How Secure is Shipping Internationally?
Very. We ship all items tracked, insured and requiring a signature upon delivery. In the extremely unlikely event of an item getting lost in transit, we will issue a full refund for the cost of the item and shipping. More information on shipping, including expected transit times can be found on the shipping information page.
Can you resize a ring before shipping it to me?
Generally, yes we can. We will not resize full hoop / eternity rings or bands with engraving around the full circumference unless they can be resized without disruption the pattern. Each ring has different limits as to how much it may be sized up or down. We usually try to provide some indication of how much each ring can be sized in the product description. The cost can vary quite a bit for resizing based on how many sizes the item has to be altered by and the metal the ring is made from. For an accurate quote, please contact us with the SKU of the ring in question and the size that you would like it resized to. Generally it will take up to a week for us to complete sizings. Below is a rough guide to the cost of sizings. Please note that this is for guidance only, and due to the difficultly of some work, these prices may not be exactly correct, they are here as a reference only. Also note that rings may not be altered to any size, there are limits.
| Gold | Platinum | Silver | |
| Down | £30 | £35 | £15 |
| Up 0 - 1 UK Sizes | £30 | £35 | £15 |
| Up 1 - 2 UK Sizes | £38 | £45 | £22 |
| Up 2 - 3 UK Sizes | £48 | £55 | £25 |
| Up 3 - 4 UK Sizes | £58 | £65 | £25 |
| Up 4 - 5 UK Sizes | £68 | £75 | £25 |
| Up 5 - 6 UK Sizes | £78 | £85 | £25 |
Do you have a store front somewhere?
Unfortunately not. There are pros and cons to this. It would be great to have a store to allow people to try before they buy, at their leisure, but the extra expense would mean we would have to charge much higher retail prices. We ocassionally do fairs or shows, please contact us if you'd like to know if we have any coming up.
Is the jewellery here all original, or is it reproduction?
It is original, most of the items we sell are in the region of 100 years old. We list the age of everything we sell in the product description. Some items are more modern, although not new, particularly some Men's rings as the current trend for white metals (white gold, platinum, palladium) is relatively recent. Almost everything else is Victorian, Art Nouveau, Edwardian, Art Deco or at newest Mid Century.
Why buy antique or vintage jewellery?
There are plenty of great reasons to buy antique and vintage. It is reuse, so has much lower environmental impact. Digging metals and precious stones out of the ground and refining them comes at quite a high environmental cost so it is great to reuse what we already have. It is ethical. Many of the materials used to make jewellery come from developing countries that do not have good records on workers rights, or the use of child labour. Using already mined materials does not further drive these potentially abusive practices. It is typically cheaper. Everyone likes to get more for their money! It has a different style. If you look at a modern piece compared to an Art Deco piece, the modern piece will look chunkier and heavier, and the Art Deco piece will look more delicate and refined. Naturally, this is a matter of opinion, but we prefer older pieces, and we think you should too!
What condition is jewellery that you sell in?
When a new piece comes to us, it is cleaned and assessed. Any problems with a piece, we put right. This means we may repolish or replace chipped gemstones, replace a shank on a ring if it is too worn and no longer usable, or retip the prongs of a stone setting to insure it is secure. Any work that we perform, we make sure that it is in keeping with the style of the piece. So, we will use the correct cut of gemstones in a ring, almost always actually cut in the period which the original piece is from, and we won't put modern heavy shanks on an Art Deco ring etc. The result of this work is that items leave us in very very good condition. The pieces are not new, so there will be some evidence of their past life. We do note any defects and try to provide very good photographs. If you have any additional questions, or require more photos then please do not hesitate to contact us.
How should I care for my vintage and antique jewellery?
Vintage and antique jewellery and conversion jewellery can be fragile and is designed to be worn with care. All jewellery that we sell is in wearable condition and can be worn daily but is not indestructible.
To care for your jewellery we recommend that you remove it before doing any chores including washing-up, laundry, cooking and baking, gardening, exercising, showering, etc. Chemicals, such as bleach, chlorine, alcohol, perfumes, hair products, etc may cause irreparable damage to some gemstones, especially turquoise, opals, and pearls. Regular cleaning, checking and maintaining of settings and gemstones will ensure that your item stays in good condition. If you have questions about how to care for you jewellery to make it last for generations, please ask, we're always happy to provide advice and guidance.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express credit, debit and prepaid cards. We also accept PayPal, and in the UK, bank transfer / BACS. PayPal is able to process Discover, Maestro and Switch cards. If you have one of those card types, please select PayPal as the payment method and enter your details when prompted, you will not need to have a PayPal account to do this. Please note that all transactions are in British Pounds Sterling (£), the conversions that are seen on this website are for your convenience, and may not accurately represent the conversion rate that your financial institution uses, or account for any non-home currency charges that they may levie on your transaction. Please check with them for further details.
Do you offer layaway / layby?
Yes, we do. For items over £300, we require a third down, a third in 30 days, and the final third due within 60 days from the date of purchase. The item will ship once all payment have cleared. For items between £100 and £300 we require 20% down with the balance due within a month. Shipping addresses must be the same for all payments made.
If a payment is late or you need more time please contact us. We allow a 5 day grace period to make a payment after its due. If we don't hear from you or the plan is cancelled for any reason we will refund the amount paid minus a fee of 20% of the items total price to cover our time, the item having been unable for others to purchase, and our payment processor's non-refundable fees. We really don't enjoy cancelling payment plans so please contact us! We are unable to accept returns on items which have been purchased on a lay-away / payment plan. We are able to hold items for 2 days without a deposit.
Is buying from your website secure?
Yes, our website provides 256bit SSL encryption and our payment provider is certified to PCI Service Provider Level 1. When you move to the checkout system just look for the https:// at the beginning of the URI which indicates that you are using a secure connection.
How do I know you aren't going to run off with my money and send me a bag of nails instead of beautiful jewellery?
Well, there are at least 3 good reasons I can think of. Firstly, that doesn't sound like a very good business model, at least long term. Secondly, our payment providers along with your credit card company would probably have something to say about the situation. And thirdly, we have tons of happy customers who say nice things about us. You can check out some of their comments over on our Etsy page.
What kind of packaging will you deliver my item in?
We keep our exterior packaging as discreet as possible. Usually we ship in plain brown card boxes, with no branding, company logos, or references to jewellery on the exterior. When shipping outside the EU we have to complete customs declarations or provide a commercial invoice, but again we try and keep the description of the contents as discrete as possible.
Will my item come in gift packaging?
Yes, it will. We have a range of branded packaging that we use, which is shown in the photo below. If you'd like to see how an item will look in it's box before purchasing it, please contact us.
