Warranty and Care Policy

Document code: RJ-LS-03

Version: 3.6

Version date: 29 September 2026

Effective date: 1 October 2026

Issued by: Ralph Jacobs SA (Pty) Ltd (reg. 2019/101093/07) and Ralph Jacobs NZ Limited (company no. 9334729) — see Where We Sell for which company sells to you

Supersedes: all earlier published versions of this document

This Policy explains Ralph Jacobs’ warranty position, care expectations, ordinary jewellery risks, exclusions and statutory consumer rights. It works together with the Terms, Returns Policy, Bespoke Policy, Resize Policy and Complaints Process.

If you are buying from outside South Africa, read this together with Where We Sell and Who You Buy From.

Ralph Jacobs honours non-excludable rights under the CPA and other applicable law, including:

• the right to services performed in a manner and quality that persons are generally entitled to expect;
• the right to goods that are reasonably suitable for their intended purpose, good quality, safe and durable for a reasonable period, having regard to all relevant circumstances;
• the implied warranty of quality for goods within the statutory period; and
• the statutory warranty on repairs and replacement parts where applicable.

For transactions with Ralph Jacobs SA (Pty) Ltd, the Consumer Protection Act applies. It gives you six months from delivery to return goods that are defective, unsafe or not as described, for repair, replacement or refund — and the choice between those three is yours, not ours.

For transactions with Ralph Jacobs NZ Limited, the Consumer Guarantees Act applies to purchases for personal use. It sets no fixed period: goods must be of acceptable quality for a reasonable time given their type and price. For fine jewellery that is a long time. Where a failure is substantial you may reject the goods and choose a refund or replacement. These guarantees cannot be contracted out of.

Where goods are supplied to you in Australia, the Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees apply. In the EU, the UK and elsewhere, mandatory destination-country warranty and conformity rules apply where required by law.

Where we give you a warranty of our own, it is in writing and it tells you which item it covers, how long it lasts, what it covers, what it excludes and how to claim. If you do not have that in writing, you do not have a Ralph Jacobs warranty — but you still have your rights under the law.

We do not offer a lifetime warranty unless we have issued you a written lifetime warranty for that specific item. If you see the phrase used anywhere about our products without such a document, it does not create one.

Jewellery is subject to ordinary ownership and wear risks, including scratching, dents, impact marks, plating wear, chain wear, clasp wear, bent claws, loosened settings, stone chips, stone loss, resizing stress, chemical exposure, cleaning damage and damage from hard use.

These risks do not remove statutory rights where a defect or failure exists under the CPA, Consumer Guarantees Act, Australian Consumer Law or other applicable mandatory law, but they may affect whether an issue is a defect, misuse, ordinary wear or accidental damage.

White gold and rhodium plating

White gold is usually plated with rhodium, a hard, bright white metal of the platinum family. The plating is what gives white gold its brilliant white colour. The gold underneath is naturally a slightly warm, greyish or yellowish white.

Rhodium plating wears away with wear. It wears fastest where the piece rubs, such as the inside and underside of a ring and a ring worn next to another. How fast depends on how the piece is worn, on skin chemistry, and on contact with chemicals, chlorine and abrasive surfaces. On a ring worn every day, the warm tone of the gold often starts to show within six to eighteen months. Pieces that are not rubbed, such as earrings and pendants, keep their plating much longer.

This is normal and it is not a defect. Re-plating is routine maintenance, like having claws checked. JewelFix re-plates white gold: we clean and polish the piece, re-plate it, and check the setting at the same time. We tell you the price before we do it, and re-plating can be included in a JewelFix Care Plan where one is offered. The same applies to any other plated colour finish. Black rhodium wears noticeably faster, sometimes within months on a ring, and needs renewing more often.

Platinum is not rhodium-plated as standard. It is naturally white and does not need re-plating. Over time it develops a soft, matt sheen, which polishing restores.

