Selling jewelry needs the ordinary business layers, a registered name, a sales tax permit in your state, a city license where it's required, and permits for each show. There's no federal jewelry license. What federal law does govern is what you say about the metal. The FTC's jewelry guides, 16 CFR part 23, say sterling means at least 925 parts per thousand silver, the word gold needs its karat in front of it, gold filled means gold of at least 1/20th of the metal's weight, and plated pieces are described as plated. Handmade means the shaping, forming and finishing were done by hand from raw materials such as sheet and wire, not cast components assembled. And the National Gold and Silver Stamping Act adds a rule that's easy to miss: a piece stamped 925 and shipped across state lines also carries the maker's trademark, registered or applied for. In the example below, an Arkansas silversmith sorts its licenses and stamps. Below are the layers, the metal rules, the example, and a free checklist.
The short version
- No federal jewelry license: the business layers, sales tax, a city license where required, show permits.
- Sterling: at least 925 parts per thousand silver.
- Gold: the karat in front of the word; gold filled at 1/20th of the metal's weight, with the karat.
- Plated pieces are described as plated, never as sterling or gold.
- Handmade: shaped, formed and finished by hand from raw materials.
- A stamped 925 shipped across state lines also carries a registered or applied-for trademark.
- Shows in other states can need their own sales tax permits.
- TaroStack keeps silver, stones and findings by lot, and each piece's true cost. More below.
The layers
| Layer | Who issues it | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Business name | State or county | An LLC filing, or a fictitious name |
| Sales tax permit | State revenue department | Before selling; returns as your state requires |
| City business license | City | Where one is required |
| Show permits | Event organizers and the event's state | Vendor applications and any temporary sales tax permit |
| Metal and handmade claims | FTC, 16 CFR part 23 | What the stamp, tag and website say |
| Quality mark and trademark | 15 U.S.C. 297 | A trademark with a stamped quality mark on pieces shipped interstate |
Every state and city differs; this is general information, not legal advice.
The metal rules
| Claim | What it takes |
|---|---|
| "Sterling" or "925" | At least 925/1,000 pure silver (16 CFR 23.5) |
| "Silver" alone | A fineness in parts per thousand right before it, such as "750 silver" |
| "Coin silver" | At least 900/1,000 |
| "14K gold" | The karat right before "gold", equally conspicuous (16 CFR 23.3) |
| "14K gold filled" | A mechanically bonded gold alloy layer of at least 1/20th of the metal's weight |
| "Gold plated" | A durable plating, with the karat before the term |
| "Handmade" | Shaping, forming and finishing by hand from raw materials (16 CFR 23.2) |
| A stamped quality mark | A trademark registered or applied for beside it, on pieces shipped across state lines (15 U.S.C. 297) |
How to price the work is in how to price handmade jewelry, and how to keep the stock in how to inventory jewelry.
An example: an Arkansas silversmith
Ozark Silverworks, the made-up silversmith in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, I use in these examples, makes sterling rings, pendants and hoops, sold at art shows and markets, online, and to boutiques, every piece stamped 925 and with its mark:
| Layer | Status |
|---|---|
| Business name, an LLC | Done, February 2025 |
| Arkansas sales tax permit | Done, February 2025 |
| City business license | To check with the city |
| Sterling claims | Done: sheet and wire bought as 925 sterling, with the supplier's certificate |
| Gold claims | Not needed: no gold pieces |
| Maker's mark | Done: trademark applied for, stamped beside 925 |
| Handmade claims | Stacking rings and hoops are "handmade"; the boutique rings, cast by a caster, are "designed and finished by hand" |
| Show permits | Done for this season, including sales tax registration for a Missouri show |
| Insurance | Done March 1, 2026; renews March 1, 2027 |
The boutique rings are cast from the silversmith's own models by a casting house, so they aren't "handmade" under the FTC's guide; the tag says what's true instead. The business is in jewelry business plan.
Get the checklist
Download the jewelry business license checklist. One sheet: each layer, who issues it, what it is, whether you need it, the cost, the date done and the renewal date; the status and the total cost fill in. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
Silver bought by the ounce in sheet and wire, stones by lot, findings by the hundred, and pieces scattered across shows, boutiques and online: a checklist doesn't say what a ring really cost or where last month's stock went.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps silver, stones and findings by lot, and each piece's true cost.
Materials by lot. Sterling sheet and wire are received with the supplier's lot and certificate in fields of your own, so a piece's silver traces back to its purchase.
Each piece a recipe. A ring is a recipe of silver by weight, a stone and findings, so each batch carries its true cost at what you paid, and silver price rises show up in the price-creep report.
Stock where it is. Pieces at a boutique or at a show can be tracked by site, with transfers; more than one site is on Standard at $99 a month.
| The job | Notebook | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| Which silver went into a ring | Not recorded | The lot on its batch |
| What a ring costs now | Worked out once | True cost at what you paid |
| Pieces at a boutique | A list on paper | Stock by site |
Lots, recipes, batches and true cost are on every plan, from $49 a month; more than one site is on Standard at $99. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.