The short version

Within 30 days of delivery you can request a return, provided the piece is unworn, can be sold again, and comes back with its fittings and packaging. Past 30 days we normally decline; a genuine quality problem is a separate conversation, settled on the facts. The window exists so that you have time to check what arrived, not to encourage ordering with a return in mind.

The 30 days run from delivery as recorded by the carrier, not from dispatch. If a parcel spent three weeks in transit, you still get the full 30 days.

Contact us before sending anything back, with the order number, the item and the reason. A parcel that arrives without warning cannot be matched to an order in the warehouse, so it sits there, and may be returned to sender because we cannot trace where it came from.

When you can return something

Four cases. One: what arrived clearly does not match the description — material, dimensions or design differ from what the page stated. Two: damage, deformation or missing parts caused in transit. Three: a defect that affects normal use — a broken solder joint, a loose setting, a clasp that will not close. Four: the piece is unopened and unworn and you simply do not like it, or it does not suit.

In the first three cases the responsibility is ours or the carrier's, and we pay shipping both ways. The fourth is a change of mind: the buyer pays return postage, the item price is refunded once the piece is back and checked, and the original shipping is not refunded.

When you cannot

We cannot accept a return on anything worn, used or cleaned, or damaged by the customer. Nor on items missing fittings, tags or packaging where that prevents resale. Personalised pieces, and pieces altered in size or fittings at your request, are excluded — we say so before you order.

Ordinary variation in natural materials is not a quality problem. Southern red agate, turquoise and wooden beads differ in colour and grain from piece to piece, and a difference from the photograph is normal. Oxidation, fading or deformation caused by poor care is also outside the return policy. Silver darkening is a normal chemical change; a plated finish flaking over a large area within a short period, however, we treat as a quality problem.

Returns after 30 days with no quality problem are declined. Gifts with purchase and clearance items are final sale, and the product page will say "no returns" on those.

How to return something

Write to us first with the order number, photographs of the item and the reason. We check whether it qualifies and reply within 1 to 2 business days with the return address and a few things to note. Then send it: pack it as it arrived, use a tracked service, and put a note in the parcel with the order number and the reason. Once the warehouse receives it and the check passes, the refund goes into process.

One more thing: the return address is not necessarily the sender address on the waybill. The warehouse and the dispatch point are in different places, and sending to the wrong one usually means a forwarding step and a longer wait. Use the address in the email.

Keep the tracking number for the return. Cross-border returns take time, and without a number there is essentially nothing to trace. If a parcel is lost on the way back and cannot be traced, the refund cannot be completed. Better to say that now.

Refunds: method and timing

Refunds go back to the original payment method, not to another account. We initiate within 3 to 5 business days of the return passing inspection. How quickly it lands depends on the channel: a card usually takes 3 to 7 business days, an e-wallet 1 to 3, a bank transfer perhaps 5 to 10.

Returning one item from a multi-item order is a partial return, and shipping is recalculated on the value of what you keep. If the remaining amount falls below the free-shipping threshold, the difference in shipping on the original order is charged.

Where a coupon or spend-and-save discount was used, the refund is calculated proportionally from what you actually paid. The discount portion is not refunded in cash.

Exchanges

A different size or colour of the same design is possible if stock allows. Shipping follows the same rule as returns: we pay where it is a quality problem, you pay for a change of mind. If the original design is out of stock, you can take a refund or exchange for something of equal value.

Exchanges are more fiddly than returns, and there is no point pretending otherwise. Include the note with the order number and the size or colour you want, or the warehouse will simply process it as a return.

Check that the new item is in stock before sending anything back, so you are not left with the old one gone and the new one unavailable. A cross-border exchange usually takes three to four weeks door to door. Weigh that up before deciding.

What counts as a quality problem

A quality problem is a defect in the piece itself that shows up in normal use: a joint that was never properly soldered and breaks, a setting that was not pressed down and loses its stone, a clasp that will not open or close, plating that blisters and flakes over a large area within a short time. Send clear photographs or a short video and we will deal with it first.

Some faults only appear after a while — a clasp that loosens with use, a link that gradually opens. Those count as quality problems too. Just tell us how long you have worn it and when the trouble started.

Not quality problems: normal oxidation, light scratches, colour and grain variation in natural materials, slight asymmetry in handmade work, and deformation or chips caused by a knock. These are either properties of the material and the technique, or ordinary wear.

If we disagree about whether something is a quality problem, either side can ask for a third-party assessment, such as a jewellery testing laboratory, with the cost met by whichever side is responsible. Judgements need evidence; it cannot just be two versions of events.

Disputes

If you are unhappy with the outcome, email us with what you want and the grounds for it, and we will review the case again. If we still cannot agree, you can raise a dispute with your payment provider (a chargeback); when we receive notice we will submit the full transaction and shipping records.

One warning: a chargeback pauses the refund process, and it usually takes far longer than talking to us. The great majority of problems are settled in conversation, and talking first is normally quicker.

On statutory cooling-off periods

Some jurisdictions give consumers a statutory cooling-off period for distance sales, typically seven to fourteen days after delivery. Our 30-day return window already exceeds that, on looser conditions. If the statutory period where you live is longer, local law prevails.

Statutory cooling-off periods usually also require the goods to be unused and the packaging intact, which matches our conditions. If you are unsure whether your situation qualifies, write and explain it; there is no need to decide on your own first.

Contact us

For returns and refunds, email the shop with the order number and photographs; we reply within 1 business day. In peak season it takes a little longer, but every message is answered by a person.

Returns are an unavoidable part of selling. Keep the process short and write the rules down in advance, and you will not have to keep asking when you need them.

Packing a return

Send it back in the original packaging, or padding of equivalent quality, and take particular care with settings, dangling charms and thin flat pieces. Jewellery dropped loose into an envelope arrives deformed or scratched more often than not, and in that state it cannot pass as "in good condition", which affects the refund.

Do not put anything unrelated to the return in the parcel. The warehouse checks against the order, extra items cause confusion and are hard to send back as they were. Gifts with purchase must be returned too; mention it in your note.

Common questions

Can you refund before I send it? No — the refund follows receipt and inspection. Can I choose the courier for a return? Yes, but use a tracked service; ordinary post cannot be traced, and a lost parcel is hard to resolve. It is past 30 days but still sealed — can I return it? Write and explain; we will look at the condition and agree something.

Who pays return shipping? We do for a quality problem, you do for a change of mind. Cross-border return postage is usually more than the outbound leg, so work it out before deciding. Can I return just one item? Yes, as a partial return, with shipping recalculated.

The reality of cross-border returns

Cross-border return postage often comes close to, or exceeds, the price of the piece. That is a common difficulty of buying across borders, not one shop's problem. Confirming size, material, design and fittings before you order is far cheaper than returning afterwards.

Where the item is inexpensive and the return postage high, we can discuss a partial refund without a return: you keep the piece, we refund part of the price. It is not the standard process, but it is often easier for both sides.