Terms and Conditions

Our Promise To You

Browns is an organisation with a proud legacy of exceptional customer service. Only the finest handpicked stones and high grade precious metals are used, which when combined with our cutting-edge craftsmanship, results in timeless creations. Integrity remains at the forefront of our values as evidenced by our subscription to the Kimberley Process and Fair Trade Agreements. This is your assurance that the diamond you select from our range was responsibly mined and conflict free. Quality is an uncompromising standard for us, which is why we can promise you that the diamond you purchase today will continue to reward you for a lifetime. We stand by this promise and offer a lifetime authenticity guarantee on our diamonds.

Browns Jewellery Care Plan

Browns offers the Browns Jewellery Care Plan, which can be purchased at the time of sale and applies to a single eligible jewellery item. The Care Plan includes a range of maintenance services and benefits over either a 3-year or 10-year period. We recommend taking up a Care Plan on each eligible item purchased to ensure your jewellery receives ongoing professional care and coverage.

The Browns Jewellery Care Plan forms a binding legal contract between you and Browns Jewellers. By purchasing the Plan, you understand that it is a contract, acknowledge that you have the opportunity to read these Terms and Conditions and agree to be bound by them.

The Plan is not a contract of insurance. We recommend that you insure all of your Browns pieces. Loss of stones larger than 0.10ct need to be claimed from your personal insurance.

TO REMAIN QUALIFIED TO RECEIVE SERVICES UNDER THIS PLAN, THE CUSTOMER MUST:

Bring the jewellery item covered by this Plan in for professional inspection at a Browns store on an annual basis. Failure to present the jewellery item for its required annual inspection may result in suspension of eligibility for services and benefits under the Plan until the inspection has been completed.
Present your proof of purchase or photo identification in-store so that a Browns Jewellery Consultant can verify and access your Care Plan details.

FAILURE TO COMPLETE ANNUAL INSPECTIONS

Annual inspections serve to verify the condition of the item, confirm the Care Plan's continued eligibility, and identify any maintenance or repair needs

If the jewellery item has not undergone the required annual inspection within the prescribed period, the client must present the relevant jewellery item and supporting documentation for assessment. Browns’ authorised workshop will then determine whether the Care Plan remains valid.
If the Care Plan is deemed invalid, Browns reserves the right to assess which services the jewellery item no longer qualifies for and what work may be required to reinstate coverage for the remainder of the Care Plan term. Any required services or repairs will be charged as an additional out-of-plan cost.

WHAT IS COVERED BY THE PLAN?

The Plan covers a single eligible purchased item.
The Plan comprises a range of services and repairs for eligible items. Under the Plan, we will:
Professionally inspect your item annually
Refinish and polish your item
Complete basic re-shaping of your ring or solid bangle
Rhodium plate your item once a year (for rhodium plated parts of items only)
Resize your ring - within Browns approved sizing standards
Tighten your stone(s)
Reset your precious stone (but not supply it)
Re-tip your claws/prongs (but not re-build or replace)
Solder your chain or bracelet including shortening (lengthening is not permitted)
Tighten, repair or replace your clasp (except on hinged bangles)
Repair a worn bail on your pendant
Re-join tennis bracelet links, tighten or repair tennis bracelet clasps (length changes and clasp replacement are not permitted)
Provide earring post replacement or butterfly replacement
Re-align your earring post
Straighten or re-thread your earring post
Professional clean of your item at a frequency determined by your loyalty tier
- Diamond Clients: Unlimited
- Platinum Clients: Four times per year
- Gold Clients: Twice a year
- Bronze Clients: Once a year
Eligibility to the Diamond Upgrade Programme
Eligibility to the Diamond Buy-Back Programme
Free or discounted replacement of small diamonds (up to 0.10ct) based on loyalty tier, with free labour costs charged to perform the replacement.
- Diamond clients: Free small stone replacements
- Platinum Clients: 50% off the selling price of a small stone replacement
- Gold & Bronze Clients: 50% off the selling price of a small stone replacement
The Plan covers parts (excluding diamonds and gemstones) and labour costs.
The plan covers normal wear and tear only, any significant damage outside this may fall outside the jewellery care plan, to be determined by assessment of the item.

