AUTHENTICITY AND GUARANTEE

GUARANTEE

The quality of our creations is first and foremost the result of the experience and craftsmanship of our designers and artisans.

Additionally we guarantee the authenticity of all antiques, together with the quality of all gems and precious metals.

AUTHENTICITY OF ALL ANTIQUES

We exclusively source antiquities from reputable and licensed antiquities dealers, white listed on a basis of membership of trade associations as ADA (UK Antiquities Dealers Association) or IADAA (International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art).

We only purchase pieces with specific provenance, and original condition. We maintain a registry of provenance of each of the pieces of our collection, which we can disclose on demand.

We import under the Regulation (EU) 2019/880 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the introduction of cultural goods in the EU, and under the “Topstukkendecreet” of the Flemish Community in Belgium, of 14 November 2015. Additionally, some pieces are subject to local export laws from the countries we purchase them from.

QUALITY OF GEMS AND PRECIOUS METALS

We only source top (VVS G) grade diamonds. All gold is of 18k purity, and hallmarked by official laboratories, as required by law.

SHIPPING, IMPORT AND TAXES

ANTIQUITIES EXPORT AND IMPORT

We sell and ship from Belgium, inside the European Union. All antiquities included in our jewelry are legally imported under European and Flemish (Belgian) regulation.

If you are outside the European Union, we are required to ship under a EU export license for cultural goods, issued by the Flemish authorities. This process may take two to three weeks, we inform clients about expected time frames, and keep them updated during the process.

If you are inside the European Union, both EU regulations and Belgian law require no such license, and we can directly and immediately ship you the piece.

SHIPPING AND TAXES

International sales and export can require shipping costs and several types of taxes, such as VAT (Value Added Tax) or customs duties. These depend on your country as a buyer.

Whatever these are, and wherever you are as a customer, our prices include all possible costs and taxes. If your country requires VAT, our price is VAT included. If your country requires import duties, we will take care of these.

CARE GUIDE

EXCLUSIVE JEWELRY WITH ANTIQUITIES

We create exclusive jewelry with authentic antiquities. Pieces of jewelry are delicate in general, because of their specific nature our creations are even more so. These antique objects are hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of years old and must be treated with care and respect.

The integrity of the antique objects is central to our entire creation process. The artefacts receive a delicate cleaning that in no way alters their shape or condition. We do not apply heat or excessive pressure, and work exclusively with professional gem setters, specialists in dealing with fragile and delicate objects. Everything we do is reversible, if needed the original antiquity can be returned to its original state.

Our jewelry is designed to be worn on a daily basis. It does require a certain care and delicacy to preserve the condition of your Oktaaf piece, and to respect the integrity and the legacy of the ancient antiquity it contains.

WHAT TO AVOID

Consider removing your Oktaaf jewellery before going to sleep, practicing any sport, doing household chores, washing your hands or using corrosive products.

Avoid contact with water, chemicals like soaps, detergents, perfumes, alcohol, cosmetics, ammonia, chlorine and products containing sulfur, such as rubber gloves and certain papers.

Any glass, ceramic or stone artifacts are delicate when exposed to extreme heat, or sudden changes in temperature.

Take care to protect your jewelry from impact against hard surfaces and avoid contact with abrasive surfaces, even a diamond can chip if hit with enough force or at just the right angle.

Gemstones and diamonds can scratch other stones and wear away precious metals. Therefore, avoid stacking any jewelry that would be vulnerable to such abrasion.

CLEANING

AT-HOME CLEANING. Anything beyond cleaning your jewelry with a dry, soft cloth should be done by a professional.

PROFESSIONAL CLEANING. A professional cleaning is recommended as frequently as once a year, depending on how often you wear your jewelry.

STORAGE

Prevent damage or loss of your jewels by storing them individually in their original box or pouch after wearing them; contact with other jewellery pieces could cause scratches. Chains should be closed and laid flat to avoid them becoming tangled.

CHECKING

Examine your jewelry regularly to make sure the settings are snug, and the clasps and joinings are secure.

REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE

Oktaaf jewelry should be worn and enjoyed - and, inevitably, need occasional polishing, adjustment or repair. To ensure the proper level of craftsmanship, any repairs or alterations of Oktaaf jewelry should be performed by our experienced craftspeople.

