Product FAQs & Ethical Statement

Are your gemstones natural?

The vast majority of the gemstones we supply are natural and inevitably colours, markings and cuts may vary from the images shown. We do however make every effort to supply stock of consistent quality and make every effort to picture products and colours as accurately as we can. Images on this website are not to scale, although sizes are given wherever possible and you'll find we often include hand shots so you can easily see sizes. Although we photograph some items set with stones as a visual aid, all mounts are supplied without stones unless stated.

What if I’m looking for a specific colour, pattern or size?

We do try and pick the best and prettiest stones we can when picking for our customers but we do understand that sometimes it has to be that certain stone to fit your design or a matching pair for a pair of earrings. This is why we offer a personal shopping experience, where you can add special requests for gemstones to your shopping basket. This gives you the option to add additional input when we are picking your order. Whether you're after matching pairs, a particular colour, pattern or shape, just let us know in your shopping basket and our small team will personally spend time trying our very best to select the perfect gemstone for you. If we are unable to fulfil your request, we will get in touch. Learn more here.

Do your gemstones have healing properties?

This is all down to you! Healing crystals are becoming increasingly popular, with people using gemstones to balance energies and become more attuned to their body and mind. Crystals have been used for thousands of years, with ancient people using them for magical and spiritual powers. Although there is no scientific evidence to show that crystal healing works and is not a form of medicine, more and more people are becoming open to trying the possible benefits that crystals bring. With the growing popularity of healing gems, we often share believed healing properties of the gemstones we stock in the product descriptions as well as across our online platforms.

Is there a size tolerance with calibrated stones?

Commercially cut stones will have a slight tolerance in size variation. For instance, some of our 5mm cabochon stones measure with rarely more than 0.2mm tolerance over or under 5mm (i.e. measuring 4.8mm - 5.2mm - this variance is not usually noticeable to the eye). This can vary and there will usually be plenty of stones that sit bang on the exact measurement, but they could vary up to 0.5mm (though usually much less than this) and this variance is influenced by the way they are cut, the supplier and where they are cut.

Read more about size tolerance with calibrated stones on our advice page.

What’s the difference between plated, sterling silver, gold filled, gold vermeil?

Read our guide on the types of metals used for jewellery making for detailed information on the difference between plated, sterling silver, gold-filled and gold vermeil.

What is the base metal of your plated items?

Silver and gold plated metals will have a base metal of copper, brass or steel. The silver and gold plated wire we stock both have a copper core.

Do your products contain nickel?

Nickel has been widely used in jewellery and watches throughout history due to its durability and shiny white appearance. Metals used in jewellery are alloys, which means the metal is made up of a mixture of metals – sometimes nickel is added to metal to make it harder and more durable for jewellery making. Unfortunately, nickel is the most common cause of allergic contact dermatitis and many everyday metals contain nickel (including many coins!), which is why nickel is now regulated in products which are intended to come into direct of prolonged contact with the skin.

Where necessary all items on Kernowcraft’s website comply with EC Nickel regulations. The Nickel Directive imposes limits on the amount of nickel that may be released from jewellery and other products intended to come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin such as earrings, bracelets, rings and necklaces. These limits, known as migration limits, are:

0.2 µg/cm2/week for post assemblies which are inserted into pierced ears and other pierced parts of the human body.

0.5 µg/cm2/week for other products intended to come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin.

Nickel is likely to be found in trace quantities in many metals, if you are wondering what metals are best for those who suffer from allergic reaction to metal, we recommend opting for sterling silver, surgical steel, platinum and titanium jewellery.

Are your products hallmarked?

All of our products comply with hallmarking laws. Precious metals are rarely used in their purest form but are usually alloyed with other metals for workability, durability and wearability. It isn't possible to detect an article's precious metal content by sight or touch. Therefore, it is a legal requirement for an Assay Office to hallmark articles containing precious metals if they are described as such. Hallmarks are marks applied to precious metals to indicate the amount of pure metal in the alloy. Traditionally applied by striking with a punch, hallmarks can now also be applied using lasers.

Platinum, gold, palladium and silver are required to have a hallmark, weight exemptions apply to each.

For more information on hallmarking, read our Q&A with London Assay Office.