The two kinds of ring damage we see most

These two are not manufacturing defects, and they are not covered as warranty claims. They are damage caused by how a ring is handled or by a ring that does not fit. We explain them here so that you can avoid them.

How our rings are made. A Ralph Jacobs ring is cast in one piece, in the size you ordered: the head and the band are a single casting. A new ring has no soldered join between head and band, and no sizing join. So a head that is bent, cracked or snapped off at its base has not come apart at a join; it is usually the result of force on the head. We still check every such ring for a flaw in the casting.

1. Pulling the ring on or off by its head. The head is the top of the ring, the setting that holds the centre stone. Many people put a ring on or take it off by gripping and pushing or pulling on the head or the centre stone. That puts a twisting and levering force on the thinnest, most delicate part of the ring. Over time, or all at once, it can bend the head, tilt or loosen the stone, open the claws, crack the metal at the base of the head, or snap the head off the band.

How to avoid it: always hold the band, not the head. Hold the ring by the sides or underside of the band, between thumb and finger, and ease it over the knuckle. If it will not pass the knuckle without force, the ring may be too small, or your finger may be swollen; do not force it.

2. A ring pushed out of shape (oval) because it is the wrong size. A ring that is too big and loose turns on the finger, knocks against hard surfaces and gets squeezed between the fingers and against objects when you grip them. The band gradually flattens and becomes oval, and a thin band does so faster. A ring that is too small is forced over the knuckle, which stretches and distorts it. Either way, the ring loses its round shape, and the setting can be strained with it.

How to avoid it: wear the right size. If a ring feels loose, turns, or needs force to put on, have it resized before it goes out of shape. Your first resize may be covered by our 60-day resize benefit. Fingers change size with temperature, pregnancy, weight and age, so have the size checked at every inspection (section 5).

How we tell the difference. We look at the piece. Handling damage usually shows as a head bent or tilted to one side, claws opened on one side, or a crack or break at the base of the head, where it meets the band. Size damage usually shows as a band flattened or oval, most often at the base. If we find that the damage came from a fault in the making, for example porosity or another flaw in the casting, or a head made below specification without your agreement, it is a defect and the law’s remedies apply. We give you our findings in writing, with photographs.

Repairing it. JewelFix straightens and re-rounds bands, and repairs or replaces heads and claws, at a price we quote before we start.

Porosity in cast metal

What porosity is. Our rings are cast: molten metal is poured into a mould and solidifies. As any cast metal cools and shrinks, and as it gives up gas, tiny pores can form inside it. This is called porosity. Some porosity is a natural feature of all cast metal, from any maker, and most of it is invisible and harmless.

Why another jeweller may point it out. When a ring is resized, soldered, laser-welded or repaired, the heat and the removal of metal can expose small pores that were under the surface, and overheating can create pits in and around the new solder or weld joint. So a jeweller working on a ring may see porosity that was never visible before, or that their own work has caused in the joint area. Seeing porosity does not, by itself, mean the ring was badly made.

When porosity is a defect. It is a manufacturing defect when its size, extent or location weakens the piece, for example porosity in a claw, a thin shank or the head that causes cracking or breakage, or when it affects how the piece works or how it looks when worn normally. Porosity that is small, isolated and does not affect strength, function or normal appearance is not a defect.

How we decide. If you or another jeweller are concerned about porosity, bring or send the piece to us (the inspection is free, section 5). We inspect it under magnification, photograph what we find, and where needed use further testing. We establish whether the porosity comes from the original casting or from later work, and whether it has an adverse effect on the structure of the piece. If it does, and it comes from our casting, it is a defect and the law’s remedies apply. Damage from work done by another jeweller is not covered, and that work can make it harder to show what was there when we delivered the piece (section 8, “Using another jeweller”).

A stone that moves in its setting

How a claw setting holds a stone. A small seat (a groove) is cut into each claw, the widest edge of the stone (the girdle) sits in those seats, and the tips of the claws are bent over the stone. The stone is held by the claws pressing it into the seats.

