Case Cost: 2026 Price Guide and Quote Checklist
Most buyers ask for a price first and a specification second. That order is what makes quoting slow and makes two quotes impossible to compare.
Why two quotes for the same case rarely match
Give the same sketch to two factories and the totals will differ. Almost never because one is being greedy. The difference sits in what each one assumed you wanted: laminated board or solid timber, tempered glass or acrylic, imported hinges or local ones, a fixed LED strip or a fully addressable lighting run, painted finish or veneered panels.
Neither quote is wrong. They are answers to two different questions, and neither question was written down.
The way out is to fix the specification before you ask for the price — or to ask each supplier to state the specification their price assumes, in writing, on one page.
The five things that set the base price
Size and quantity. Price scales with materials, machining time and packing volume. Larger runs spread the setup cost across more units, which is why a single display unit and a twenty-unit roll-out are not the same price per metre.
Material grade. The carcass can be low-emission MDF, plywood, solid hardwood or a metal frame. Each changes weight, finish quality, fire performance and freight class — and therefore the landed cost, not just the factory cost.
Glass and glazing. Float glass, tempered glass and low-iron glass carry different unit costs and different freight risk. Low-iron matters the most in jewelry because colour fidelity is the whole point of the display.
Lighting. LED is not a single product. Colour temperature, CRI, whether the strip is fixed or adjustable, and whether the driver is remote or integrated all change the bill — and cheap lighting is the most common reason a finished case looks disappointing next to the render.
Hardware and locking. Locks, drawer runners, sliding systems, and whether the case is alarmed or integrated with a store security loop.
The cost that hides in the last ten percent
Finishing, packing and freight rarely appear on the first quote and often decide which supplier is actually cheaper.
Finishing includes edge banding, spray booths, veneer matching and polish. Packing is set by how the case travels: a crate that survives sea freight is not the same as a pallet. Freight and duty are then determined by volume, weight and the trade term attached to the quote.
This is why a quote that is higher at the factory gate can be cheaper at your door — and why the term matters more than the total. Under DDP terms the supplier carries freight, duties and final delivery, so the number you compare is the number you pay.
What a usable quotation must contain
Before comparing two prices, check that both documents state the same seven things:
the trade term — ex-works, FOB, CIF or DDP
the unit and quantity the price applies to
the material and finish of every visible surface
the glass type and thickness
the lighting specification and its driver
the hardware and locking specification
the packing method and the delivery point
A quotation missing any of these is not a price. It is an opening position.
How to compare two quotes without guessing
Put them side by side against those seven lines and mark every difference. Where one quote is silent, write "not specified" — do not fill the gap with an assumption. Then send the marked-up version back to both suppliers and ask them to re-quote on the identical specification.
Two quotes on the same specification can be compared in one reading. Two quotes on different specifications will waste a week and still not settle anything.
If your budget is the constraint, say so and ask what the supplier would change to reach it. A factory that can offer an entry-level build, a mid-range build and a premium build on the same footprint is more useful to you than one that only quotes a single number.
What we need from you to price it properly
Send the store plan or a sketch. Mark where the cases go, how many, and what they display — rings, necklaces, watches or a mix. Note the ceiling height and whether the store has an existing lighting circuit.
If the drawing does not exist yet, a photograph of the site with rough dimensions is enough to start.
One design and one factory
Design and manufacturing sit in one company here, so the drawing that is quoted is the drawing that is built. That removes the usual gap where a design studio specifies something a separate factory cannot produce at the agreed cost.
Send your floor plan, product list or a sketch, and we will return a fixed price against a written specification — with a free 3D design so you can see the store before production starts. Delivery is quoted DDP, so the price you approve includes freight and duties to your door.
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