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Terms of Service


Effective date: June 10, 2026
Last updated: June 10, 2026

 

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of www.caram.de and your dealings with us regarding gemstones, jewelry, valuations, bespoke commissions, and consultations. By using the website or engaging with us, you accept these Terms.
 
1. Who you are dealing with

 

This website is owned and operated by Aura International Ltd (Hong Kong company registration no. 1925163), a company registered in Hong Kong, with offices at 99 Wellington Street, Suite 1702, Central, Hong Kong.
"Caram" is a gemstone and jewelry brand used by Aura International Ltd under license from Caram e.K. of Idar-Oberstein, Germany — the family house that originated the Caram name and its 250-year heritage. Caram e.K. licenses the brand for global marketing; your contract for any purchase, valuation, or commission is with Aura International Ltd unless we tell you otherwise in writing at the time.

 

2. What Caram offers

 

Caram offers four primary services:

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  1. Gemstone and jewelry sales — curated rare colored gemstones (emerald, ruby, sapphire, alexandrite, spinel, tsavorite, padparadscha, and others) and bespoke or ready-to-wear jewelry.

  2. Bespoke commissions — custom-designed jewelry incorporating client-supplied stones or stones from our collection.

  3. Valuation services — professional appraisals for insurance, estate, resale, and related purposes.

  4. Private consultations — virtual, or in person at our salons by appointment.

 

All offerings are subject to availability and to our acceptance of your inquiry.

 

3. How a purchase works at Caram

 

Our website is not a checkout. Fine gemstones at this level are not bought and shipped through an online cart — they are acquired through a personal, considered process. When you press Reserve on a piece, or send an inquiry, you are expressing serious interest, not entering a contract. The process is:

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  1. You initiate — you reserve a piece, request a private viewing, or send an inquiry.

  2. We respond — we confirm availability and share documentation such as lab certificates, provenance, and condition details.

  3. You experience the piece — in person at our salon by appointment, or virtually through high-definition video and macro photography.

  4. We agree terms — price, payment method, delivery, and any modifications (resizing, setting changes, packaging).

  5. The sale is formed — a binding contract exists only once both sides have confirmed the final terms in writing, and is concluded directly with us rather than through the website.

 

A Reserve request alone does not create a binding sale. We may decline or discontinue a transaction at any point before final acceptance — for example where a piece becomes unavailable, where required identity or source-of-funds checks are not satisfied, or where we judge the transaction not to be in either party's interest.

 

4. Pricing and payment

 

Prices shown on www.caram.de are indicative and are confirmed at the point of sale. The final price may vary for resizing, setting changes, certification, or shipping. Prices are usually quoted in EUR, USD, or HKD, confirmed before you commit. Any applicable VAT, GST, or import duty is identified separately based on your delivery address.

 

Because sales are concluded directly with us rather than through an online checkout, payment is arranged at the point of sale — typically by bank transfer, and by other secure methods we may agree with you. For higher-value purchases, we may be required by law to verify your identity and the source of funds before completing the sale.

 

5. Authenticity, provenance, and certification

 

Every Caram gemstone is:

  • Authentic — natural unless we expressly state otherwise, with any treatment (such as heating in sapphires) disclosed transparently before purchase;

  • Provenance-conscious — sourced from documented suppliers, consistent with the ICA Code of Ethics and the Kimberley Process where applicable;

  • Certifiable — independent laboratory reports (from SSEF, Gübelin, GRS, AGL, or GIA) are available on most fine stones, as standard or on request.

 

If a stone you receive does not match the description, treatment disclosure, or weight we stated at the point of sale, we will accept its return at our cost within 14 days of delivery and refund or replace it.

 

6. Shipping and delivery

 

For purchased gemstones and jewelry:

  • We ship worldwide using fully insured, signature-required specialist couriers (such as Brink's, Ferrari Group, or equivalent).

  • You are responsible for any customs duties, import VAT, or local taxes charged by the destination country.

  • Risk of loss passes to you on signed receipt of the shipment.

  • Delivery times vary with destination and customs clearance; international delivery is typically 5–10 business days from dispatch.

