Terms & Conditions
Terms & Conditions
These Terms & Conditions apply to purchases made from Cumbria Life Casting. Please read them carefully before placing your order.
Our jewellery is individually made using precious metals and, where applicable, personal inclusions supplied by you. Due to the bespoke and sentimental nature of our work, there will naturally be variations between individual pieces.
Nothing within these Terms & Conditions affects your statutory rights under UK consumer law.
Bespoke & Personalised Jewellery
The majority of our jewellery is individually made or personalised using inclusions supplied by you, including ashes, breastmilk, hair, fur and other sentimental materials.
Due to the individual nature of these materials, no two pieces will ever be completely identical.
Photographs displayed on our website and social media are examples of previous work and are intended as a guide. The appearance of your finished jewellery may vary due to the characteristics of your individual inclusions, colour choices, materials and the handmade nature of the process.
We cannot guarantee that a finished piece will be an exact visual match to another customer's jewellery or to photographs shown on our website or social media.
Colours & Finishes
Colours, pigments, flakes, leaf and other decorative finishes are applied by hand. Their placement, concentration and appearance will naturally vary between pieces.
Screen settings, lighting and photography can also affect how colours appear.
Where a customer has selected a particular colour or finish, a difference between the finished piece and how that colour appeared on a screen or in another customer's jewellery does not in itself constitute a manufacturing defect.
Inclusions
Please send only the quantity of inclusions requested in your inclusion pack.
Every reasonable precaution is taken when handling sentimental materials. However, customers should avoid sending irreplaceable quantities of any inclusion where only a small amount is required.
Ashes, hair/fur and umbilical cord remaining following production will be returned with your finished jewellery where applicable.
Preserved breastmilk is not routinely returned and may be retained to allow us to remake or repair your inclusion stone in the future.
We cannot guarantee permanent storage of preserved inclusions and recommend that customers retain their own original supply wherever possible.
Handmade Jewellery
Our jewellery and inclusion stones involve a significant amount of hand craftsmanship.
Small variations, including minor differences in colour distribution, inclusion placement, pattern, transparency, tiny bubbles or other characteristics inherent to handmade glass or resin, may occur.
These characteristics are part of the handmade nature of the jewellery and are not necessarily manufacturing defects.
Ring Sizing
It is the customer's responsibility to provide the correct ring size.
Where appropriate, we provide a ring sizer to help establish the required size before manufacture.
Finger size can change due to temperature, pregnancy, weight changes, medication and other factors outside our control.
Where a ring has been manufactured to the size confirmed by the customer, subsequent resizing is not considered correction of a manufacturing fault and may incur a charge.
Some designs have limitations on how far they can safely be resized and may require partial or complete remanufacture.
Engraving
Engraving is completed according to the wording and information supplied or approved by the customer.
The appearance, size and positioning of engraving may vary depending upon the available surface area, jewellery design, chosen wording and font.
We reserve the right to make minor adjustments to engraving size or positioning where necessary to accommodate the design safely.
Customers are responsible for checking spelling, dates and other information supplied for engraving.
Turnaround Times
We will endeavour to complete your order within the turnaround time published at the time of ordering.
Our turnaround times are estimates rather than guaranteed completion dates.
Delays may occasionally occur due to the handmade nature of our jewellery, casting, hallmarking, availability of components, complexity of an individual piece or circumstances outside our reasonable control.
Where an order is required for a particular occasion or date, please contact us before ordering to establish whether this is realistically achievable.
Delivery
Orders may be completed entirely by post or inclusions may be delivered to our studio in Silloth by prior appointment.
Finished jewellery is sent using an appropriate tracked or insured postal service.
Customers are responsible for ensuring that the delivery address supplied is accurate.
Please contact us promptly if a parcel appears to have been lost or damaged in transit so that we can investigate with the relevant carrier.
Returns
Because much of our jewellery is personalised or made using materials supplied specifically by the customer, statutory change-of-mind cancellation rights may not apply to personalised or bespoke products.
However, we want customers to be happy with their finished jewellery and currently offer our own 30-day satisfaction policy.
If you are unhappy with your finished piece, please contact us within 30 days of receiving it. Wherever reasonably possible, we will work with you to understand your concerns and may offer an adjustment or remake.
Where an appropriate resolution cannot be achieved, we may offer a return and refund under our voluntary satisfaction policy.
Any voluntary return or remake offered by us is separate from your statutory rights where goods are faulty, not as described or otherwise fail to meet the requirements of UK consumer law.
Any jewellery returned for a refund must be returned complete unless otherwise agreed with us.
Where ashes are contained within an inclusion stone that will not be retained, we will make reasonable efforts to recover and return the ashes where technically possible.
Breastmilk incorporated into a completed or preserved inclusion cannot necessarily be recovered or returned in its original form.
Lifetime Manufacturer's Guarantee
We take great care in the manufacture of every piece of Cumbria Life Casting jewellery and provide a lifetime manufacturer's guarantee against defects arising from our workmanship.
Our manufacturer's guarantee covers faults which, following assessment, we determine to have resulted from the manufacturing process.
Our guarantee does not cover accidental damage, impact damage, inappropriate use, neglect, loss, theft, normal wear and tear, scratching, tarnishing, plating wear, chemical or environmental damage, or damage resulting from failure to follow our aftercare guidance.
Our manufacturer's guarantee is additional to, and does not affect, your statutory rights under UK consumer law.
Precious Metals & Normal Wear
Precious metals are durable but they are not indestructible.
