01What does permanent jewelry training teach?
Two things, and the second is the one beginners underestimate. The first is the weld: how to hold the stylus, where to ground, which setting for which ring, how to protect your eyes and your client's skin. The second is the business: pricing, sourcing chain, waivers, insurance, how to run a pop-up without a line of twenty people getting impatient.
LINKED describes its course as "self-paced, about 7 to 8 hours of video across 21 modules". That gives you the scale: this isn't a weekend seminar's worth of theory, but it isn't an afternoon either. Add practice on scrap chain before you weld on anyone. LINKED's own page names that step: "Weld with your kit and practice until it feels easy". Then comes launch: "pricing, waivers, done-for-you social content, and coaching call replays".
Safety is part of any serious course. Sunstone's own safety article sets the basics: "Never watch someone weld without proper eye protection", and a leather patch between the chain and the skin. The same article walks through a session the way a client lives it: choose and measure the chain, connect the ends with a jump ring held in grounded pliers, check for safety, weld the ring closed. A course should leave you able to run those four steps without thinking about them.
02What does each brand include?
Sunstone. Its starter kits come with PJ University, described as online video training with business resources. The Dream and Legacy kits add one-on-one mentoring; the Momentum doesn't. Sunstone says the program is ICOES accredited, and sells a "Sunstone Certified" program on its own for $1,499.
Everlinx. The starter kit includes founder-led training in the Everlinx app, which the brand also says is ICOES accredited, with an Everlinx certification. The welder and the EVERSHIELD bundle sold alone state "Training Not Included".
LINKED. A training company first: the Luxe Training Kit carries the full online course with lifetime access, a workbook, a waiver template and a certificate of completion.
Pepetools. The Helix Starter Kit includes one free 30-minute training by Zoom, and the brand says its techs answer seven days a week. It's support more than schooling.
03Is a certificate the same as a license?
No, and this is the most useful sentence in this guide. A certificate from Sunstone, Everlinx or LINKED says you finished their course. "ICOES accredited" describes the course, as stated by the brands. Neither is permission from a government to do business.
Licenses and permits come from your state, county and city. The SBA's guide to licenses and permits puts it simply: what you need depends on your business activities and your location. For a permanent jewelry artist that can mean a general business license, a seller's permit to collect sales tax, and whatever your city asks of vendors at events.
Because you work on a client's body, ask one more question locally: does my state or city treat this as a regulated personal service? We can't answer that for fifty states, and a website shouldn't try. Your city clerk and your state licensing board can. This isn't legal advice.
Video: "How To: Permanent Jewelry", Stuller, Inc. on YouTube. Not made by us; chosen because it shows the welder or the topic clearly.
04Is a certificate still worth having?
Yes, for three practical reasons that have nothing to do with the law.
Venues. A salon owner or a market organizer who has never seen a pulse arc welder wants some sign that you know what you're doing. A certificate and proof of insurance are the two papers you can hand over.
Insurers. When you ask for a quote, you may be asked about your training. Ask your insurer directly whether it changes anything.
You. A course gives you a settings routine, a safety routine and a script for clients. That's worth more than the paper.
What a certificate doesn't do is make one brand's course "official". There's no single national credential for this trade that we could find on the brands' pages or the SBA's; there are brand programs, and they vary in depth.
05How should you compare the courses?
Ask each brand the same five questions before you pay, and get the answers in writing.
- How many hours of video, and how many modules cover the business side?
- Is there a live person: a call, a mentor, a community? For how long?
- How long do I keep access? LINKED states lifetime access; ask the others.
- Is the course refundable? At Everlinx, $750 of the kit price is non-refundable because of the training; LINKED's kit sales are final.
- Does the course teach on the welder I'm buying?
On our scoring scale, training counts for 15% of every score and 30% in the ranking for beginners. A manual and a phone line get 4 out of 10; one short live session 6; a full course 8.5; a course plus one-on-one mentoring 10.
06Which kit should you buy for the training?
For the most support: the Sunstone Dream Kit at $3,199, the cheapest kit with one-on-one mentoring, built around a 1 to 30 joule welder.
For a full course with the best eye protection: the Everlinx Starter Kit at $2,999, first in our beginner ranking, with the EVERSHIELD dimming screen. Mind the $750 non-refundable part.
For business templates: the LINKED Luxe Training Kit at $2,997 has the waiver template, workbook and social content, but a welder with no published joule range and no returns.
If you already have a teacher, skip paying for a course twice: the Pepetools Helix Starter Kit ($2,399) has the best hardware and a 30-minute session to check your setup.
07The products in this guide, side by side
| Product | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | Starter kit | Starter kit | Starter kit | Starter kit |
| Power range | 0.5–20 J | 1–30 J | 1–30 J | Not stated |
| Eye protection in the box | Auto-darkening screen | Shaded glasses | Auto-darkening screen | Shaded glasses |
| Training in the price | Online course | Course + mentoring | 30-min live session | Online course |
| Chain included | 27 ft | 27 ft | 25 ft | 20 ft |
| Welder weight | 3 lb | 1.9 lb | 2 lb | Not stated |
| Warranty | 3-year | 3-year | 3-year | 1-year |
| Where to buy | Check price at Everlinx | Check price at Sunstone | Check price at Pepetools | Check price at LINKED |
✓ marks the best figure of the row. Prices checked November 13, 2026 on each brand's own US store.
This guide helps you buy equipment and plan a budget; it isn't safety, legal, tax or insurance advice, and it promises no income. Licensing, sales tax and insurance rules change from state to state and city to city: check yours, and read your welder's manual before your first weld.