Why a stone can start to move. Claws are small and are bent into place, and metal springs back slightly. Everyday knocks, a claw catching on clothing, bumping or pulling the head, and ordinary wear can relax the claws a little, so that the stone can turn or rock slightly in its seats. This can happen to any claw-set piece, from any maker. It is an ordinary risk of wearing jewellery, not a manufacturing defect.

What movement means, and what to do. A stone that moves slightly is not necessarily about to fall out: while it sits in the seats and the claws are over it, it is held. But movement is a sign that the setting needs attention. If your stone turns, rocks or rattles, stop wearing the piece and bring or send it to us promptly, and we will check and tighten it. The real risk of losing a stone is when a claw bends open, lifts, breaks or wears thin, which is exactly what regular inspection finds (section 5).

When it is our responsibility. If we find the stone moved because the setting was not done properly (for example seats cut incorrectly or claws not properly closed), or because of a fault in the metal, it is a defect and the law’s remedies apply. A stone lost after a claw was bent, worn or knocked, or after inspections were missed, is not a manufacturing defect.

Our Jewellery Care Guide sets out how to wear, clean and store your jewellery, stone by stone. A printed copy comes with every purchase, and the latest version is always at ralphjacobs.org/care. Following it is part of looking after your jewellery.

Customers should:

• store jewellery safely and separately;
• avoid impact, chemicals, pools, gyms, heavy work and abrasive surfaces;
• put a ring on and take it off by holding the band, never by pulling or pushing on the head or the centre stone;
• wear the correct ring size, and have a ring resized if it becomes loose or tight;
• have claws, settings, clasps and chains inspected every 3 to 6 months, and maintained (see “Maintenance and inspections” below);
• have white gold re-plated with rhodium when the warm tone starts to show;
• follow care instructions supplied with the item;
• not allow third parties to repair, resize, polish, plate, set or alter the item without understanding that this may affect warranty assessment; and
• stop wearing a piece whose stone turns, rocks or rattles, and notify Ralph Jacobs promptly of looseness, damage, stone movement or other issues.

Maintenance and inspections — your responsibility

Fine jewellery needs maintenance, and looking after it is the owner’s responsibility. Claws wear down, settings loosen, bands thin and go out of round, and plating wears, gradually and often without being noticed. The most common reason we see stones lost and rings damaged is that a ring was not inspected or maintained.

Have your jewellery inspected every 3 to 6 months, and more often for rings worn every day, pavé and eternity rings, fine claws and pieces made below our recommended specification.

A general inspection is always free, as often as you want one. It checks the claws, stones, setting and band, and we tell you what we find and what, if anything, needs doing.

Maintenance work found necessary, such as tightening or re-tipping claws, re-rounding a band, re-plating or resizing, is quoted before we do it.

What this means for a claim. Missing an inspection does not take away any right the law gives you, and a genuine defect is always ours to put right. But wear or damage that regular inspection and maintenance would have found and prevented, for example a stone lost because worn claws were not re-tipped, is not a manufacturing defect, and we take the maintenance history into account when we assess a claim.

To the extent permitted by law, warranty cover does not apply to:

• ordinary wear and tear;
• porosity that does not weaken the piece or affect its normal use or appearance, and porosity in or around a joint made by another jeweller (section 4, “Porosity in cast metal”);
• a stone that has moved or been lost because a claw was bent, worn, caught or knocked (section 4, “A stone that moves in its setting”);
• wear or damage that regular inspection and maintenance would have found and prevented, such as a stone lost from worn claws;
• a head, setting or claws bent, loosened or broken by pulling or pushing on the head or centre stone to put a ring on or take it off;
• a band pushed out of round (oval) or distorted because the ring was worn too loose or forced on too small;
• a visible join line, or a slight colour difference or discolouration at the join, on a ring that has been resized (see Ring Resize Benefit);
• misuse, impact, accident, neglect or improper storage;
• customer-supplied materials where the issue arises from the supplied material;
• third-party work after delivery;
• loss or theft;
• changes in customer preference;
• damage caused by incorrect information supplied by the customer;
• plating wear or surface finishes that naturally wear over time; or
• natural variations or inclusions in stones that were disclosed or reasonably inherent in the material.

