Terms of Service

1. About us

The House of Spinel (“we”, “us”, “our”) is an online retailer of natural, untreated spinel gemstones and spinel jewellery, based in Melbourne, Australia. In these Terms, “you” means the person browsing the site or placing an order.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old, or have the consent of a parent or guardian, and be able to form a legally binding contract, to purchase from us.

3. Our products

We sell natural, untreated spinel and spinel jewellery. Because every stone is a product of nature, colour, inclusions, cut and overall appearance vary from piece to piece. Photographs and videos are provided as an accurate a guide as we can make them, but on-screen colour can differ between devices, and slight variation between the image and the stone you receive is a normal part of a natural gemstone’s character rather than a fault. Where we describe a stone by a colour or origin name (including any house descriptive terms), that describes its appearance and origin — it is not a laboratory grade. Independent gemological certification is provided where a listing says so.

4. Pricing

Prices are shown on the site in the currency indicated at checkout and may change at any time before you place an order. We take care to price accurately; if an error means an item was listed at the wrong price, we may cancel the affected order and refund any amount you have paid. Any applicable taxes and duties are dealt with in the Shipping section below.

5. Orders and acceptance

When you place an order you are making an offer to buy. Any acknowledgement confirms we have received your order but does not by itself mean we have accepted it — a contract is formed only when we accept your order and dispatch the item. Many of our pieces are one-of-a-kind and subject to availability. We may decline or cancel an order (for example, because an item is no longer available, a pricing error occurred, or we suspect fraud) and, where you have paid, we will refund you.

6. Payment

Payment is taken securely through our third-party payment provider at checkout. We do not store your full card details. Orders are not dispatched until payment has been confirmed.

7. Shipping and delivery

We ship worldwide with fully insured, tracked delivery, and each piece is sent with its gemological certificate where applicable. Delivery time-frames are estimates and are not guaranteed. Risk in the goods passes to you on delivery. For international orders, you are the importer of record and are responsible for any customs duties, import taxes or fees charged by the destination country.

8. Returns and refunds

You may return an eligible item within 30 days of delivery, provided it is unworn and in its original condition with all packaging and certification included. Custom, bespoke or altered pieces may not be eligible for return. Once we receive and inspect the returned item, we will refund it to your original payment method. Return shipping should be fully insured and tracked, as risk remains with you until we receive the item. These return arrangements are in addition to — and do not limit — your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.

9. Your consumer rights

Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer guarantee, right or remedy that you have under the Australian Consumer Law or other law that cannot lawfully be excluded.

10. Authenticity and certificates

We represent our spinel as natural and untreated. Where a listing states that a stone is certified, an independent gemological certificate is provided with the piece. If you ever have a concern about a stone’s authenticity, please contact us.

11. Intellectual property

All content on this website — including text, photographs, videos, graphics, logos and design — is owned by or licensed to The House of Spinel and is protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, reproduce or use our content for commercial purposes without our prior written permission.

12. Acceptable use

You agree not to use the site for any unlawful purpose, not to attempt to interfere with or breach the security of the site, and not to scrape, copy or misuse its content or systems. We may suspend or restrict access if these Terms are breached.

13. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, and subject to your rights under the Australian Consumer Law, we are not liable for any indirect, incidental or consequential loss arising from your use of the site or the purchase of our products, and our total liability for any claim is limited to the price paid for the relevant item.

14. Privacy

Your use of the site and any purchase is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle your personal information.

15. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Victoria, Australia. Any dispute relating to them is subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Victoria.

16. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The “last updated” date above shows when they were last revised, and the version in force is the one published on this page when you use the site or place an order.

17. Contact us

If you have any question about these Terms, please reach us through our contact page.