Refund policy

Studio Broder Fine Jewellery Design

Your rights, our policy, how to send something back, and how to care for your piece.

Last updated: 25 August 2026

 

We want you to love your piece. Because fine jewellery is a considered purchase, we would rather talk you through a choice before you buy than process a return afterwards — so please do ask us anything. If something is not right, this page explains exactly where you stand.

At a glance

  • 7 days to change your mind, by law. You may cancel any online order within 7 days of receiving it, for any reason. You pay only the return postage.
  • 14 days to change your mind, as a courtesy. We extend that window to 14 days as a matter of policy, on the conditions below.
  • 6 months if something is wrong with the piece. If it is faulty, we repair, replace or refund — your choice — at our cost.
  • Custom-made and resized pieces cannot be returned for a change of mind, but are still covered if faulty.

1. Cancelling within 7 days — your right under ECTA

Section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 gives you the right to cancel any online purchase within 7 days of receiving the goods, without giving a reason and without penalty.

If you cancel under this right:

  • you must return the goods to us;
  • the only cost you carry is the direct cost of returning them — we do not deduct anything else; and
  • we refund the full purchase price, including any delivery charge you paid on the original order.

The law allows us up to 30 days to refund you. In practice we aim to do it within 10 business days of receiving the piece back.

This right does not apply to goods made to your own specifications — see section 5.

2. Changing your mind within 14 days — our policy

Beyond the 7-day statutory window, we accept change-of-mind returns for up to 14 days from delivery or collection, provided that:

  • the piece is unworn and unused, in the same condition in which you received it;
  • it is in its original packaging, with any tags, certificates and valuation documents; and
  • you have proof of purchase.

For returns in days 8 to 14 we refund the purchase price. Delivery charges you paid on the original order, and the cost of returning the piece to us, are not refunded in this window. If your order qualified for free delivery, the actual delivery cost we incurred, being R200, is deducted from your refund.

If a piece comes back showing signs of wear, resizing, or damage, we will tell you before we do anything. Where the CPA permits us to charge for the reduction in value or for restoring the piece, we will give you a written quote and your written approval is required before any deduction is made. You may also ask us to return the piece to you instead, at your cost.

3. What we cannot take back for a change of mind

  • Custom-made pieces, and pieces altered or engraved to your specification. Section 42(2) of ECTA excludes goods made to a consumer’s specifications from the 7-day cancellation right.
  • Rings resized at your request, for the same reason.
  • Earrings for pierced ears, where these have been worn, on hygiene grounds.
  • Gift cards.

Sale items: discounted pieces are excluded from our 14-day change-of-mind policy only. They remain fully covered by your 7-day statutory cancellation right and by the six-month quality warranty — a reduced price never reduces those rights.

None of the exclusions above applies where the piece is faulty, unsafe or does not match the specification you approved.

On a custom or altered piece, we will always endeavour to rectify any omission on our part, or any alteration you have asked for, and we deal with these on a case-by-case basis. Please get in touch if you have any question or concern about your particular piece — we would far rather hear from you than not.

A note on pieces made to your specification

Before we make or alter a piece for you, we will confirm the specification in writing — metal and carat, the type and weight of any stones, ring size or dimensions, and the finish — and we will not begin work until you have approved it. Please check it carefully, particularly the ring size, as it becomes the standard against which the finished piece is measured.

4. If your piece is faulty, damaged or not as described

Sections 55 and 56 of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 give you the right to goods that are of good quality, free of defects and reasonably suitable for their intended purpose.

If, within six months of delivery, your piece is defective, unsafe or fails in normal use, you may return it and choose whether we:

  • refund you in full;
  • replace the piece; or
  • repair it.

In these cases we cover the cost of return and of repair or replacement — you pay nothing. We will arrange collection or reimburse your return postage. This right applies whether or not the piece was bought on sale, and it is in addition to, not instead of, anything else on this page.

If a repaired piece fails again within three months of the repair, section 56(3) of the CPA entitles you to a full refund or a replacement.

Damaged on arrival

Risk in your parcel stays with us until you receive and accept it. Please inspect your order on arrival. If it arrives damaged, or the wrong item has been sent, email broderscharein@icloud.com as soon as possible with your order number and a photograph. We will make it right at our cost.

5. Our workmanship guarantee

In addition to your statutory rights, we guarantee our own workmanship — settings, soldering, claws and finishing — for 12 months from the date of purchase. If a stone works loose or a joint fails through no fault of your own in that period, bring it back and we will put it right at no charge.

6. What the warranty does not cover

The following fall outside both the statutory warranty and our workmanship guarantee, because they are not defects:

  • Fair wear and tear — gold is a soft metal, and fine jewellery worn daily will show marks and thinning over time.
  • Accidental damage — knocks, crushing, bending, or a stone lost through impact.
  • Damage from misuse — wearing jewellery while exercising, gardening, swimming, cleaning, or sleeping.
  • Chemical damage — contact with chlorine, bleach, perfume, hairspray, cosmetics or household cleaners.
  • Work carried out by another jeweller. Once a third party has resized, repaired, re-set or re-polished a piece, we can no longer guarantee it.
  • Normal loss of rhodium plating on white gold — see below.

