How much does postage cost?
Delivery of all orders is free in UK mainland. They will be sent by Royal Mail Special Delivery and and should arrive the day after posting. I will email you when I have posted the item. For customised orders I will email you with an update and when a piece is complete and being posted.
What are the delivery times?
Due to the handmade, small scale nature of Sonas Mòr Jewellery, most pieces will take up to 4 weeks from order to posting. If there is going to be a significant delay beyond this (eg around Christmas time) I will email you to let you know.
If you need something quicker than 4 weeks then please get in touch and, if I can, I will try to get the order to you sooner. Or you can choose one of the "ready to post" items which will be posted within 3-5 working days. Please note that if you request a longer chain length or a magnetic clasp then your order will take up to 10 working days to be posted.
Do you deliver abroad?
This may be possible depending where you live. If you live outside of the UK mainland have any questions please contact me.
Do you gift wrap?
Postage & packaging
All orders are packaged in signature Sonas Mòr Jewellery packaging which is all sustainable and fully recyclable. Take a look at this Customisation & Packaging page for more information. An Invoice will be sent electronically to the purchaser after payment so won't be posted out with the order. If you require a paper copy then let me know at the time of making your order.
Customisation & Jewellery Care
How do I customise my order?
Some products are customisable and this will be stated in the description. Please see the page on Customisation & Packaging for further information.
How can I best look after my jewellery?
Your jewellery should withstand normal wear and tear. I recommend that you do NOT wear it in water or in bed and try to avoid applying perfume and suncream when wearing it. It is normal for minor scratches and dings to appear. This adds to the uniqueness of your piece of jewellery - you are adding your own story to it!
Every order comes with a small polishing cloth to brighten polished finishes if your jewellery gets a little dull..
If you have any further queries about how to care for your jewellery then please do get in touch.
Ethical information & Sustainability
Background information
There is a welcome and growing trend within the jewellery making industry to make the sourcing of raw materials more transparent. However this is a slow change. I have tried to present some of the information currently available about the sourcing of gemstones. I offer different gemstone options in my work to accommodate people's varied views and opinions and, ultimately, their choices.
To my mind there is, currently, no right answer with regards to natural or lab grown gemstones. The evidence for metals is a bit less complex. Please make your own mind up about what you find acceptable. If you have any questions or things you'd like more clarification on then do get in touch and I will do my best to help.
Sustainability is very important to me - I love what I do but I don't want to damage our world unnecessarily in the process. I have tried wherever possible to make Sonas Mòr Jewellery a climate friendly business and I am always looking for ways in which to improve my ways of working to make it more so.
Gemstones: Natural versus Lab Grown - what's the difference?
Although most people do not disagree on the need for improved working conditions for people involved in the mining of gemstones, putting these in place is a less than straight forward business.
Alluvial mining is more commonly undertaken by small groups, often family run, artisanal mining concerns and cannot easily adhere to stringent health and safety and environmentally friendly rules due to cost. This means that they run the risk of going out of business - forgoing a generational livelihood that sustains them and their families.
Larger companies may undertake a variety of types of mining - marine, open pit or underground. These methods are generally damaging to large areas of the environment.
Mining standards are improving slowly but danger to life and limb still exists. Damage to nature can be significant whatever mode of mining employed.
Sometimes stones are mined in one country and sent to another to be cut. Tracing all gemstones is an arduous and murky business. The jewellery industry's ultimate goal is that the source of every natural mined gemstone will eventually be possible. Currently this goal is still a long way off.
Lab grown gemstones certainly remove the issues of mining safety and damage to the environment, however they do still require large amounts of heat energy and pressure (in an attempt to replicate the conditions in the earth's depths) to be created. Although beautiful and otherwise identical to their natural counterparts (without the imperfections), some people do not like the idea that they are artificial and lack the provenance of natural stones. Cubic zirconia require relatively less energy than some of the more precious lab grown stones, have a similar degree of durability as sapphires and rubies (both second only to diamonds) and come in a huge array of wonderful colours. It is currently very difficult to ensure that companies providing lab grown gems provide fair treatment and payment of employees in the lab grown gemstone business.
Some feel that the most "green" approach with regards gemstones is the recycling of stones from vintage and antique pieces of jewellery. Those rescued from jewellery boxes (maybe yours) and other places. Maybe forgotten but with stories attached and the origins long since forgotten. However, they are not as easy or reliable to source on a regular basis.