WHAT IS NOT COVERED BY THE PLAN?

The Plan is limited to the services and repairs listed above.
The following services or repairs are not covered in the plan:
- Repairs to dents on hollow jewellery
- Re-shanking of rings
- Damage from abuse, misuse, tampering with claws/prongs or soldering of rings together
- Repair or replacement of damaged bangle hinges
- Supply, replacement or repair of diamonds and gemstones
- Lengthening of a chain or bracelet by soldering
- Restringing of pearl necklaces and bracelets

EXCLUSIONS

The Plan expressly excludes loss of use during the period the covered product is at a services facility or awaiting parts, damage or loss caused by third party actions beyond your control (including but not limited to forces of nature, fire, pandemic, industrial action, action by a government agency, collision, vandalism or theft) and incidental or other costs that result from any items or services or repairs included under the Plan

TERM OF PLAN AND EXPIRY

The maximum term of your Plan is specified on the purchase receipt, and will be either three years or ten years. The Plan is active on the date of purchase and expires on the earlier of

The end of either the three year or ten year term (calculated from the date of purchase); or
The original item associated with the plan is replaced with another of equal or greater value

CANCELLATION

We will cancel your Plan:

When your piece is reasonably deemed as unrepairable by a Browns Professional Jeweller; or
If you have any repair work undertaken by a repairer or jeweller that is not a Browns Professional Jeweller.

You can cancel your Plan and receive a full refund any time within 14 days of the purchase date, provided that no services have been provided under the Plan.

You can also cancel your Plan at any other time during the term and no refund shall be payable to you. Once cancelled you will no longer receive services under the Plan.

To cancel, contact us by phone or email or visit us at any Browns store with your ID.

RENEWAL

Renewal of the Browns Jewellery Care Plan is subject to the jewellery item passing a Browns workshop assessment confirming continued eligibility for coverage.

The 3-Year Jewellery Care Plan may be renewed a maximum of two additional times, allowing for up to 9 years of total coverage.
The 10-Year Jewellery Care Plan is not eligible for renewal.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY (T&Cs)

Our total aggregate liability under the Plan is the purchase price paid for the product covered. In the event that the total aggregate value of all services provided under the plan is equal to or exceeds the purchase price of the product, or the original product is replaced with another of equal or greater retail value in circumstances which would not be a CPA claim, all obligations under the Plan are deemed to be satisfied.

Important information – you must provide your purchase details. The following important information in relation to your Plan is printed on the attached purchase receipt provided to you at the time of purchasing the covered product and this Plan: (a) your name; (b) term of the Plan; (c) date of purchase of the covered product and this Plan; (d) description of the product covered by this Plan; (e) purchase price of the product covered.

ELIGIBILITY

A Plan is not available for all items. Ask instore to see if a Plan can be purchased for that item.

PRIVACY AND PERSONAL INFORMATION

By purchasing the Browns Jewellery Care Plan, you consent to Browns Jewellers collecting, processing, storing and using your personal information for purposes related to the administration of the Plan, including verification of ownership, service history, repairs, inspections, client communication and associated loyalty benefits.

Your information will be processed in accordance with applicable privacy and data protection laws, including the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (“POPIA”). Browns may share relevant information with authorised service providers, workshops and affiliated entities where necessary to provide services under the Plan.