  • For especially high-value pieces, we may arrange alternative secure logistics, including hand delivery by an authorized representative.

 

For bespoke commissions, the usual timeline is 8 to 14 weeks from final design approval to delivery, depending on stone availability and the complexity of the work.

 

7. Returns and cancellations

 

Pieces that turn out not as described. As set out in Section 5, if a stone does not match what we told you at the point of sale, you may return it at our cost within 14 days of delivery for a refund or replacement.
Consumer cancellation rights. If you are a consumer (buying for personal, not business, purposes) and you live in a jurisdiction whose law gives you a cooling-off right for purchases made entirely at a distance — without ever seeing the piece in person — we honor that right. Where it applies, you may cancel within 14 days of receiving the piece, provided it is returned in its original, unworn, unmodified condition with all documentation, certificates, and packaging, using a fully insured courier we approve, at your cost. Bespoke and made-to-order pieces are excluded from this cancellation right, because they are made specifically for you.
After you have seen the piece. If you have inspected a piece in person at our salon, or had a genuine opportunity to inspect it during a virtual viewing, the sale is final once both sides confirm it. Returns after that point are at our discretion.
Resizing. A first resizing on standard pieces is complimentary within 90 days of delivery. Further adjustments are quoted separately.

 

8. Bespoke commissions — additional terms

 

Bespoke jewelry is made to your specification and represents significant artisan time. So:

  • A non-refundable design deposit (typically 30–50% of the commission value) is payable at the start, securing both the gemstone and the atelier's time.

  • Designs are approved by you in writing, or via signed sketches, before fabrication begins.

  • Once fabrication has begun, a bespoke piece cannot be returned for ordinary reasons. Manufacturing defects are corrected at our cost; reasonable aesthetic adjustments are accommodated where practical.

  • If you supply your own stone for a setting, we accept no liability for damage that pre-existed our inspection, or that arises from an inherent fragility we disclosed to you.

 

9. Valuation and appraisal services

 

When you commission a valuation:

  • Our appraisal reflects our professional opinion of value — fair market, replacement, or insurance value, as you request — based on physical inspection, accompanying documentation, and our gemological expertise.

  • Value is inherently subjective and market-dependent. We are not liable where a buyer, insurer, or auction house later reaches a different figure.

  • Valuation reports are confidential between us and the person who commissioned them, and we do not share them without your written consent.

 

Where independent laboratory work is involved, we facilitate submission, but the laboratory is the issuing authority for its own reports.

 

10. Intellectual property

 

Everything on www.caram.de — including the Caram brand and logo, images, photography, written content, the Hierarchy of Gems framework, Love Stories editorial, and original jewelry designs — is owned by or licensed to us and protected by copyright, trademark, and design rights. You may not reproduce, distribute, or commercially use this content without our written permission. Fair editorial citation with attribution is generally fine.

 

11. Limitation of liability

 

To the fullest extent permitted by law:

  • our total liability for any single transaction is limited to the price you paid for the gemstone, jewelry, or service concerned;

  • we are not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive losses.

 

Nothing in these Terms limits liability for personal injury, fraud, or anything else that cannot lawfully be limited, and nothing affects the rights you have as a consumer that cannot lawfully be excluded.

 

12. Governing law and disputes

 

These Terms, and any contract you enter into with Aura International Ltd, are governed by the laws of Hong Kong, and the courts of Hong Kong have jurisdiction over any dispute.

 

If you are a consumer resident in the EU or UK, this does not deprive you of the protection of mandatory consumer-law rules that apply in your country of residence, and you may also have the right to bring proceedings there. For EU consumers, the European Commission's online dispute resolution platform is available at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/. We are not obliged to use alternative dispute resolution, but may agree to do so case by case.

 

13. Changes to these Terms


We may update these Terms from time to time. The "Last updated" date above will reflect any revision, and material changes will be communicated through a notice on the website and by email to active clients. Continuing to use the website or our services after a revision takes effect means you accept the updated Terms.


14. Contact

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For any question about these Terms:
Aura International Ltd (Hong Kong company registration no. 1925163)
99 Wellington Street, Suite 1702, Central, Hong Kong
Email: sales@caram.de

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