Below you will find our return and repair policies, our comprehensive jewelry care guide, and answers to frequently asked questions. 

Return Policy
Exchanging Items Received as Gifts
International Orders
Jewelry Care
How to Help Prevent Sterling Silver Jewelry from Tarnishing
How to Clean Sterling Silver Jewelry
How to Clean Oxidized Sterling Silver Jewelry 
How to Clean Gold Jewelry
Jewelry Repairs
How to Ship Your Jewelry to Us for Repair or Exchange
How to Prevent Chain Tangling
How to Untangle Your Chain
Custom Work
Custom Engraving

Return Policy

You may exchange unworn or unused merchandise for store credit within thirty (30) days of purchase for any reason. Exchanges can be made in-store or may be shipped back to The Golden Cleat. Shipping costs are covered by the customer. We will process your exchange and send you an email notification with your available store credit equal to the purchase amount that can be redeemed online or in-store. As with our gift cards, store credit does not expire. Custom orders are final sale and are not eligible for exchange. The Golden Cleat does not accept returns, only exchanges. Scroll down to the section titled How to Ship Your Jewelry to Us for Repair or Exchange for detailed information on how we process repairs and exchanges. 



Exchanging Items Received As Gifts

Eligible items purchased from The Golden Cleat may be returned for store credit within thirty (30) days of purchase. The recipient must supply the name and/or email address of the gift giver so we can look up and verify the order information. Please note for holiday gifts our exchange window runs through January 15th. This means that holiday gift exchanges for unworn or unused items in their original condition and packaging will be accepted through January 15th. 


International Orders

All international orders are subject to import taxes, customs duties and brokerage fees levied by the destination country and the recipient is responsible for paying these fees. The Golden Cleat has no control over these charges and cannot predict what they may be. These fees are imposed by the receiving country and are based on the retail value of the invoice and the type of product. Customs policies vary widely from country to country. We recommend contacting your local customs office for more information.

The customer is responsible for any and all shipping charges related to undeliverable packages (including return to sender fees). The Golden Cleat is unable to provide refunds for international orders if a customer declines to pay the duties and the package is treated as abandoned or returned to sender. Any fees that The Golden Cleat incurs in this or a similar scenario will be billed to the recipient. As with domestic orders, the customer is responsible for paying return shipping fees for repairs and exchanges for international orders.


Jewelry Care

Our jewelry is handcrafted to last a lifetime. Whether you purchased sterling silver or solid gold jewelry, with proper care and cleaning, your jewelry will look as lustrous as the day you got it. See below for a complete care and cleaning guide. 


How to Help Prevent Sterling Silver Jewelry from Tarnishing

Sterling silver is prone to tarnishing with normal wear, there is no way around it. Luckily tarnish is not permanent and with proper cleaning your jewelry can be restored to its original shine. Although silver tarnishing can’t be entirely avoided there are measures you can take to help slow the process. Lotions, sunscreen, perfumes, and other beauty products can create build-up and accelerate tarnishing so we recommend minimizing the use of those products while wearing your silver jewelry. The natural chemistry of some people’s skin may cause their jewelry to tarnish more quickly than usual, even if they do not use such skin products. Do you live near the coast? Tarnishing tends to happen more quickly in humid air and in hotter weather when we perspire more. Chlorine and bleach also accelerate tarnishing so we recommend removing your jewelry before entering a pool or hot tub. Leaving your sterling silver jewelry exposed to the air, especially humid air, will also accelerate tarnishing. If you are not planning to wear a piece of silver jewelry for some time, store it in an airtight ziploc baggie and make sure it is totally dry before sealing the bag. Pro-tip: for fine chains that may tangle easily, put the pendant and most of the chain inside the baggie but seal it so that the clasp remains just on the outside of the ziploc. This will almost certainly prevent the dreaded “changle” (aka chain tangle) especially if you are traveling when jewelry tends to shift in transit. 


