This Policy governs returns, refunds, repairs, exchanges, order changes and cancellations for jewellery, loose diamonds, loose gemstones, custom commissions, made-to-order goods, resized goods, engraved goods, repaired goods and any related services supplied by Diamond Emporium.

Most Diamond Emporium goods are manufactured, sourced, cast, set, finished or altered only after the customer confirms the final specifications. This means many Diamond Emporium items are special-order goods made to the customer's selections and preferences.

This Policy is intended to comply with the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002, and applicable anti-money laundering or regulatory obligations where those laws apply.

Nothing in this Policy excludes, restricts or limits any right that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted or limited.

This Policy must be read together with the final written quote, invoice, order summary, proof of order, laboratory report details, product page description and any written care or warranty information supplied by Diamond Emporium.

Special-order goods — any goods that Diamond Emporium is required or expected to procure, design, manufacture, cast, set, alter, size, engrave, finish, personalise, modify or supply specifically to satisfy a customer's requirements, selections or preferences.

Discretionary return — any return, exchange, credit, cancellation or refund that Diamond Emporium accepts as a goodwill concession and not because the law requires it.

Return Authorisation Number (RAN) — the return approval number issued by Diamond Emporium before any item may be sent, delivered or presented back for return, exchange, repair assessment or refund assessment.

Unless the law requires otherwise, Diamond Emporium is under no obligation to accept a discretionary return, exchange or refund for any special-order goods.

Custom-made jewellery, made-to-order jewellery, goods manufactured to a customer's ring size, selected stone type, stone shape, stone size or metal type, engraved goods, personalised goods, altered goods, resized goods and any item produced or modified specifically for a particular customer are not eligible for discretionary return, exchange or refund unless the law requires otherwise.

Worn, used, damaged, scratched, polished, resized, engraved, altered, repaired, re-set, treated or modified items are not eligible for discretionary return if the condition of the item has changed after delivery or collection, subject always to non-excludable statutory rights.

Goods returned without original proof of purchase, without the original supplied laboratory report where one was supplied, or with damaged, altered, incomplete, mismatched or missing documentation may be rejected for discretionary return or may attract actual reissue, re-certification or replacement costs where available.

Non-defect reasons that do not qualify for a discretionary refund or exchange include: an engagement, proposal, wedding or gifting plan did not proceed; the customer changed their mind; the customer ordered the wrong item; the customer selected the wrong shape, size, ring size or metal type; the customer no longer wants the item; or the customer found a different preference after production had begun.

The customer is responsible for checking the final written order summary before payment or final written approval.

If the customer declines a complimentary ring sizer, sizing guidance or sizing kit, does not use the sizing aid correctly, or confirms a size without using it, any later issue regarding fit will be treated as a chargeable after-sales service and not as a manufacturing defect or ground for refund.

Ring fit can be affected by finger shape, knuckle size, temperature, hydration, weather and other physiological factors. A ring size confirmed by the customer is deemed approved by the customer for production purposes.

If Diamond Emporium manufactures contrary to the final written order summary approved by the customer, that will be treated as an error by Diamond Emporium.

Before processing or production starts, Diamond Emporium may, in its discretion, consider a request to change or cancel an order.

Once processing or production has started, the order may not be changed or cancelled except to the extent that the law requires otherwise.

Deposits secure design time, sourcing, workshop capacity and production allocation. A deposit is non-refundable to the extent of actual non-recoverable costs, lawful charges and value already committed or consumed in relation to that order.

If Diamond Emporium exceptionally agrees to a change after production has started, additional charges may apply, the lead time may restart or extend, and previous quotations may no longer apply.

If goods supplied by Diamond Emporium are unsafe, defective, not of good quality, not reasonably durable, not fit for the purpose accepted by Diamond Emporium, materially not as ordered, or otherwise fail to comply with the CPA, the customer has the rights provided by law.

Subject to the CPA, within six months after delivery of goods, a customer may return goods that fail to satisfy the standards in section 55 of the CPA, without penalty and at Diamond Emporium's risk and expense, and may direct Diamond Emporium to repair, replace or refund as the law provides.

If Diamond Emporium repairs goods and the same defect or a further defect appears within three months after that repair, Diamond Emporium will comply with the remedy required by the CPA.

If the issue concerns services performed by Diamond Emporium — including resizing, polishing, engraving, setting, resetting or other workshop services — the customer has the service-quality rights provided by section 54 of the CPA.

If a customer believes an item is defective, incorrect or damaged, the customer must stop using the item as soon as reasonably possible and notify Diamond Emporium promptly.

Diamonds and gemstones may be sold either with or without an independent third-party laboratory report.

Where a diamond or gemstone is sold without an independent laboratory report and that fact was disclosed before the sale, the absence of such report is not a defect, misdescription or ground for return, cancellation, exchange or refund by itself.