7. White gold and rhodium plating

Please read this before buying a white gold piece.

9ct and 18ct white gold are not naturally bright white — the alloy has a warm, slightly grey-yellow tone. Virtually all white gold jewellery, ours included, is finished with a thin layer of rhodium, a bright white precious metal from the platinum group, to give it its crisp finish.

Rhodium plating wears away with normal wear. How quickly depends entirely on how the piece is worn: a ring worn every day may begin to show warmth at the back of the shank within 6 to 12 months, while earrings or a pendant may hold their finish for many years. This is normal and expected. It is not a defect, and it does not mean the piece is not solid white gold.

We re-plate. Bring your piece in and we will professionally clean, polish and re-rhodium it — it comes back looking new. Cost: from R500 per item. Turnaround: 5–7 business days.

8. Metals, stones and allergies

The metal, its carat, and the type and of stone are stated in each product description. Where a stone is laboratory-grown or has been treated, we say so explicitly. If a description does not say a stone is laboratory-grown, it is a natural stone.

If you have a known metal sensitivity, please tell us before you order and we will advise on a suitable alloy. Our white gold alloys do not contain nickel.

9. Ring sizing and resizing

Ring sizes are given in the standard South African / UK alphabetical scale. If you are unsure of your size, come into the store — measuring takes a minute and saves a great deal of trouble.

We can resize most rings. Cost: from R300. Turnaround: 3-5 days.

Some pieces cannot be resized without compromising them — full eternity rings, rings with stones set all the way around the shank, and certain patterned or channel-set designs. We will always tell you before we start.

Important: a ring resized at your request becomes a piece made to your specification. In terms of section 42(2) of ECTA it therefore falls outside the 7-day online cancellation right and cannot be returned for a change of mind. Your rights if the piece is faulty are unaffected.

10. How to return a piece or make a claim

  • Contact us first at broderscharein@icloud.com or +27 43 726 0225 with your order number, so that we can log the return and advise on safe packaging and insured carriage. Jewellery sent back without notice may go astray, and we cannot take responsibility for a parcel we were not expecting.
  • Pack the piece securely in its original box, with all documentation.
  • Send it, insured, to: Studio Broder, Shop 5, Beacon Bay Crossing, Bonza Bay Road, Beacon Bay, East London, 5241. You may also return in person during trading hours.
  • We inspect and confirm. We will let you know that we have received the piece and confirm the outcome, ordinarily within 3 business days.

The same process applies to a warranty claim or a repair. Please do not send a piece to us without contacting us first.

11. How refunds are paid

Refunds are made to the original payment method. Once we approve a refund we process it within 10 business days. Your bank or card issuer may take a further few days to reflect it — that part is outside our control.

If you have not received an approved refund after 15 business days, please contact us at broderscharein@icloud.com and we will follow it up.

12. Exchanges

Because most of our pieces are one of a kind, the quickest route is usually to return the piece and place a new order once the return is approved. If you would prefer a direct exchange, speak to us and we will do what we can.

Ring sizing is the most common reason for an exchange. Please use our size guide, or come into the store to be measured, before you order.

13. Caring for your jewellery

Most of what falls outside the warranty is avoidable. A few simple habits will keep your piece looking as it did the day you collected it.

  • Put jewellery on last, after perfume, hairspray, moisturiser and make-up.
  • Take it off before swimming, showering, exercising, gardening, cleaning or sleeping.
  • Clean gently with warm water, a drop of mild dish soap and a soft toothbrush, then dry with a soft cloth.
  • Never use bleach, chlorine or abrasive cleaners. Avoid ultrasonic cleaners unless we have confirmed your piece is suitable.
  • Store pieces separately, in a soft pouch or a lined box, so that harder stones do not scratch softer metal.
  • Have claw settings checked once a year — we do this free of charge.

14. Services we offer

  • Annual claw and setting check — free
  • Professional clean and polish
  • Rhodium re-plating
  • Ring resizing
  • Repairs, restoration and re-setting — quoted on inspection
  • Insurance valuation certificates are issued with pieces sold by us and can be updated at a cost, to reflect value escalation.

15. Insurance

We strongly recommend that you specify fine jewellery on your household insurance policy. Most policies require a valuation certificate for items above a certain value, and most do not cover loss of an item worn outside the home unless it has been specified. Ask us for a valuation — it is quick, and it is the difference between a claim paid and a claim declined.

16. If you are not happy with how we handled it

Please tell us — broderscharein@icloud.com or +27 43 726 0225. If we cannot resolve it, you may take the matter to the National Consumer Commission (www.thencc.org.za), or a court of competent jurisdiction.

Studio Broder CC (CK97/21154/23) · Returns, Refunds & Warranty