Importing Jewellery: What Changes From Country to Country

Education

Duty, hallmarking, return rights and ring sizing across twelve markets — compared side by side.

Written by the Mapple Gems workshop, Surat · Updated 1 September 2026

Short answer

Four things change by country and everything else is broadly the same. Tax and duty — nearly everywhere charges import tax, but the duty mechanism varies wildly. Hallmarking — mandatory in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Ireland and Switzerland; voluntary or absent almost everywhere else. Return rights — the EU gives 14 days, most other markets give none, and custom pieces are exempt everywhere. Ring sizing — five incompatible systems, and converting between them is the commonest error there is.

We ship from a workshop in Surat to buyers across a dozen markets, and the same four questions come up in every one of them. This page compares the answers side by side, with a link to the full guide for each country.

The comparison

Market	Hallmarking	Change-of-mind right	Sizing
UK	Mandatory	14 days	Letters
Ireland	Mandatory	14 days	Letters
France	Mandatory (poinçon)	14 days	mm — two conventions
Netherlands	Mandatory	14 days	mm circumference
Germany	None — voluntary marks	14 days	mm circumference
Switzerland	Control regime	None	mm — check convention
Canada	None	Provincial — varies	US numbers
Australia	None	None (ACL covers defects)	Letters
New Zealand	None	None (CGA covers defects)	Letters
Singapore	Voluntary	None	Mixed — give mm
Japan	Voluntary	None for mail order	Own scale 1–27
UAE	Emirate-level schemes	None	Mixed — give mm

Simplified for comparison. Each country guide has the detail, and rules change — always check the official source before relying on any of this.

The one rule that applies in all twelve: give your ring size in millimetres. Five incompatible systems are in use across these markets — US numbers, UK and Commonwealth letters, European millimetre circumference, the French convention that differs from it by 40, and Japan’s own 1–27 scale. Every conversion introduces error, and double conversion — you converting, then the workshop converting back — is the single most common cause of a ring that does not fit. Inner diameter or circumference in millimetres is unambiguous everywhere. Measure it once, send that number, and the problem disappears.

Tax and duty: what actually varies

Import tax applies almost everywhere. What differs is how duty is calculated, and it is more varied than people expect.

Percentage of value — the usual model. UK, EU, Canada, Australia, UAE, Japan broadly work this way.
By weight — Switzerland charges duty per kilogram of gross weight rather than by value. This favours jewellery, which is light.
No duty at all on jewellery — Singapore, whose dutiable list covers only liquor, tobacco, vehicles and petroleum. GST still applies.
Threshold based on revenue owed — New Zealand collects when the total tax and duty exceeds a set figure, rather than when goods exceed a value.

On top of duty and tax, carriers almost universally add a clearance or brokerage fee. It is not a tax, it is not refundable, and it is the charge people are least expecting.

The exemption nobody reads

Where a statutory change-of-mind right exists — the EU’s 14 days, and the UK’s — it comes with an exemption for goods made to the consumer’s specification or clearly personalised.

A ring built to your chosen stone, metal, setting and finger size falls inside that exemption. So does an engraved piece, and often a stock piece resized before dispatch.

This surprises people, and it is worth stating plainly: on a made-to-order ring you generally do not have a right to change your mind, anywhere. 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.

Hallmarking: what it does and does not mean

In the five mandatory markets, an official hallmark is independent confirmation of metal fineness, applied by a state or federal assay body. In the others, a maker’s own fineness stamp — 585, 750, 925 — does the same descriptive job without independent verification.

Two practical points that hold everywhere:

The obligation generally attaches to selling in that market, not to owning a piece you imported for yourself.
For insurance, what an insurer wants is a valuation with a full specification — not a hallmark. That is true in all twelve.

The four questions to ask before ordering, anywhere

Is the price landed? Duties and tax prepaid, or payable at the door. One word, and it decides whether a surprise survives.
Production time and transit time, separately. A shipping estimate is not a total.
What happens if the size is wrong? On an international order, a resize means a second customs clearance.
What is the returns position on a custom piece? Ask before, not after.

The gift warning, in every market

If a piece is going to someone else’s address and duties are not prepaid, the recipient is asked to pay before they can have the parcel. In several of these markets the carrier holds it at a depot until they do.

That is the most reliable way to end a surprise that we know of, and it is entirely preventable by asking one question before ordering. It cannot be fixed once the parcel is in transit.

Keep reading

Frequently asked questions

Which countries require jewellery to be hallmarked?

Among the markets we ship to, the UK, France, the Netherlands and Ireland operate mandatory hallmarking, and Switzerland runs a formal precious metals control regime. Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan and the UAE do not require it, though several offer voluntary schemes. The obligation generally attaches to selling rather than to owning an imported piece.

Can I return a custom engagement ring?

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

How should I give my ring size to an overseas jeweller?

As the inner diameter or circumference in millimetres. Five incompatible systems are in use across these markets — US numbers, UK letters, European millimetres, the French convention that differs by 40, and Japan’s own scale — and double conversion is the most common cause of a ring that does not fit.

Which country charges the least to import jewellery?

Singapore applies no customs duty on jewellery at all, since its dutiable list covers only liquor, tobacco, vehicles and petroleum — GST still applies. Switzerland charges duty by gross weight rather than value, which favours light goods like jewellery. Everywhere else applies duty as a percentage of value, plus carrier clearance fees.

Tell us where it is going before you order.

We will tell you what to expect on arrival — especially if it is a surprise going to someone else’s address.

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