Metals - precious and otherwise:
Silver and gold are infinitely recyclable. All silver and gold used in Sonas Mor Jewellery is from recycled sources - either by me or the company I have bought it from. They are sourced from things like medical and electrical equipment or household metals.
Brass used in some of the pieces is generally made from recycled copper and zinc. I buy off cuts of brass to further reduce the environmental impact. I also recycle aluminium (which incidentally is very hypoallergenic) and titanium.
Any scraps, filings or small pieces of metal that are created during the production of my jewellery are reused.
Postage & Packaging:
All Sonas Mor packaging is sourced from eco friendly, recycled and/or sustainable sources. I order raw materials and send pieces for hallmarking in batches to reduce carbon footprint and use Royal Mail (currently the most carbon conscious delivery company in the UK) for posting out orders.
Returns, Refunds, Guarantee & Hallmarking
All work is to the highest standard and checked during production and before being posted.
Returns & Refunds
I hope that you will love your piece of jewellery, however if you are dissatisfied with your purchase you may return it to me in its original unworn condition (trying for size accepted) within fourteen days from the signed receipt date. When I have received the item(s) I will offer you a full refund. For hygienic reasons, earrings cannot be returned.
Customised Pieces
Refunds may not be possible for customised items (eg - those with multiple stone choices). If you are unsure of your purchase i will do my best to provide example sketches or photos to ensure that you are happy with the design before I start work. Contact me.
Postage for returns
Postage costs will only be refunded if there is a fault with the item, otherwise the sender is responsible for paying return postage. For
hygienic and health and safety reasons, all earrings will not be accepted for return.
Guarantee
If there are any faults with items within the six months of ownership (excluding external damage/excessive wear), I’ll be happy to repair the item for you free of charge. After the one-year period is up, there will be a small fee for any refurbishment or repair. Please contact me with any enquiries
Hallmarking
It is a legal obligation when selling precious metals that a Dealer's Notice is available for customers to view. This ensures that you are assured of the quality of the goods being sold through the Sonas Mòr Jewellery website.
Further information is available via the video link below:
edinburghassayoffice.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Dealer_Notice_1080p_v281022.mp4
Terms of business
Welcome to sonasmorjewellery.com. If you continue to browse and use this website, you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use, which together with the privacy policy govern Sonas Mòr Jewellery's relationship with you in relation to this website. If you disagree with any part of these terms and conditions, please do not use this website.
The term ‘ Sonas Mòr Jewellery', 'sonasmorjewellery.com' or ‘the owner’ refers to the owner of the website, Elaine Tipper, contact address Seven Acres Farm, Oxford,OX33 1AD. The terms ‘user', 'buyer', 'they' or 'their’ refers to the user or viewer of our website.
When placing your order
When the user places an order the owner must receive payment in full before the order can be accepted. This represents an offer from the user to purchase the goods and the owner indicates their acceptance via email confirmation.
Rights
All rights, including copyright, in this website are owned by or licensed to Sonas Mòr Jewellery. When using this website the user agrees to use it only for their own personal, non-commercial use, anything else is prohibited without the owner's permission. The user may not modify, distribute or repost anything on this website without prior consent.
Order fulfilment
The owner aims to correctly reflect the current stock system on all products however there are occasions when a product ordered may not be in stock. In this case the owner will contact the user via email or telephone and give you the option of waiting until the item is available, choosing an alternative item or cancelling the order.
Price
Prices shown on the Sonas Mòr Jewellery website are full price inclusive of VAT.
Payment terms
Sonas Mòr Jewellery will charge the user's credit/debit account for payment upon receipt of their order unless delivery cannot be fulfilled within 30 days. The owner accepts no liability if a delivery is delayed because the user did not give the correct payment details. If it is not possible to obtain full payment for the goods from the user's account then Sonas Mòr Jewellery can cancel the contract and / or suspend any further deliveries to that user. This does not affect any other rights the owner may have.