How to Clean Sterling Silver Jewelry

Even with proper prevention measures, sterling silver jewelry will likely tarnish over time. The good news is that it can be easily restored to its original luster. To clean your sterling silver jewelry, gently scrub with a toothbrush and mild dish soap. You can soak jewelry for a few minutes in soapy water prior to scrubbing if it is extra grimey. This will remove natural oils that your skin produces as well as residues from lotions or other self-care products. Rinse jewelry thoroughly with water and dry completely with a towel. It’s very important to make sure your jewelry is completely dry before using the polishing cloth or you will cause the cloth to lose its effectiveness. Once dry, gently polish jewelry with the anti-tarnish polishing cloth. Silver polishing cloths have a special powder coating which effectively removes tarnish. As you polish, you’ll notice the black tarnish appearing in streaks on the cloth as your jewelry gradually regains its luster. You’ll want to seal the polishing cloth in its cello sleeve or a ziploc bag in order to protect it from moisture. The polishing cloth will lose its effectiveness over time if exposed to moisture. Depending on how frequently you use your polishing cloth, you’ll likely need to replace it once or twice a year. You’ll know it’s time to replace it when it is mostly covered in black or when it has lost its effectiveness from use over time or exposure to moisture. Our polishing cloths are $6 and can be purchased here and our liquid jewelry cleaner is available in store also for $6. We offer the liquid cleaner and cloth combo in store for $10. While we do not ship the liquid cleaner, you can improvise at home with soapy water (we recommend the blue Dawn dish soap) and an old toothbrush. By following these simple care methods you should be able to remove tarnish and restore your sterling silver jewelry to its original luster and shine. 


How to Clean Oxidized Silver Jewelry 

An oxidized finish is the deliberate blackening of crevices in a piece of jewelry to make its decorative details stand out more clearly. This finish can be removed by overzealous cleaning and polishing. Especially avoid using chemical dip cleaners, such as Tarn-X, which will completely remove the oxidization. 


How to Clean Gold Jewelry

One of the greatest benefits of owning solid gold jewelry is that, unlike sterling silver, gold does not tarnish. You can still follow the same cleaning guide as above, cleaning your gold jewelry with dish soap and water, using a toothbrush if necessary to scrub away residues and oils. The only difference is that you can polish your gold jewelry with a regular polishing cloth instead of an anti-tarnish cloth. Any type of soft non-abrasive cloth will work. If you do use an anti-tarnish cloth it will not harm your gold jewelry. 


Jewelry Repairs

Accidents happen! If a chain is pulled or caught, it may break. If your chain breaks with normal wear within 30 days of purchase we will repair it free of charge and cover shipping charges if applicable. You must drop off or mail the broken necklace or chain to our store to be repaired (see instructions below). 

If a chain breaks near or at the clasp, we will likely be able to repair it quite easily. After the 30 day window, our standard sterling silver chain repair fee is just $10 and our repair turnaround time is up to seven days, but usually can be completed more quickly. If a chain breaks in the middle, depending on the type of chain, we will likely need to replace the chain as it may not be possible to repair it, especially if the links have become stretched or drawn, which weakens the chain. Sterling silver replacement chains are sold at the retail price. For example, if you break your cleat necklace chain in the middle, we will simply replace the fine cable chain for $40. You will NOT need to purchase an entirely new necklace. Rather, we will put your original cleat charm onto the new chain. 

We cannot quote repairs or provide estimates over the phone. We need to see your broken piece of jewelry to assess it. In many cases, we can provide a repair quote via email if you send us photos of your broken piece of jewelry. All other repair quotes and estimates are provided on a case by case basis. If your jewelry is in need of repair please bring it into the store or ship it back to us (see instructions below for shipping jewelry). 


How to Ship Your Jewelry to Us for Repair or Exchange

Please send all repairs and exchanges to our Flagship Store: 


The Golden Cleat 
534 Riverside Drive
Clayton NY, 13624

Please include the following information on a note inside the package: 

  1. Your name, phone number, email address, and the shipping address you’d like us to send the repaired jewelry to (or indicate if you would prefer in-store pickup).
  2. Your order number and/or the customer name and/or email address used to make the purchase so we can look up and verify your order (especially if it was a gift).  
  3. Indicate if your item is for repair or exchange. Indicate what item you’d like to exchange for or if you would prefer store credit. Store credit does not expire. 

