Jewellery Care & Warranty

Rachel Balfour Jewellery is made from solid gold and precious gemstones, and each piece is designed to be worn, loved and passed down through generations. With a little care, you can help keep your jewellery looking beautiful for years to come.

Everyday care

To help protect your jewellery, please remove it before swimming, bathing, exercising, sleeping or doing physical tasks. Try to avoid knocks, bumps and pressure, as these can damage gemstones or loosen their settings.

Keep your jewellery away from chlorine, bleach and household cleaners. We also recommend putting your pieces on after applying perfume, cosmetics and hairspray, and taking them off before undressing.

When you’re not wearing your jewellery, store each piece separately in a soft pouch or lined jewellery box to help prevent scratches and tangling.

Caring for gold

Gold can pick up small scratches and dents over time, gradually developing a beautiful patina that reflects the life of your piece. To keep it looking its best, gently wipe your jewellery with a clean, soft, lint-free cloth.

Please avoid abrasive cleaners and polishing products, especially on satin or textured finishes, as these can change the surface.

Caring for gemstones and diamonds

Every gemstone is unique and has its own care requirements. Even diamonds, although exceptionally hard, can chip or crack if they receive a sharp knock in the wrong place.

For everyday cleaning, gently wipe gemstones with a clean, soft, slightly damp cloth. Pieces set only with untreated diamonds can usually be cleaned with lukewarm water, a little mild soap and a very soft brush. Rinse carefully in a bowl and dry with a lint-free cloth.

Emeralds and opals need a little extra care. Please protect them from knocks, excessive heat, sudden temperature changes and harsh chemicals. Avoid soaking, steam and ultrasonic cleaning.

If your piece combines different gemstones, follow the care advice for the most delicate stone. If you’re unsure what’s best for your jewellery, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to advise you.

Caring for pearls

Pearls are delicate and can scratch easily, so please store them separately from other jewellery. Keep them away from perfume, cosmetics and hairspray, and gently wipe them with a clean, soft cloth after wearing.

When needed, you can use a slightly damp cloth with a little mild soapy water, then gently wipe away any residue. Please don’t soak strung pearls, and allow both the pearls and thread to dry completely before storing them.

Settings and maintenance

We recommend having your jewellery’s settings and clasps checked from time to time, particularly for pieces you wear every day.

If a stone feels loose, a setting catches on clothing or a clasp doesn’t feel secure, please stop wearing the piece and contact us so we can inspect it.

Six-month warranty & aftercare

Every Rachel Balfour piece is made with care and intended to be worn and treasured for generations. We provide a six-month warranty from the date of purchase, covering defects in materials and craftsmanship.

Gemstones are precious and need thoughtful care. Even with careful wear, an accidental knock or pressure can cause a stone to chip or crack. Damage of this kind occurring after purchase isn’t covered by our warranty, so we recommend jewellery insurance that includes accidental damage to stones.

If your stone becomes damaged, please get in touch. We’ll be happy to assess your piece, talk through the options and provide a quote for any repair or replacement before carrying out any work.

Our warranty doesn’t cover normal wear and tear, accidental damage, improper care, or damage caused by alterations or repairs carried out by another jeweller.

If you’re concerned that an issue may be due to a fault in the stone or its setting, please contact us and we’ll be happy to assess it.

This warranty is in addition to, and doesn’t affect, your statutory consumer rights, which may continue beyond the six-month warranty period.

Jewellery insurance

We strongly recommend arranging jewellery insurance that includes accidental damage, loss and theft. Please check that your policy covers damage to gemstones, including cracking and chipping, as well as the associated repair or replacement costs.

If you have any questions about caring for your jewellery or would like to discuss a repair, please contact Rachel Balfour Jewellery.

 

We highly recommend purchasing jewellery insurance for your fine jewellery; just as you would purchase insurance for other valuable items.

Jewellery is not just valuable it is also sentimental and we can feel very lost without it. Whilst we all do our best to take good care of precious pieces; breakages and loss can still happen. It is important to put safeguards in place so that you can either replace your jewellery or recover its monetary value.

Returns & Refunds

We hope you love your Rachel Balfour Jewellery piece. If you are not completely satisfied, you may return it in accordance with our returns policy.

Please refer to our full Refund Policy for details on eligibility, timeframes and how to arrange a return or exchange.

RETURNS & EXCHANGES

We sincerely hope that you love your new Rachel Balfour jewellery. However, if your piece isn’t quite right, we are happy to offer an exchange or credit note within 30 days of purchase, subject to the conditions below.

RETURNS

Unaltered pieces from our collection may be returned for a refund within 14 days of receiving your order, provided they are unworn, in their original condition and returned with their original packaging.

Refunds will be made to the original payment method once the piece has been received and inspected.

As many of our pieces are made or tailored especially for you, we are unable to offer a refund or exchange on:

• Collection pieces that have been modified specifically for your order, including changes to ring size, chain length, stone shape or stone colour

• Engraved or otherwise personalised jewellery

• Made-to-order pieces

• Bespoke pieces

Your statutory rights are not affected, including where an item is faulty.

HOW TO MAKE A RETURN

Please contact us by email before returning your jewellery. Once your return has been approved, carefully package the piece in its original packaging and include your name and contact details inside the parcel.

Please send your return to:

Rachel Balfour Jewellery
The Goldsmiths’ Centre
42 Britton Street
London
EC1M 5AD
United Kingdom

UK RETURNS

We recommend returning your jewellery using a fully tracked, signed-for and insured service, such as Royal Mail Special Delivery.

Return postage is the responsibility of the customer and Rachel Balfour Jewellery cannot accept responsibility for items lost or damaged while in transit.

INTERNATIONAL RETURNS

For returns made from outside the UK, customers are responsible for any customs charges or import fees incurred when the piece is returned to the UK. Any such charges may be deducted from the final refund amount.

Original international customs duties, import charges and sales taxes are non-refundable.

We strongly recommend returning your jewellery using a fully tracked and insured courier service. Rachel Balfour Jewellery cannot accept responsibility for returned items that are lost or damaged in transit.