Every piece is set, finished and polished by hand. Stones are set one by one by a jeweller, and metal is shaped and polished at the bench. Under strong magnification, macro photography or digital zoom on a phone, very small characteristics of that work can become visible: tiny tool marks, fine polishing lines, small variations between claws or beads, and slight differences in how metal meets a stone. They are a normal feature of hand-made jewellery, and you will find them on hand-set pieces from any maker when you look closely enough.

Many images of jewellery online are edited, rendered or generated by software, including AI. They show a surface no hand-made piece has under magnification, so they are not a fair measure of a real piece.

How we assess a concern about workmanship. We look at the piece itself, not only at an image of it.

• Appearance and finish are judged the way the piece is normally seen: with the naked eye (or your usual glasses), at an ordinary viewing distance of about 25 to 30 cm, in daylight or ordinary indoor light.
• Magnification (a 10x loupe or a microscope) is a tool we use to find structural problems, for example porosity that weakens a claw or shank, a claw that does not hold a stone, a stone that is loose or chipped, porosity, a crack or a weak join. It is not the standard for judging appearance.
• A zoomed-in or magnified photograph does not, by itself, show a defect. We still look at every concern you raise, and a photograph that shows something we should examine is always welcome.

What we treat as a defect. A material imperfection in the making or setting; a material departure from the design you approved; or anything that affects the security of a stone, the strength or durability of the piece, how it works, or how it looks when worn normally. If we find one, you have the remedies the law gives you (section 9, and your country’s rules).

What is not a defect on its own. Characteristics of hand-setting and hand-finishing that are visible only under magnification or extreme zoom; differences from a CAD render that come from hand-finishing (see Bespoke and Custom Jewellery section 4A); and dimensions within the finishing allowance described there.

This is how we assess. It is not the last word. Whether a piece is of acceptable quality is decided by the law of your country, on how a reasonable person would see it. If you disagree with our assessment, the complaints route in Complaints is open to you, including an independent ombud or tribunal. Nothing in this section limits a right the law gives you.

Ask us. What one person notices, another may never see. If something about your piece worries you, tell us: we would rather explain how it was made, and what is normal for that setting, than have you wonder.

Thin bands, delicate settings, soft stones, tension settings, low-profile settings, large stones, inherited stones, customer-supplied stones and unusual designs may involve additional risk.

If your design carries an unusual risk — a delicate setting, an unusual metal, a stone that is difficult to work — we tell you before you approve it, and we ask you to acknowledge it in writing. That acknowledgement is a requirement of section 49 of the Consumer Protection Act, and it exists so that you know the risk before you commit, not afterwards.

Designs below our recommended specification. Some requests fall below the specification we recommend for durability, for example a band narrower or thinner than our standard, dotted or cat claws on the point of a pear, princess or marquise instead of V-shaped prongs, fewer claws than we recommend, or a very thin shank (see Bespoke and Custom Jewellery section 5B). We will explain the risk and suggest an alternative. If you still want the design, we make it only after you sign a Design Specification Risk Acceptance, which records the specification you chose, our recommendation, and the specific risks you are accepting (for example bending or distortion, a chipped or broken point on a stone, a stone working loose, a reduced ability to resize, more frequent claw or setting checks, and a shorter working life). The piece must then be inspected by JewelFix every six months.

What that acceptance does, and does not, do. It means that the risks written on it, and nothing else, are not treated as a defect when they occur through normal wear of that design. It does not cover poor workmanship, a stone that was not properly set, or a fault unrelated to the specification you chose. Those remain our responsibility under the law. Nor does it take away your right to a piece that lasts a reasonable time for a piece made to the specification you chose.

