Policies

By purchasing or ordering pre-owned (estate), made-to-order and/or custom jewelry from The Gem Corps --via this site or "offline" (email, direct message, in-person)--you–-the user, customer, buyer, purchaser–-are agreeing to ALL of the terms and conditions described below:

Estate jewelry is pre-owned and encompasses vintage and antique jewelry. Vintage jewelry is 30 to 70 years old and antique jewelry is 100+ years old. These pieces of wearable art can and do out-live us, sometimes by millenia, and the ones that last have been well-made and well-cared for. Evidence of wear commensurate with age is expected and celebrated by those who stan estate jewelry. 

All of the pieces that we curate are in very good to excellent pre-owned condition and are sold *as is.* TGC guarantees that metals are solid, unless otherwise described, and stones are natural, unless otherwise described. Minor scuffs, scratches and patina are not polished out. Any substantial blemishes that do not detract from the beauty or functionality of the piece, will be mentioned in the description. Photos are part of those descriptions. If a ring can be resized by your local jeweler, it is stated in the description. We always say, ‘Don’t shop for size.’ Many of these pieces are one-of-a-kind or otherwise rare, so we don’t want you to miss out on something that you love when a simple re-size is possible.

Appraisals and gemstone certificates do not accompany jewelry unless otherwise noted in the description. It is not a common practice of estate jewelry sellers to blanket offer either of these documents unless they have come from the previous owner, are for high carat (diamonds, emeralds, rubies, etc.) pieces, pieces with provenance,  high value jewelry, and often a combination of the aforementioned. We can obtain both through our network of gemologists operated labs and accredited appraisers, however, it will be an added expense. The rate at which items are turned over, makes this a cost prohibitive process. We do, however, encourage customers to obtain independent appraisals for your personal jewelry and use those to insure  *your* investment. 

The Gem Corps’ *Heirlooms for Modern Times* include our collection of new jewelry designed by TGC which is made-to-order (shown in this e-commerce template as "back-ordered"). Sometimes pieces are in-stock and ready to ship, but we mostly work on a made-to-order schedule for non-estate jewelry.  If an item is listed as “backordered” this means that it is a made-to-order piece, so go ahead and place your order. We look forward to getting started on it for you. Delivery times range from 4 to 6 weeks and in many cases these orders ship much sooner. 

If you would like to see additional photos or videos, reach out anytime to Info@Gemcorps.com or visit our Instagram. Send us a DM/ message in a flash if you have any questions. We’re happy to help!

While SALES ARE FINAL - no refunds or exchanges - any items that may be mistakenly misrepresented require that the customer contact us at Info@GemCorps.com within 2 days of delivery. The Gem Corps will then assess and determine next steps which, at our discretion, may involve the customer returning the item fully insured and well-packaged, at the customer’s expense. Items that are returned without our approval will be sent back to the purchaser/sender.

Pricing is subject to change. Special offers such as discounts and sales cannot be applied after purchase. Join our email list to be the first to know about any specials. 

Taxes are calculated and applied for shipments within the state of California or as the law requires. 

CUSTOM DESIGN & MADE-TO-ORDER

We love this work and take a lot of pride in clear communications, resulting in gorgeous pieces to be treasured for generations to come. Please email Info@GemCorps.com to tell us about your project with the subject line "TGC Custom." The consultation fee for custom design starts at $250.00 for one hour which includes the initial video conference and follow-up emails/texts. This fee is deducted from the balance of your TGC custom order.

Please note that once production is underway, changes cannot be made, nor can an order be cancelled. The Gem Corps accepts layaway for custom and made-to-order pieces and the general layaway terms (see below) apply. Your order will be shipped once the item has been paid in full. Due to the rising prices of gold and other precious metals, we cannot guarantee pricing beyond the agreed upon layaway timeline. Please reach out to us at Info@GemCorps.com if you have any questions. Moving forward with a custom or made-to-order piece is your agreement to these terms.

LAYAWAY

Layaway is available on items that are $500 +. A 30% (for estate jewelry) to 50% non-refundable deposit is required. ALL deposits/ payments are non-refundable and non-transferable; cannot be put towards another item. Please reach out to Info@GemCorps.com with "Layaway" in the subject and include the link to the piece(s). For items under $2,000, a 30-day layaway is offered at the "paid in full" price; 31-45 days incurs an additional 5% to the "paid in full price;" 45-60 days incurs 10%. Items $2,000+ are not subject to layaway fees up to 90 days. It is up to the customer to keep up with their payments.  TGC does not send reminders. However, if a payment is 5 days past due and we have not heard word, we reserve the right to terminate the layaway.  Moving forward with layaway is your agreement to these terms.

SHIPPING

Items are generally shipped within 5 business days of your order being placed, Monday through Wednesday. The Gem Corps cannot be responsible for incorrectly entered shipping addresses made by the customer at the time of checkout. Please triple check that you are entering the correct address. Any packages that are returned will be reshipped at the expense of the customer.

Once shipped, tracking will be sent to the email entered by the purchaser. We ask that you send a quick note letting us know that your package arrived safely. TGC is not responsible for the package after it has been shipped. We may assist with an insurance claim on your behalf for any packages that become lost, stolen or damaged in transit. 

DOMESTIC: We ship USPS Priority 2-day and insure each package for the full amount. Orders that are $500+ will require a signature. Orders that exceed $5,000 will be shipped via FedEx or UPS and will require a signature.

INTERNATIONAL: Please contact us for a quote prior to placing your order. It’s the customer’s responsibility to assume any and all associated customs, duties, and/or taxes or other fees related to import. We ask that you complete your own research prior to placing an order.