A later re-grading, valuation or opinion that differs from the original or supplied report is not, by itself, proof of a defect, misdescription or ground for return, provided the stone supplied matches the original or supplied report reference and Diamond Emporium has not made a false, misleading or deceptive representation.

Any request to return or exchange a loose diamond, loose gemstone, or an item containing a diamond or gemstone must be lodged within seven calendar days after collection or delivery. This seven-day period is a notification and assessment window only and is not an automatic right to a refund.

Every stone-related return or exchange request must be accompanied by the original supplied laboratory report where one was supplied.

Any stone-related return, exchange or dispute may take up to 90 calendar days, and longer if delayed by the relevant laboratory, insurer, security process or specialist verifier.

Once a RAN has been issued, the customer must return the item strictly in accordance with Diamond Emporium's written instructions and within the period stated in the RAN communication.

All returned goods must be packed in concealed, unbranded and unmarked outer packaging, with adequate internal protection against loss, movement, scratching, chipping, crushing or damage.

The customer is responsible for ensuring that returned goods are correctly packaged and adequately insured for the full replacement value while in transit.

Returned parcels remain at the customer's risk until Diamond Emporium has physically received them, opened them under controlled conditions and checked them into Diamond Emporium's system.

For discretionary returns only, Diamond Emporium may charge a returns administration fee of R500.00 per return request.

For discretionary returns only, Diamond Emporium may also charge or deduct actual direct costs including courier, collection, insurance, secure handling, cleaning, polishing, rhodium re-plating, workshop assessment, engraving removal where feasible, resizing or remake costs already incurred, re-certification or laboratory verification costs, replacement packaging and any reasonable restocking charge permitted by law.

Any third-party bank charges, card acquiring fees, payment-gateway fees, reversal charges, foreign exchange or settlement losses, or similar transaction costs actually incurred by Diamond Emporium may be deducted from a discretionary refund to the extent permitted by law.

No deduction will be made where a full refund is required by law or where a particular deduction is prohibited by law.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Diamond Emporium prefers repair, resizing, resetting, adjustment, remake, exchange or store credit over full refunds for non-defective goods.

Routine maintenance, re-plating, polishing, claw checks, tightening and resizing are normal ownership costs unless Diamond Emporium expressly included them in writing at the time of sale.

Certain designs, settings, eternity rings, patterned bands, tension-style settings or gemstone arrangements may not be safely resizable or may only be resizable within limited ranges.

Third-party repair, resizing, polishing, engraving or alteration may void any voluntary warranty offered by Diamond Emporium in respect of the affected part of the item, but does not remove any statutory right that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Diamond Emporium's stated manufacturing time of 20 working days is a minimum estimated lead time only. It is not a guaranteed completion, dispatch or delivery date unless Diamond Emporium expressly agrees a fixed date in writing.

Lead times run only from the latest of: receipt of cleared payment or deposit; final written approval of the specifications; confirmation that the selected stone or materials are available; and receipt of any documents or information required for compliance or release.

Lead times may be extended by stone sourcing, supplier delays, CAD approval delays, workshop congestion, public holidays, courier delays, power or network interruptions, force majeure, regulatory requirements, or customer-requested changes.

Customers must not make proposal, wedding, travel, gifting or other time-critical arrangements solely on the assumption that an item will be ready within the minimum estimated lead time.

Where Diamond Emporium is required by law, an internal compliance programme, a bank, a payment provider, an insurer or a competent authority to obtain FICA, KYC, beneficial ownership, source-of-funds, sanctions-screening or other regulatory information, the customer must provide the requested documents within the time stated by Diamond Emporium.

Diamond Emporium may suspend processing, decline to manufacture, refuse to conclude or continue the transaction, withhold release, collection or delivery, or cancel the transaction if satisfactory information or documentation is not provided in time.

Any customer who is dissatisfied must first send a written complaint, together with supporting documents, photographs, report numbers and order details, to legal@diamondemporium.co.za and allow Diamond Emporium a reasonable opportunity to investigate and propose a resolution.

Ordinary complaints will ordinarily be investigated within 30 days. Complaints involving diamond or gemstone verification, report mismatches, switching allegations, grading disputes, damage causation, fraud prevention or regulatory verification may take up to 90 days or longer if third-party verification is delayed.

If a complaint cannot be resolved internally, the customer may escalate the matter to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud, the National Consumer Commission, a provincial consumer authority or consumer court where available, the National Consumer Tribunal where competent, the Small Claims Court where the claim falls within its jurisdictional limits, or any other competent forum or court permitted by law.

Diamond Emporium may amend this Policy from time to time by publishing an updated version on its website or making it available on request.

Any indulgence, delay or failure by Diamond Emporium to enforce any right under this Policy does not amount to a waiver of that right.

If any provision of this Policy is held invalid, unenforceable or unlawful, that provision must be severed or read down to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in force.

This Policy is drafted in plain language and must, where reasonably capable of more than one meaning, be interpreted in accordance with applicable South African consumer law.