Golden Voucher

Membership of the Browns Loyalty Club is a prerequisite requirement for a Golden Voucher.
Golden vouchers are issued directly to Loyalty Club members via e-mail and require an active subscription to Browns communications.
The e-mail will contain a voucher ID that may be redeemed within 12 months from date of purchase.
Golden vouchers must be redeemed in a single transaction at full value.
No residual balances will be carried forward.
Vouchers are redeemable only in the country of issue.
Golden vouchers are non-transferrable.
Golden voucher terms and conditions are subject to change at the discretion of the company.
Terms of redemption:
- Diamond & Lifetime Diamond: No minimum spend
- Platinum: Minimum spend 2x voucher value
- Gold: Minimum spend 3x voucher value
- Bronze: Minimum spend 4x voucher value
- Non-member: Not eligible

Website Pricing

Pricing as it appears on the website is meant as a rough guideline only. Prices may vary depending upon the exact characteristics of the stone, metal type, weight, exchange rates and availability. Website prices are shown net of the 35% discount.

The Browns Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee

When you purchase a diamond from Browns, we guarantee that the diamond is a natural diamond with the characteristics as laid out in the Diamond Certificate. If the diamond characteristics are not as stated on the Certificate we will accept the return of the jewellery and provide you with a full credit or replace the diamond with a diamond that meets or exceeds the characteristics as stated on the Certificate. This Guarantee is effective during the lifetime of the first owner of the jewellery. A claim under this Guarantee is subject to the following conditions:

All of the original purchase documents must be provided.
Browns will need to inspect the jewellery and any form of gemological evaluation on which you base your claim.
The diamond will have to be removed from the jewellery to conduct a gemological examination thereof.
We reserve the right to have the diamond examined by an independent gemological laboratory.

Once your claim is lodged under this Guarantee, Browns undertakes to respond as soon as possible, but no later than 45 days after we have received the claim.

This Guarantee is subject to the conditions stated on the original Diamond Certificate and only covers the lack of conformity of the diamond to the original Diamond Certificate at the time of sale. The Guarantee does not cover damage to the diamond that occurs after the date of sale.

The diamond will be examined under no greater than 10x magnification utilising standard gemological techniques.

The Browns Diamond Investment And Buy-back Programme

At Browns, we offer a unique Diamond Upgrade Programme on eligible jewellery items purchased with a Browns Jewellery Care Plan. This programme allows you to exchange your existing diamond for a larger or more valuable diamond and pay only the difference in value.

Only certain serialised and certified items of jewellery, , purchased with a valid Browns Jewellery Care Plan, qualify for the Diamond Investment Programme. Check your printed invoice to confirm that your jewellery qualifies. The letters “DIP” printed on your invoice indicates that the item you have chosen may qualify for the Grow Your Diamond programme. The letters “BB” confirm that your piece may qualify for the Buy-Back programme. An email from Browns will be sent within a month of purchase, this qualifies your purchase for the Buy-Back Guarantee and should be stored safely.

To Grow Your Diamond the price of the new item needs to be at least double the price of the original item. Should a gemologist not be available in-store at the time of the requested exchange, the diamond may be required to be sent to our gemologist for testing.

All jewellery, which has been exchanged through the Diamond Investment Programme, is reconditioned and recorded as “Estate” jewellery in our inventory. This description will be printed on the sales invoice at the time of the purchase.

The Buy-Back Guarantee is valid for a period of 3 months after initial 5 year period has passed. Jewellery which was purchased on sale, received additional discounts, special order or custom designs is not eligible. A levy of 20% applies to jewellery with up to 3 diamonds. Jewellery with more than 3 diamonds will incur a higher levy. Should the item require additional work to restore it to its original condition an additional charge will be incurred for the account of the client.

Buy-Back and Grow Your Diamond transactions may be conducted at any authorized Browns Jewellers stores. All certificates and original invoices must accompany the item.

The following diamond jewellery items purchased with a valid Browns Jewellery Care Plan are currently eligible for the Grow Your Diamond Programme:

Rings: 0.25 carats and up (centre diamond weight).
Pendants: 0.25 carats and up (solitaire pendants only).
Diamond Stud Earrings: 0.40 carats total weight and up (solitaire studs only).
Bracelets: Only the Browns Traditional Tennis Bracelet of 3 carats and up.
Necklaces: Only the Browns Traditional Tennis Necklace of 5 carats and up.
Journey Pendants: Only the classic “S” Journey Pendant

Only jewellery which contains white round brilliant diamonds as described above qualify for the Grow Your Diamond Programme.