How to package your jewelry for return shipping: 

We recommend you ship your jewelry to us in a small box inside a padded envelope to ensure your jewelry isn’t damaged in transit. The original jewelry box you received your item in is the ideal box to use as it prevents jewelry from getting crushed during transit. Please do not ship your necklace in a regular envelope you’d use for a letter. If you are shipping a necklace please put the necklace in a ziploc bag sealed with the necklace on the inside and with the closed clasp just outside the ziploc seal to avoid chain tangling during transit. You may ship items to us using the shipping service of your choice. USPS, UPS, and FedEx all deliver to our store year-round.

What to expect once you’ve shipped your item for repair or exchange: 

When we receive your package, we will email you an invoice you can pay directly online (if payment is required). Regular return shipping for jewelry is $5. Please allow 5-7 business days for us to process your repair once we have received it. If additional time is required to repair your jewelry, we will notify you via email. Please note that time in transit with a shipping carrier may be longer than usual due to the pandemic. Exchanges for in stock items or store credit are processed right away and you will receive email notification (with tracking, if applicable). 


How to Prevent Chain Tangling

When you are not wearing your necklaces, resist the urge to pile them on a dresser, nightstand or bathroom vanity. Instead, use these tricks to keep your favorite necklaces knot-free. If you have a jewelry box, use it to store your necklaces when you aren’t wearing them. If you don’t have a jewelry box, or if you’re out of room in your jewelry box, don’t fret. For fine chains that may tangle easily, put the pendant and most of the chain inside the baggie but seal the bag so that the closed clasp remains just on the outside of the ziploc. This will prevent your chain from getting tangled - and it will also prevent silver jewelry from tarnishing. If you are traveling we highly recommend taking this extra step because oftentimes necklaces become tangled when they are stored loosely in a purse or travel pouch, especially if multiple necklaces are packed together. You won’t regret taking the extra twenty seconds to properly pack your jewelry for travel! 


How to Untangle Your Chain

Gravity is your enemy here, so do not try to lift the necklace up and untangle it while holding it in the air. Instead, spread your tangled chain on a clean, dry, flat surface, so that the knots are exposed. Using a very fine point, such as a safety pin, push pin or needle, determine where the chain enters the knot. Holding a pin in each hand, gently pick at the knot to try to loosen it. Keep picking gently until the knot begins to loosen, then slowly untie the knot by pulling one end of the chain through the knot until it is free. Keep the chain on a flat surface throughout the entire process to avoid re-tangling. 

If you have tried without success to untangle your chain, we can usually manage to untangle even the knottiest of knots for you. However, this process is often time consuming and therefore after years of complimentary chain untangling, we now charge a standard chain untangling fee of $10. If a chain tangle situation is incredibly dire and takes an unbelievably long time to resolve, we may need to charge more for the additional time. In rare cases we may need to replace your chain. We assess chain tangles on a case by case basis so please bring yours into the shop or mail it to us and we will have a look and see what we can do to free your chains.

 

Custom Work

Whether it be a simple alteration such as a custom chain length, fabricating an existing ring design in your size, stringing a beaded gemstone necklace with a unique color pattern of your choice, or designing and handcrafting a custom wedding band or engagement ring from start to finish, we can do it all at The Golden Cleat. If you have a custom order in mind, please email us at info@thegoldencleat.com or call us at 917-544-9455 to get the conversation started about your custom piece. Prices and turnaround times vary greatly depending on the nature of your request, so we recommend reaching out to us directly regarding custom projects. For fully-custom bridal and engagement rings, the process from start to finish can easily take eight weeks so keep that in mind if you are looking to source a stone and create a piece from scratch by a specific date. Turnaround times for semi-custom are often much shorter. Contact us today to start a conversation.

 

Custom Engraving

We offer custom engraving for most pieces. The turnaround time is usually about three weeks and the standard custom engraving fee is $25 for a name, initials, date, and/or a short phrase. The font size and number of characters able to be engraved depends on the size of the piece you would like to engrave. To order custom engraving, call or email us and we will send you a link to pre-order. After payment is made, you will receive a proof via email and once you check for errors and approve the proof, we will engrave your piece. Engraved items are final sale and not eligible for exchange.