FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
- What qualifies as vintage jewelry?
Vintage jewelry is any piece created between 40 and 100 years ago. Any piece that is over 100 years old is considered antique. All of Aurifexation's jewelry is either vintage, antique or estate, meaning they had a previous owner. Any custom pieces are made using recycled materials.
- Why buy Vintage/antique and not new?
If you want to ensure that your jewelry purchase is ethical and that you are not contributing to further damage to the environment nor to inhumane conflicts associated with gemstone mining... purchasing vintage and antique jewelry insures that you are not contributing to new mining of precious gems nor alloys to create your piece. In many cases the antique diamonds you are purchasing were mined and cut before any regional conflicts existed in the mining trade. Purchasing recycled pieces is the best way to ensure you are not contributing to new environmental devastation and is the best way to recycle!
- What is gold karat versus carat value?
Karat value refers to the amount of gold in the metal. Pure gold is represented as 24K whereas anything less indicates a gold alloy. The higher the number, the higher percentage of gold in the alloy. As an example: 20K would be 83.3 percent gold whereas 18K equals 75 percent gold.
Carat is the measurement of weight used for diamonds and gemstones. While often confused with size, diamonds of different shapes will vary in size even if they have the same carat weight. But, if you already know what shape of diamond you want, carat weight is useful for deciding on a size because higher carat value will equate to a larger diamond of the same shape. Most vintage pieces are marked with a "Hallmark" which indicates their karat value and if they are not they have also been acid tested to indicate their karat!
- How can I get a custom item?
Do you see a setting you love but you wish the diamond was a different cut/size? Send us a message here to ask if we can customize the jewelry to get exactly what you're looking for.
- Can you resize my ring?
Yes! When you place your order, please indicate the size needed. Downsizing is a small fee while upsizing requires a slightly larger fee as gold must be added to your ring to increase the shank's size. Rest assured, Karat value will be matched when resizing rings. Resizing typically takes 1-2 weeks and then your item will ship! ($30-65 average resizing fees)
- What is your return policy?
We work hard at Aurifexation to make sure that our clients are thrilled with their jewelry! All items are tested for quality before they are added to our site. That being said, antique jewelry presents some small challenges because laws regarding Karat value stamps were different in the 1800s and early 1900s. To learn more about this, please check out our blog here. However, we want all of our clients to be 100% satisfied with their piece so please contact us if you have any issues with your jewelry after receipt!
- Do you offer layaway?
Yes! We offer layaway on any piece over 500 USD; timelines are piece and person specific. Just send us an email to start layaway on an available or custom piece today!
Shipping:
- Can you ship worldwide?
Yes! We ship worldwide however we do not cover international shipping costs. Please send us an email for an international shipping quote.
- Is shipping insured?
All orders ship priority USPS two day (insured at 100 USD) and we are happy to fully insure your item if you let us know at time of purchase.