Only jewellery which contains a white round brilliant centre diamond of 1 carat or more qualifies for the Buy-Back Programme.

Only eligible Jewellery items with a valid Browns Jewellery Care Plan qualify for Diamond Investment Programme and Buy-Back Programme

The Browns Diamond Price Beat Guarantee

Price Beat Guarantee Terms and Conditions

The competitor must be an established jeweller who has been in business for at least 5 years.
A written quotation, dated within the last 7 days must be submitted to Browns.
Written quotations must include a full description of the item including all diamonds details.
The competing jeweller’s diamond that is quoted must be in stock and available for purchase at that price.
To receive the R 2 500 pay out, the client must have purchased from the competitor and a proof of payment must be presented in store as well as the physical item so that one of our jewellery experts can assess the validity of the piece.
In the event that you qualify for a Price Beat pay out, you will be required to send us a bank account confirmation letter via email to solutionscentre@brownsjewellers.com. An EFT payment will then be processed within 10 working days from the time we receive this letter.
Our price beat service is only available on round brilliant diamonds due to the extreme price fluctuations of fancy shape diamonds.
Only well balanced diamonds of exceptional colour and clarity will qualify for the Browns Price Beat Guarantee.
All quotations must be accompanied by a GIA certificate in order to qualify.
Full customer details must be provided including a valid email address and contactable mobile number.
Qualifying UK customers will receive up to £500 on diamonds of over 2.00 carats, £200 on diamonds of 1.00 to 1.99 carats and £100 on diamonds of 0.50 to 0.99 carats.
Browns the Diamond Store reserve the right to change or remove this promotion without notice.

Refunds And Returns

Jewellery will be accepted for a refund or credit within 14 days of purchase and must be accompanied by the original sales receipt, packaging and all certificates. Returns will be accepted only at the original store of purchase, (excluding any shipping charges) subject to the item being returned in it’s original, unused, saleable condition. Refunds will not be given for special orders, discounted and altered merchandise. Refunds will be provided for cash, cheque and credit card purchases only. The reversal of cash or cheque purchases will be effected by means of an electronic funds transfer into the bank account where the payment originated. A copy of the customer’s ID/Passport, Banking details confirmation (cancelled cheque or letter from the bank, upper section of the bank statement etc) and the customer’s signature on the refund form is required before a refund is processed to safeguard both the interest of the customer and Browns. In the event of a cheque purchase, a refund will only be processed after 14 business days to take into account the bank clearing process.

Reversal of credit card purchases will be effected in store upon presentation of the original credit card used to make the payment. All reversals processed via a speed point are subject to the relevant Bank’s turnaround time for the clearing of the funds. Unfortunately, this is not within the control of Browns and all queries must be escalated to the relevant bank.

Gift certificates may be redeemed at any Browns store. The original certificate must be presented and may not be exchanged or refunded for cash.

Damage as a result of heavy wear is not guaranteed. This is usually indicated by dents or scratches on the gold.

An admin fee of 10% will be charged for all international refunds.

LAY-BYS

Lay-bys are held for a period of three months. Should a lay-by purchase be cancelled, a cancellation fee of 15% of the total value of the lay-by will be levied, unless the funds are transferred to an alternative purchase from Browns. In the event that the full amount is not paid within the three or six month period, Browns reserves the right to cancel the agreement and refund the customer monies paid less the cancellation penalties.

Quotations

Written quotations are valid for 48 hours from the date of issue and are subject to availability.