Delivery
All items are sent within the UK by Royal Mail Special Delivery and therefore require a signature. The owner will arrange delivery of the goods to the address the user specifies in their order. It is important that this address is accurate. Sonas Mòr Jewellery cannot accept any liability for any loss or damage to the goods once they have been delivered in accordance with the user's delivery instructions (unless this is caused by Sonas Mòr Jewellery's negligence). The owner will aim to have orders delivered by the date quoted but delivery times are not guaranteed. If delivery is delayed due to any cause beyond the owner's reasonable control, the delivery date will be extended by a reasonable period and the owner will contact the user.
The user will become the owner of the goods they have ordered once they have been delivered to them.
Acknowledgement and acceptance of your order
The user will need to provide Sonas Mòr Jewellery with their e-mail address and they will be notified by e-mail as soon as possible to confirm receipt of their order and to confirm details.
Cancellation rights
Under the Distance Selling Regulations the user has the legal right to cancel their order within seven days of receipt of their goods (with the exception of any made to order items and customised products). The user does not need to give any reason for cancelling their contract nor will they have to pay any penalty. However, they will have to notify the owner by email that they wish to cancel their contract.
If the goods have been received before the user cancels their contract then they must send the goods back to Sonas Mòr Jewellery's contact address at their own cost and risk.
If the user cancels the contract but the goods have already been processed for delivery, then they must send the goods back to Sonas Mòr Jewellery's contact address at your their own cost and risk as soon as possible.
Once the user has notified Sonas Mòr Jewellery that they are cancelling their contract, any sum debited to the owner from the user's credit/debit card will be re-credited to their account within 30 days of their order once the goods in question are returned and received by Sonas Mòr Jewellery in the condition they were in when delivered.
If the user does not return the goods delivered to them or does not pay the costs of delivery, Sonas Mòr Jewellery will be entitled to deduct the direct costs of recovering the goods from the amount to be re-credited to the user.
The user will be re-credited for the costs incurred in returning faulty or unsatisfactory goods.
Cancellation by Sonas Mòr Jewellery
Sonas Mòr Jewellery reserve the right to cancel the contract between us if:
a) there is insufficient stock to deliver the goods ordered;
b) Sonas Mòr Jewellery does not deliver to the user's area; or
c) one or more of the goods ordered was listed at an incorrect price due to a typographical error
If Sonas Mòr Jewellery does cancels the contract, the user will be notified by e-mail and their account will be re-credited by any sum deducted by Sonas Mòr Jewellery as soon as possible but in any event within 30 days of their order.
Liability
If the user does not receive goods ordered within 30 days of the estimated delivery date, Sonas Mòr Jewellery will have no liability to the user unless they notify the owner via email or in writing at the contact address of the problem within 60 days of the estimated delivery date (unless this is not reasonably practicable).
If the user notifies a problem under this condition, Sonas Mòr Jewellery's only obligation will be, at the user's option:
a) to make good any shortage or non-delivery;
b) to replace or repair any goods that are damaged or defective; or
c) to refund the amount paid by the user for the goods in question in whatever way Sonas Mòr Jewellery chooses.
Both parties shall only be liable under this contract for losses, which are a reasonably foreseeable consequence of the relevant breach of contract
The user must observe and comply with all applicable regulations and legislation, including obtaining all necessary customs, import or other permits to purchase goods from this site. The importation or exportation of certain of our goods to them may be prohibited by certain national laws. Sonas Mòr Jewellery makes no representation and accepts no liability in respect of the export or import of the goods purchased.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in these terms and conditions is intended to limit any rights the user might have as a consumer under applicable local law or other statutory rights that may not be excluded nor in any way to exclude or limit Sonas Mòr Jewellery's liability to the user for any death or personal injury resulting from negligence on the part of Sonas Mòr Jewellery.
Changes to terms
Sonas Mòr Jewellery reserves the right to change these terms and conditions from time to time and the user should look through them as often as possible.
Law, jurisdiction and language
This website, any content contained therein and any contract brought into being as a result of usage of this website are governed by and construed in accordance with English law. Parties to any such contract agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. All contracts are concluded in English.
Third party rights
Nothing in this Agreement is intended to, nor shall it confer any rights on a third party.
Handmade & well paid pledge
Handmade & Well Paid is a campaign, as promoted and supported by Jewellers Academy, UK, to help ensure makers are well paid for the work they do whilst helping customers to make good decisions about which makers to buy from.
Makers need a sustainable income in order to keep running their businesses and making their crafts.
Customers value and admire the work of handmade artists and want to support them fairly to ensure they are making a good living wage
for themselves.
