Education
Buying Moissanite and Lab Grown Diamond Jewellery in Ireland
VAT, duty, and one of the oldest hallmarking systems still running.
Written by the Mapple Gems workshop, Surat Β· Updated 28 August 2026
Short answer
Jewellery imported from outside the EU attracts import VAT and customs duty above the threshold, collected by the carrier with a handling fee. Ireland operates a mandatory hallmarking system through the Assay Office at Dublin Castle, one of the oldest continuously operating in the world. EU rules give a 14-day cooling-off period, but goods made to your specification are exempt. And post-Brexit, buying from a UK seller now involves the same customs process as buying from anywhere else outside the EU.
Ireland is straightforward on tax and unusually strict on hallmarking β the Dublin Assay Office has been marking precious metals since the seventeenth century and the requirement was never relaxed. For a buyer that is mostly reassuring rather than obstructive.
1. VAT and customs duty
- Import VAT on the value of the goods including shipping and duty. Since the EU removed the low-value VAT exemption in 2021 this applies broadly, regardless of value.
- Customs duty above the consignment threshold, based on tariff classification and country of origin.
- Carrier handling fee for making the declaration and advancing the tax. Not a tax and not refundable.
An engagement ring will normally exceed the duty threshold, so expect a formal clearance. Confirm current rates with Revenue rather than relying on any retailerβs summary, including this one.
The Brexit point Irish buyers keep discovering late. Buying from a British jeweller is no longer an internal EU purchase. A ring shipped from Great Britain to Ireland now goes through the same import VAT, duty and carrier-fee process as one shipped from anywhere else outside the EU β and returns work the same way in reverse, which makes a UK resize or repair considerably more involved than it used to be. Northern Ireland arrangements differ again. So when comparing a UK seller with a non-EU one, the customs difference is no longer a reason to prefer the UK; compare the landed prices instead.
2. Hallmarking: the Dublin Assay Office
Ireland requires articles of gold, silver, platinum and palladium sold in the State to be hallmarked, above weight thresholds. The Assay Office at Dublin Castle administers this, and Irish marks are distinctive β the crowned harp and the figure of Hibernia among them.
What it means for a private buyer importing a piece:
- The obligation attaches primarily to selling in Ireland, not to owning a piece you imported for your own use.
- An overseas makerβs 585 or 750 stamp is a fineness mark, not an Irish hallmark. They are different things.
- Light articles below the weight thresholds are exempt, so a fine chain may not need one where a substantial ring would.
- You can submit a piece for assay and marking after import if you want it β relevant chiefly for resale through an Irish jeweller.
Thresholds and requirements are technical and do change, so check with the Assay Office directly if the hallmark specifically matters to you.
3. Cooling off β and the exemption
Under EU consumer rules as implemented in Ireland, a distance purchase normally carries a 14-day cooling-off period from receipt, during which you may cancel without giving a reason.
The exemptions include goods made to the consumerβs specifications or clearly personalised β which covers a ring built to your chosen stone, metal, setting and finger size.
| Purchase | 14-day cancellation? |
|---|---|
| Stock piece, standard size | Yes |
| Resized before dispatch | Likely not |
| Built from a CAD to your spec | No |
| Engraved | No |
| Faulty or not as described | Separate consumer rights apply regardless |
As elsewhere, the exemption removes the right to change your mind. It does not affect your rights where goods are faulty or not as described, which cannot be excluded in a consumer sale.
Delivery timing
Ask for production and transit separately. For our work: about seven to eight days on the bench, then 10β12 days standard transit or 6β8 expedited β roughly 17β20 days door to door on standard.
Add clearance, plus the depot-hold step if duties are not prepaid. Delivery to rural addresses can add a day or two on the final leg. Allow a fortnight of slack against a fixed date.
Ring sizing
Ireland uses the alphabetical sizing system shared with the UK β letters rather than numbers β which does not convert cleanly to US sizes because the two scales do not step identically.
Give an overseas workshop the inner diameter or circumference in millimetres rather than a letter. If you only have the letter, give them the letter and let them convert once. Converting yourself and then having it converted again is where sizing errors originate, and a resize on a piece from outside the EU means a second customs clearance.
Checklist for an Irish buyer
- Ask whether VAT and duty are prepaid or payable on delivery.
- If it is a surprise going to another address, resolve that first.
- Give your ring size in millimetres, not as a letter you converted yourself.
- Confirm fineness in writing: 375, 585, 750 or 925.
- Decide whether an Irish hallmark matters β it matters more for resale than for wearing.
- If comparing a UK seller, compare landed prices including customs, not headline prices.
General information about importing into Ireland, not legal advice. Rates, thresholds and hallmarking rules change β check Revenue, the Assay Office and the CCPC before relying on any of it.
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
Do I pay customs on jewellery shipped to Ireland?
Yes, for shipments from outside the EU. Import VAT applies broadly since the EU removed the low-value exemption in 2021, and customs duty applies above the threshold, with a carrier handling fee on top. Unless duties are prepaid by the seller, the recipient pays before the parcel is released.
Do I pay customs buying jewellery from the UK to Ireland?
Since Brexit, yes β a ring shipped from Great Britain to Ireland goes through the same import VAT, duty and carrier-fee process as one from any other non-EU country, and returns work the same way in reverse. Northern Ireland arrangements differ. Compare landed prices rather than headline prices when weighing a UK seller.
Does Ireland require hallmarking on gold jewellery?
Yes, above weight thresholds, through the Assay Office at Dublin Castle β one of the oldest continuously operating hallmarking authorities in the world. The obligation attaches primarily to selling in Ireland rather than to owning an imported piece, but it can matter for resale through an Irish jeweller.
How do I give my Irish ring size to an overseas jeweller?
As the inner diameter or circumference in millimetres. Ireland uses the alphabetical system shared with the UK, which does not convert cleanly to US numbering because the scales do not step identically. If you only have the letter, give the letter and let the workshop convert once rather than converting it yourself.
Shipping to Ireland from our Surat workshop.
Send your size in millimetres and ask about duty before you order β especially for a surprise.
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