Secure Server
Your credit card information is transmitted over a verified THAWTE protected secure server and SSL connection. You will see the lock close and turn yellow at the point of the checkout process that you select your payment method.

All Items are Subject to Prior Sale
I hate having to add this section. If you have purchased an item on this site and the checkout procedure tells you that you have bought it, it should be yours. HOWEVER, there is only one of each of my items and if it is already sold, there is no way I can deliver it to you.

Prior sales can occur when I am at a show, as all of the jewelry goes with me to each show and I can not update the web site until I return.

There is also a "murphy’s law" glitch in the shopping cart software:
The Checkout Software on this site does not remove an item from inventory until the checkout procedure is actually finalized by payment. It allows multiple people to place the same item into their shopping cart at the same time. The first person to pay will actually buy the item. The second person to pay will look like they have purchased the item, but in fact it will already be sold.

I hope you never experience this while shopping on my site. Rest assured, your credit card will not be billed until I verify that your jewelry is indeed available for shipping.

Photography
I swear photographing jewelry is harder and takes more time than making jewelry. I think I have finally got a good shot, then I find I have lint, fingerprints, glare, reflections - it just seems impossible sometimes. And it is even harder to coax ammolite, dichroic glass and similar items into showing their true beauty in a photograph. It will not take long to realize I am an amateur photographer. However, rather than adding the cost of a professional photographer into the price of my jewelry, I will continue to do the best I can. My most important concern is getting a true enough picture that the item looks as you expect it to - or better - when you receive it. However, because of the challenges of the photography, I do have a return policy for the web site. Please refer to that section for more information.

Usually I will put up two shots - one hanging, so you can see how it sits, and one in my hand. The one in my hand will give you a sense of size and it also usually has the truer color of the two pictures.

If the images on the screen looked "stretched", you are probably using a wide screen monitor. Turn off the wide screen feature and the images will appear correctly.

Returns
I understand how hard it is to purchase something like ammolite or dichroic glass via a web site. It is almost impossible to get a picture that truly shows just what the stone looks like. If you are not happy with a purchase you make from my web site, return the item to me. I will credit back the purchase price for any item that is returned in the same condition that it left here (ie: do not scrape the ammolite with a knife to see how thick the gem layer is, do not try to adjust the wires, etc), when the item is returned within 2 weeks of your receipt.

An exception is made to the return policy for Christmas gifts, since we want
you to shop early enough that the item will get to you by Christmas. If you
wish to return an item received as a Christmas gift, please postmark your
return no later than January 8. As stated above, PLEASE EMAIL ME, to let
me know you are returning something! Please include the name of the
purchaser, so their account can be credited. You can also use the credit
towards the purchase of another item on the web site.

Gift Boxes
Most items are sent in a jewelry box, although small items such as chains or converters may be sent in an envelope.

Gift Wrap
I am happy to gift wrap your item for you. Please make your request in the comments section and note the occasion, so that I may select an appropriate wrapping paper.

Shipping
Mail in the US and Canada is usually reliable. Sometimes it seems to take
forever (like 3 weeks for a priority mail envelope that should have taken 3 days), but it usually gets there and gets there in good shape. That said, there are all sorts of things that can happen that I can not control - including people stealing the package out of your mailbox. Once the package leaves here, I can not maintain responsibility for it and will only issue a refund if the merchandise is returned in the same condition that it left here. You may elect to purchase insurance at checkout.

My normal shipping methods are listed below. If you would like to make special shipping arrangements, please email me.

Shipping Within the United States
Shipments within the US are normally sent in a flat-rate, priority mail envelope with delivery confirmation. Shipping without insurance is approximately $4.80 for packages up to 1 pound - but is subject to change by the US Postal Service. You may elect to add insurance or to ship via express mail instead.

Shipping to Canada
Shipments to Canada are normally sent by express mail if you want to insure them and priority mail if you do not. Shipping by "priority flat-rate envelope" is available for about $10, but insurance can not be added to that option. See additional information in the section "Outside the United States".

Shipping Outside the United States
Shipments are normally sent by express mail international. That rate will calculate for you when you go to checkout.  Express mail is required if you wish to add insurance. Shipping by priority flat-rate envelope is available for about $12, but insurance can not be added to that option. (If you want priority flat-rate shipping without insurance, pay by credit card, so I can adjust the total, and put a note in the order comments that you would like priority flat-rate shipping without insurance.)

Whether or not I can ship an item to you depends on your country’s custom regulations. You will be more familiar with your country’s customs regulations than I will. All items shipped out of the United States are subject to customs inspection in the country they are being shipped to. I can not be responsible if your item does not pass through customs. I will only issue a refund if the merchandise is returned to me. Assessment of duties, taxes (including VAT), and administrative fees (covering the costs of clearing the item through customs) is done in accordance with that country’s laws. Customs duties, taxes, and administrative fees are collected from the recipient. These fees are not included in any prices I quote or any payments remitted to me. All prices quoted by me are in US dollars.

Countries I believe I can ship to include Canada, Great Britain, most of the
European Union (exceptions include Greece & Portugal), Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. Many of these countries regulations say they require shipment by insured parcel post.

Places I can not ship to (items are prohibited as I read the customs
information) include Mexico, South America, and Africa.

CA Sales Tax
Items delivered to a California address incur 8.25% CA state sales tax.

Payment
I accept payment in US Dollars. I review all orders manually, prior to processing your credit card.

Credit Cards
I accept MasterCard & Visa.

PayPal
I accept PayPal. PayPal accepts American Express and Discover, as well as Visa, MasterCard, and your PayPal balance or e-check.

Check, Money Order, Cashier’s Chec, International Money Order
I take these at my discretion. Unfortunately, there are people that make counterfeit Money Orders and Cashier Checks. Once this type of payment is received, merchandise may be held for at least 10 business days before shipping, to allow the check or money order to clear. At my discretion, I may hold the merchandise longer than that time period. I will notify you should I decide to do this.

Privacy
Information gathered from and about my customers is used strictly to conduct the business of Espy Jewelry.

I do send email in the course of conducting normal business. If you are using a spam blocker or other type of email filter, please make sure it does not stop email that be might sent to you from EspyJewelry.com or espys.

Normal emails you might receive from me include an automatic confirmation that a successful order has been placed on the web site, a follow up message from me confirming the order details and sending any associated invoice, and other similar types of messages connected to orders.