1 /5 Rene Guerrero: I brought in my Cuban link chain to Portillo Jewelers for a simple link removal, which I was quoted $90 for. During my visit, I inquired about replacing my old clasp with a new one due to poor soldering and visible brown spots from another vendor. I was later contacted and quoted $1,100 + tax for the clasp replacement—in addition to the $90 for resizing.
When I asked how many grams the new clasp was, I was told it was a 10k 5 gram box clasp. Doing the math, this came out to $220 per gram, which is beyond excessive even for retail markups. I asked for a breakdown, and the sales representative told me they don’t base pricing on gold weight—only on what “their jeweler charges for labor.” When I asked how much the labor charge was, she said $100, which contradicts the $1,100 quote. When I pointed that out, she quickly pivoted and asked if I just wanted the $90 service instead.
To me, this isn’t just bad business—it’s price gouging and lack of transparency at best, and predatory pricing at worst. For the price of this clasp alone, I could have purchased an entire new chain. This type of pricing model makes customers feel taken advantage of, and I strongly caution anyone from doing business here without demanding a clear, itemized estimate up front.