Sterling silver, gold and platinum can scratch, wear, bend or distort when subjected to sufficient pressure or impact.
Sterling silver in particular is a relatively soft precious-metal alloy. Fine or slim jewellery designs contain less metal than heavier designs and therefore require greater care during wear.
A bent, crushed, stretched or otherwise distorted ring or setting is not, by itself, evidence of a manufacturing defect.
Damage caused by external pressure or impact is considered accidental damage and is not covered by our manufacturer's guarantee.
Slim & Delicate Designs
Some of our designs intentionally feature slim bands, fine settings or delicate detailing.
These designs are suitable for normal jewellery wear but should be treated according to their construction. They will not withstand the same degree of force as a substantially heavier or thicker piece of jewellery.
Customers choosing a fine or slim design should take particular care when lifting, gripping, exercising, carrying heavy objects or undertaking activities that may place pressure on the jewellery.
Settings, Claws & Stone Loss
Gemstones and inclusion stones rely upon the continued integrity of their settings.
External pressure or impact can distort a ring or setting, move or damage claws and compromise the security of a stone.
We recommend regularly checking jewellery for visible movement, distortion or damage and discontinuing wear if anything appears unusual.
Stone loss or damage resulting from a bent, damaged or distorted setting, impact, accidental damage or continued wear of damaged jewellery is not considered a manufacturing defect.
Where a stone or setting fails due to a manufacturing defect, this will be covered by our manufacturer's guarantee.
Resin Inclusion Stones
Resin jewellery requires appropriate care.
Resin may be affected by prolonged exposure to water, heat, chemicals, cosmetics, cleaning products, perfumes, hand sanitiser and excessive UV exposure.
Customers should follow the aftercare instructions supplied with their jewellery.
Damage or deterioration caused by inappropriate exposure or failure to follow aftercare guidance is not considered a manufacturing defect.
Where possible, resin inclusion stones may be refreshed or remade as a chargeable service where deterioration has occurred through wear or environmental exposure.
Glass Inclusion Stones
Our glass inclusion stones are individually handmade and may contain natural variations resulting from the glassmaking and inclusion process.
Although glass provides excellent durability for memorial jewellery, it is not unbreakable. A sufficiently strong impact can chip, crack or break a glass stone.
Impact damage is not covered by our manufacturer's guarantee.
Tarnishing & Plating
Tarnishing is a natural chemical reaction that can occur with sterling silver and is not a manufacturing defect.
The rate at which silver tarnishes varies according to environmental conditions, humidity, skin chemistry, cosmetics, chemicals and how the jewellery is stored and worn.
White gold may be rhodium plated. Rhodium plating is a surface finish and will gradually wear through normal use. Replating is considered routine maintenance and is not covered by our manufacturer's guarantee unless there is an identified manufacturing issue with the original finish.
Jewellery Care
Jewellery should be removed where there is a significant risk of impact, pressure or exposure to damaging substances.
This includes activities such as heavy lifting, manual work, gardening, gym training, swimming and cleaning with household chemicals.
Customers should follow the specific aftercare guidance supplied with their jewellery.
Continued wear of jewellery after damage, distortion, looseness or another problem becomes apparent may cause additional damage for which we cannot accept responsibility.
Assessment of Returned Jewellery
Where jewellery is returned because of a suspected fault, we will inspect it before determining the appropriate resolution.
Our assessment may include examination of the ring shank, setting, claws, stones, surface condition and any evidence of impact, distortion or wear.
We cannot necessarily determine precisely when or how damage occurred. Our assessment will therefore be based upon the physical condition of the jewellery when it is received.
Where appropriate, we may photograph the jewellery on arrival and during assessment for our records.
If our assessment identifies a manufacturing defect, the repair or replacement will be carried out in accordance with our guarantee and applicable consumer law.
If the issue is consistent with accidental damage, external force, inappropriate use or normal wear and tear, we may offer a chargeable repair.
Repairs
We will always try to repair or restore sentimental jewellery where reasonably possible.
Where a repair falls outside our manufacturer's guarantee, we will explain the work required and any applicable charge before proceeding.
Depending upon the condition of the jewellery, it may be safer to replace a setting or component rather than repair it.
In particular, precious metal that has been significantly bent, distorted, damaged or previously repaired may be weakened by further manipulation. Where we consider replacement to be the safer or more durable option, we will explain this before undertaking the work.
Repairing one part of a piece does not constitute a guarantee against future accidental damage or wear to that or another part of the jewellery.
Alterations by Third Parties
We strongly recommend returning Cumbria Life Casting jewellery to us for assessment or repair.
We cannot accept responsibility for damage caused by repairs, resizing, alterations, polishing, stone setting or other work undertaken by another jeweller or third party.
Our manufacturer's guarantee may not apply to an issue where third-party work has caused or materially contributed to the damage.
Complaints
We welcome feedback and take complaints seriously.
If you have a concern about your jewellery or our service, please contact us in writing with your order details and a description of the issue.
Where the concern relates to the condition of a piece of jewellery, we may ask for photographs or request that the jewellery is returned to us so that it can be properly assessed.
We will endeavour to investigate and respond to complaints promptly and fairly.
Consumer Rights
Nothing within these Terms & Conditions is intended to exclude, restrict or replace any rights or remedies available to consumers under applicable UK law.
Our voluntary satisfaction policy and lifetime manufacturer's guarantee are provided in addition to those statutory rights.
Contact
If you have any questions about these Terms & Conditions, your order, aftercare or a repair, please contact Cumbria Life Casting through the contact details provided on our website.