Inspections every six months. For a piece made below our recommended specification, an inspection at least every six months is part of what you agree to. The general inspection is free, in store or by courier (you pay the courier); see section 5. Missing one does not take away the rights the law gives you, but damage that an inspection would have found and prevented is taken into account when we assess a claim. For every other piece we recommend an inspection every 3 to 6 months (section 5).

Repairs and claims are handled by JewelFix, our repair division. JewelFix is a trading name of the company that sold you the piece: Ralph Jacobs SA (Pty) Ltd for orders delivered in South Africa, and Ralph Jacobs NZ Limited for all other orders. It is not a separate company, and the company that sold you the piece remains responsible to you.

Start a claim at jewelfix.co, or email claims@ralphjacobs.org and we will arrange it. You do not have to register with JewelFix to make a claim. JewelFix inspects the piece and gives you a written report with photographs. If you disagree with its assessment, tell us at claims@ralphjacobs.org and we will review it. We do not charge you for putting right a fault the law makes us responsible for. Other work is quoted before JewelFix starts, and done only if you accept the quote.

When you claim, please give us:

• order number and proof of purchase;
• photographs or videos;
• description of the issue;
• date the issue was first noticed;
• any third-party work done after delivery; and
• any certificate, valuation or care document supplied with the item.

We may inspect the item, ask for a specialist or laboratory assessment, or ask you for more information. We will give you a substantive response or a next step within 15 business days of having enough information to assess the claim.

Using another jeweller. You are free to have work done by any jeweller. JewelFix is the only repairer we authorise, so we are not responsible for damage caused by work done elsewhere, and work done elsewhere can make it impossible to show that a fault was present when we delivered the piece. Using another jeweller does not, by itself, take away the rights the law gives you.

Who can bring a claim

If the piece you are wearing is faulty, bring it to us — whether or not you were the one who bought it. South African consumer law treats the user of goods as a consumer for quality and safety purposes, and we are not going to turn somebody away over a broken claw because the ring was a gift or was bought by a partner. We will need the order number or enough detail to find the purchase on our records.

What we deal with only through the buyer is everything arising under the sale agreement itself: a refund, a cancellation, a change to the order, what was paid, and copies of the paperwork. A refund goes back to the account or card that paid it. Section 2A of Terms and Conditions explains the distinction, and how the buyer can authorise somebody else in writing.

For transactions with Ralph Jacobs SA (Pty) Ltd, the Consumer Protection Act gives you two specific rights whenever we do repair or maintenance work. They apply to resizing, re-tipping claws, resetting or replacing a stone, replacing a clasp or shank, rhodium work and any other workshop job.

Three months on the work itself — section 57. Every new or reconditioned part we install, and the labour to install it, is warranted for three months from the date we install it. That is the law’s minimum, not our offer. If we have given you a longer warranty in writing for that job, the longer one applies.

That warranty falls away if the part is misused or abused after we fit it — but ordinary wear is not misuse, and neither is wearing the piece.

Three months on a returned repair — section 56(3). If you returned goods to us as defective and we repaired them, and within three months of that repair the same problem comes back or a further defect appears, we must replace the item or refund you. We are not entitled to attempt a second repair.

This is the one people do not know about, so we will say it plainly: if a repair does not hold, you do not have to accept another repair. Tell us and we will deal with it under this section.

For transactions with Ralph Jacobs NZ Limited, the Consumer Guarantees Act applies instead. It sets no fixed period, but a repair that does not hold is a failure to comply with the guarantee of acceptable quality, and the same practical outcome follows.

Where a statutory remedy applies, Ralph Jacobs will provide the remedy required by law. Where no statutory remedy applies, Ralph Jacobs may offer repair, adjustment, resize, replacement part, discount, goodwill credit or another solution in its discretion.

Customers should insure high-value jewellery from the time risk passes to them and should keep photographs, reports, valuations and proof of purchase. Insurance valuation documents are governed by Valuations and Appraisals.