I have signed a pledge withe Jewellers Academy to adhere to this way of pricing my work.
For more information see: Handmade and Well Paid — Jewellers Academy
Privacy statement
Your trust is important to me so have updated our Privacy Policy in accordance with current regulations. This explains how I collect, store, handle and keep your personal information safe. All personal information about you is kept on a secure server and I’d never share your details without your permission.
This Privacy Policy is applicable to all visitors to the website and should be read in conjunction with the Terms and Conditions available to view here. By visiting and using my website, you acknowledge and accept the practices outlined in this Privacy Policy.
What is personal information?
Personal information (or personal data) is information about an individual that allows me to identify that person. In order to provide you with a smooth shopping experience at www.sonasmorejewellery..com I collect the following personal information about you:
Name
Billing and Delivery Address
Telephone Number
Email Address*
Items ordered
*I also collect your email address when you opt in to join our newsletter or sign up to the emailing list.
When else may my information get collected?
Information regarding your visit to sonasmorjewellery.com may be collected by Sonas Mòr Jewellery, or third party providers of advertisements. This includes:
Your location geographically, your browser, your device type, how you were referred to me, search terms you used to get to me, what you browsed on the website, how long you stayed on the website for.
Use of cookies
This website uses cookies to identify your computer and recognise you from other users to improve your experience.
In common with many other website operators, it may use standard technology called ‘cookies’ on this site. Cookies are small pieces of information that are stored by your browser on your computer’s hard drive. Cookies collected by this website enable me to understand who has seen which pages and advertisements, to determine how frequently particular pages are visited and to determine the most popular areas of the website. The cookies also enable me to enhance your visitor experience by storing information about the products and services that you select between visits so that more focused information can be provided each time you visit my website.
Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually change your browser to prevent cookies being stored, however if you do turn cookies off this will limit the service that I am able to provide to you.
Our cookies do not store sensitive information such as your name, address or payment details: they simply hold the ‘key’ that, once you are signed in, is associated with this information. However, if you would prefer to restrict, block or delete cookies from our websites, or any other website, you can use your browser to do this. Each browser is different, so check the ‘Help’ menu of your particular browser (or your mobile phone’s handset manual) to learn how to change your cookie preferences.
Information collected
Some cookies collect information about browsing and purchasing behaviour when you access this website via the same computer or device. This includes information about pages viewed, products purchased and your journey around a website. I do not use cookies to collect or record information on your name, address or other contact details.
Google analytics
When someone visits sonasmorjewellery.com I use the Google Analytics service, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. I do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is only processed in a way which does not identify anyone. I do not make, and do not allow Google to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website.
How do I use your personal information?
I want you to have a great shopping experience at sonasmorjewllery.com so I use your personal information to make it easy for you to browse and place an order.
I may use your information in the ways below:
To process your order - to take payment details and know where to deliver your jewellery.
Royal Mail has access to your delivery address in order to be able to dispatch your jewellery to your chosen address.
Information regarding your visit to sonasmorjewllery.com including what you have browsed or bought is used to improve your experience on the website
I may also contact contact you via the below channels:
Email:
I will email you once an order has been placed to remind you of what has been ordered. A further email is sent to let you know your order has been dispatched. Customised orders may have an interim email sent to update on progress of your order.
I send newsletters to customers and individuals who have given me permission to contact them. These are used to inform you about new launches, sales/special offers and information I think you’ll find interesting. It is easy to stop receiving these newsletters by clicking on the ‘unsubscribe’ button found on the bottom of each communication.
By placing an order as a guest, your email will not be added to the database and therefore you will not be contacted with Sonas Mòr news, updates and special offers. If you would like to hear more from me, simply subscribe to Clanmail - my newsletter.
Phone:
If there is an issue with your order or I need to refund/take any further payments, I may need to call you on the phone.
Social Media:
If you contact me via social media, we will respond on the same channel or move to email if I feel the conversation needs further assistance.
What are your rights?
You have the right to obtain confirmation that your data is being processed, request access to your personal data and the right to be forgotten. You can make a request by email to hellosonasmor@gmail.com and I will come back to you within 30 days.
If you wish to raise a query with the United Kingdom Information Commissioner, you may do so at www.ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
If you have any questions/comments about your privacy, please contact me.