Custom Made Jewellery And Orders

A 30% deposit is payable upfront on all orders. The date of completion is an estimate and wherever possible any unexpected delays will be communicated. Browns reserves the right to adjust the costs indicated on the sales order. Due to the fact that these orders are made to your specifications, all deposits paid are non-refundable in the event that the order is cancelled.

Repairs

Any reference made to characteristics or the description of goods to be repaired shall be for identification purposes only and is in no way a guarantee of the quality or authenticity thereof. The date of completion is an estimate and wherever possible any unexpected delays will be communicated. Browns reserves the right to adjust the costs indicated on the repair order. Goods not collected within sixty days may be sold to defray costs. Although all reasonable precautions are taken to prevent loss or damage it remains the responsibility of the owner to have the goods insured. Neither Browns nor any staff member will be liable for any loss suffered. Browns reserves the right to return the item undone should the repair not be viable.

Insurance

We strongly advise that you insure your purchase prior to collection on an all risk cover which includes loss, theft, damage – including the risk of a stone falling out etc. as all risk of ownership passes to you upon the collection of an item in store by you or your appointed agent.

Holding of Customer Stock in Treasury

Should a client wish for us to hold stock on their behalf for more that 60 days, there will be a holding fee of 5% of the value of the piece per annum (or part thereof) charged in arrears.

We reserve the right to sell the item to recover the holding cost.

General Terms

We offer a complimentary in-store jewellery cleaning service. We recommend you take advantage and have all settings inspected every six months. Warranties shall be null and void should any other jeweller repair or modify an item purchased from Browns. Any dispute that may arise between you and Browns will be subject to prevailing South African Laws. Customers who collect goods from our premises, unconditionally agree and accept that the risk of loss and title for such items passes to you at the time of collection by you or your appointed agent.

Browns preferred methods of payments are EFT or Credit/Debit cards. Should you choose to pay by cheque, this may take up to 14 business days to clear.

For further enquiries contact: clientservices@brownsjewellers.com

Delivery Policy

Subject to availability and receipt of payment, requests will be processed within 24 hours and delivery confirmed by way of invoice number.

Customer Privacy Policy

Browns the Diamond Store (Pty) Ltd shall take all reasonable steps to protect the personal information of users. For the purpose of this clause, “personal information” shall be defined as detailed in the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA). The PAIA may be downloaded from: http://www.polity.org.za/attachment.php?aa_id=3569.

Payment Options

Accepted Payment may be made via Visa, MasterCard, Diners or American Express Cards or by bank transfer into the Browns the Diamond Store (Pty) Ltd bank account, the details of which will be provided on request.

Card Acquiring and Security

Card transactions will be acquired for Browns the Diamond Store (Pty) Ltd via PayGate (Pty) Ltd who are the approved payment gateway for all South African Acquiring Banks. DPO PayGate uses the strictest form of encryption, namely Secure Socket Layer 3 (SSL3) and no Card details are stored on the website. Users may go to www.paygate.co.za to view their security certificate and security policy.

Customer Details Separate From Card Details

Customer details will be stored by Browns the Diamond Store (Pty) Ltd separately from card details which are entered by the client on DPO PayGate’s secure site. For more detail on DPO PayGate refer to www.paygate.co.za..

Merchant Outlet Country and Transaction Currency

The merchant outlet country at the time of presenting payment options to the cardholder is South Africa. Transaction currency is South African Rand (ZAR). Please check with your card provider for any international charges they may apply.

Responsibility

Browns the Diamond Store (Pty) Ltd takes responsibility for all aspects relating to the transaction including sale of goods and services sold on this website, customer service and support, dispute resolution and delivery of goods.

Country of Domicile

This website is governed by the laws of South Africa and Browns the Diamond Store (Pty) Ltd chooses as its domicilium citandi et executandi for all purposes under this agreement, whether in respect of court process, notice, or other documents or communication of what so ever nature,to be the Republic of South Africa.

Variation

Browns the Diamond Store (Pty) Ltd may, in its sole discretion, change this agreement or any part thereof at any time without notice.