If Your Jewellery Arrives Wrong or Damaged

Education

What to do in the first hour, what your rights actually are, and why speed matters more than argument.

Written by the Mapple Gems workshop, Surat · Updated 11 September 2026

Short answer

Photograph everything before you handle it further, and report it the same day — damage and shortage claims have short windows and weaken with every day that passes. Separate the two questions: is it faulty or not as described (where your rights are strongest and cannot be removed by any seller policy), or is it simply not what you hoped (where a custom piece usually has no change-of-mind right anywhere). Compare it against the written specification rather than against the photographs.

Something arriving wrong is uncommon, and when it happens the outcome depends mostly on the first hour. This is the practical sequence, and the distinction that determines how the conversation goes.

The first hour

Photograph the packaging before opening further — including any damage to the outer box and the shipping label.
Photograph the piece from several angles, including inside the shank and from underneath, in good daylight.
Do not attempt to fix anything. Bending a prong back or cleaning a mark can complicate both a claim and a repair.
Check it against the written specification — metal stamp, stone millimetres, shank dimensions, report number and girdle inscription.
Report it the same day, in writing, with the photographs attached.

Same-day reporting matters practically rather than legally: it removes any question of when the damage occurred, which is the only genuinely contestable point in most of these conversations.

Compare against the specification, not the photographs. This is the distinction that decides most disputes, and it works in both directions. A ring that looks smaller, calmer or less sparkly than the listing images is almost always correct — product photography uses directional light and macro range, and neither exists in your kitchen. But a ring whose shank measures 1.5 mm when 1.8 mm was quoted, or whose stone measures 6.1 mm when 6.5 mm was stated, has failed its own written numbers, and that is measurable and indisputable. So the useful question is never “does it look like the photo?” — it is “does it match what was written down?” Which is also why getting the specification in writing before ordering matters so much.

Two different situations

Situation	Your position
Faulty — a loose stone, a crooked setting, a defect	Strong. Consumer rights on faulty goods cannot be contracted away.
Not as described — wrong metal, wrong dimensions	Strong, and measurable against the written spec.
Damaged in transit	Usually covered by shipment insurance — report immediately.
Wrong size	Depends whose error. A resize is usually the remedy either way.
Simply not what you hoped	Weak on a custom piece — personalised goods are exempt from change-of-mind rights in most markets.

The last row surprises people, so it is worth stating plainly: where a statutory cancellation right exists — the EU’s and UK’s 14 days — it carries an exemption for goods made to the consumer’s specification. A ring built to your chosen stone, metal, setting and finger size generally falls inside it.

What you always retain is your rights if the piece is faulty or not as described. Those are separate, and no seller policy can remove them in a consumer sale.

What to say, and how

Keep it factual and specific. A message that says “the shank measures 1.5 mm; your written quotation stated 1.8 mm — photographs attached” is answerable and hard to dispute. A message that says the ring is disappointing is not.

Reference the written specification and quote the figure.
Attach the photographs from the first hour.
State what you want — repair, remake, or refund. Being specific speeds things up considerably.
Ask who arranges and insures the return leg before sending anything back.
Keep it in writing rather than on a call, so there is a record either side can refer to.

Sending it back

Three things to settle before the piece leaves your hands.

Who insures it. Outbound cover does not apply in reverse. A prepaid insured label from the seller is the best arrangement; if you ship it yourself, check the carrier actually covers jewellery, since many exclude it or cap it very low.

Signature required, both ways. The same reason as the outbound leg.

Customs paperwork. An international return needs to be declared correctly as a return rather than a sale, or duty can be charged again on re-import. Ask the seller how they want it marked — they will know their own market’s requirements.

Things that are not faults

Being fair to both sides, because some reports turn out to be these.

Fine surface marks on gold. Gold is softer than household dust; marking begins immediately and is universal.
Less sparkle than the listing. Photography uses directional light. The stone is unchanged.
A visible open culet on an antique cut. That is the defining feature, not a chip.
Warmth showing in a stone in white metal. Expected behaviour at lower colour grades — check the grade you ordered.
A dull-looking stone after a few weeks. Almost always a film of sunscreen or hand cream underneath. Clean it before reporting it.

Keep reading

Frequently asked questions

What should I do if jewellery arrives damaged?

Photograph the packaging before opening further, then the piece from several angles in daylight, and report it the same day in writing with the photographs attached. Do not attempt to fix anything. Same-day reporting removes any question of when the damage occurred, which is the main contestable point in these conversations.

Can I return a custom ring I simply do not like?

Generally not. Where a statutory change-of-mind right exists, such as the EU and UK’s 14 days, it carries an exemption for goods made to the consumer’s specification, which covers most made-to-order rings. Your rights if a piece is faulty or not as described are separate and always apply.

How do I know if a ring is actually wrong?

Compare it against the written specification rather than the photographs. Looking smaller or less sparkly than the listing images is expected, since product photography uses directional light and macro range. A shank measuring 1.5 mm when 1.8 mm was quoted has failed its own numbers, which is measurable and indisputable.

Who pays to send a piece back?

Ask before sending anything. Outbound insurance does not apply in reverse, so the best arrangement is a prepaid insured label from the seller. If you ship it yourself, check the carrier actually covers jewellery, insist on signature required, and ask how the customs paperwork should be marked so duty is not charged again on re-import.

Get the specification in writing first.

It is what turns a disagreement about impressions into a question with a measurable answer.

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