Buying Moissanite and Lab Grown Diamond Jewellery in Canada

Canada is one of the more straightforward markets to buy jewellery into from abroad — no hallmarking bureaucracy, no assay office step. What is less straightforward is that the consumer rules are provincial, so the answer to “can I return this” depends on where you live.

1. Duty and taxes on arrival

A shipment entering Canada is assessed by the Canada Border Services Agency. Two things can apply.

• Customs duty, depending on the tariff classification of the goods and their country of origin. Rates on jewellery are relatively modest but not zero.
• GST, and in participating provinces HST, calculated on the value of the goods. Provincial sales tax handling on imports varies — Quebec’s QST and BC’s PST are treated differently again.
• A courier brokerage or handling fee on top for processing the clearance. This is the charge people are least expecting.

These are generally payable by the recipient before release, unless the seller has prepaid. There are de minimis thresholds under trade agreements, but they differ by shipment type and courier, so confirm current figures with the CBSA rather than relying on any retailer’s summary — this one included.

2. Hallmarking: Canada does it differently

Unlike the UK, Canada has no compulsory assay office hallmarking. There is no legal requirement for a ring to be struck by a government body before it can be sold as gold.

What does apply is the Precious Metals Marking Act, which governs how quality marks are used. In broad terms, if a quality mark such as 14K or 585 is applied, it must be accurate, and it must be accompanied by a trademark identifying who is responsible for it. Marking a piece inaccurately is the offence; not marking it at all is treated differently.

Practically, this means:

• An overseas maker’s 14K or 925 stamp is normal and legitimate here in a way it is not in the UK.
• You do not need to have anything assayed after import.
• For insurance you will want an independent appraisal rather than a hallmark, which is the Canadian equivalent step.

3. Returns and cancellation rights are provincial

This is the part most often got wrong. Canada has no single federal equivalent of the UK’s 14-day distance-selling cancellation right. Consumer protection legislation sits with the provinces.

What you are relying on	Where it comes from
Changing your mind on a stock item	The seller’s own policy, mainly
Cancelling a distance contract	Provincial consumer protection law — varies
Goods not as described or defective	Provincial sale-of-goods and consumer law
Custom or personalised pieces	Usually excluded from change-of-mind returns

So with a made-to-order ring, the seller’s written policy is doing most of the work. Read it before ordering rather than assuming a statutory right will cover you, and check your own province’s consumer protection office for what applies where you live.

Delivery timing to Canada

Ask for production and transit as two separate numbers. A made-to-order piece is built first, and a checkout label showing a transit window is not the total.

For our own work: about seven to eight days on the bench, then 10–12 days standard transit or 6–8 expedited — roughly 17–20 days door to door on standard. Add clearance, and add more for remote postal codes, where the final leg can be slow. If you have a fixed date, build in a fortnight of slack.

Practical checklist for a Canadian buyer

1. Confirm whether duty, GST/HST and brokerage are prepaid or payable at the door.
2. If it is a surprise going to another address, resolve that first.
3. Get metal and karat, and centre stone size in millimetres, in writing.
4. Read the seller’s written returns policy properly — provincially, it is doing most of the work.
5. Plan an independent appraisal for insurance, since there is no hallmark to rely on.
6. Get production and transit quoted separately, plus clearance.

General information about importing into Canada, not legal advice. Rates, thresholds and provincial rules change — check the CBSA and your provincial consumer protection office before relying on any of it.

Frequently asked questions