So... contact us! We will conduct an assessment to understand what repairs will be needed, this may require the piece to be sent to our repair centre in Spain. We will then provide an estimate of cost and time required.

Note that, if you did not purchase your piece directly from Oktaaf or an authorized partner, your piece may need to be authenticated before repairs; Oktaaf will not repair pieces which cannot be verified as authentic Oktaaf.

Oktaaf jewelry should only be touched by Oktaaf artisans. We cannot guarantee that repairs or modifications made outside the Oktaaf workshop will not affect the structural integrity of the piece; any repairs or alterations of Oktaaf jewelry should be performed in the Oktaaf workshop.

SPECIAL CARE FOR ANTIQUITIES

ANTIQUITIES. Even though antiquities have resisted time, these are unique and delicate objects that need to be treated with the utmost care and respect. Apart from avoiding impacts, scratches and contact with chemicals that apply for jewelry in general, we recommend following some special guidelines here under.

PATINAS. Some of the antiquities feature unique patinas that can only be created over the years, and that will keep on changing over time. In the case of metallic buttons of coins, patinas are the result of an oxidation process, for which we especially recommend avoiding contact with abundant water or corrosive fluids. Remove your jewelry before washing your hands.

METEORITE. The meteorites we used are mainly composed of iron, which increases its possibility of oxidation. We have applied a strong ceramic nano coating that minimizes that risk. This coating is strong, but may be compromised by scratches or penetrations. Meteorite jewelry should be worn with care and not be exposed to water whether coated or not, especially salt water, harsh chemicals, or other corrosive elements.

ORGANIC MATERIALS. Organic materials like pearls, and especially fossilized mammoth tusk are delicate. Mammoth ivory is a porous, organic material, so you may want to treat it with a very light coating of olive oil every few years. While this step is not required, it will significantly preserve its original state. Do not soak or submerge your fossilized ivory jewelry, because ancient mammoth ivory is a porous, organic material that will absorb cleaners, solutions, etc that may damage it. It is important to store your ivory out of direct sunlight, and to avoid extreme heat, moisture or dryness.

REFUNDS AND RETURNS

The right of withdrawal, and the conditions for refunds and returns are specified in our legal terms and conditions.

RIGHT OF WITHDRAWAL

The client has the right to withdraw from the contract with no reason within 30 (thirty) days from the date in which the client (or the representative duly authorized to receive the products) obtains the physical possession of the products and in case of partial deliveries, the last product.

To exercise the right of withdrawal, the client will contact Oktaaf via the “Contact us” section of this website, or via email at kareloktaaf.com. Please make a clear statement setting out your decision to withdraw from the contract, indicating name and address, phone number, email address, list of products, date of order at Oktaaf.com, together with the reasons to withdraw from the contract. We will send you an acknowledgement of receipt via email.

REFUNDS AND RETURNS

Without undue delay, and in any event no later than 14 (fourteen) days after the communication of withdrawal, the client shall return the purchased products to Oktaaf at Velodroomstraat 17, 9940 Evergem, Belgium. The client shall be responsible for the products until Oktaaf has acquired the physical possession of the products.

The products shall be returned in their original condition, unaltered, unused, undamaged and with original tags and labels attached. In the event of any diminished value of the products resulting from the handling of the goods by the client other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods, Oktaaf reserves the right to refuse the return of the products. The client shall be liable for any diminished value of the products resulting from the handling of the goods other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.

We reserve our right not to accept any return if the product shows signs of wear, or has been used or altered from its original condition in any way or, as an alternative, may reduce the amount of any applicable refund or exchange accordingly. For example, we may make a reduction in the following circumstances: the product(s) have been used, worn, damaged or washed; the identification tag or certificate of authenticity is not attached to the product(s), or has not been returned. Please note that identification tag or certificate of authenticity constitutes an integral part of each product; and/or you have not returned any packaging which is an integral part of a product.

You will be informed if we propose to reduce your refund for this reason. In this instance, you may (as an alternative to us providing you with a reduced refund) choose to have the products sent back to you at your own expense. Should you refuse this option, Oktaaf reserves the right to retain the products and the amount indicated for the decrease in refund, due to the decrease in value of the returned products.

If you are entitled to return product(s) to the vendor and have complied with the conditions set out in this return policy, you will receive an email confirming that the return has been accepted. This will state the amount of refund due, including the possible reasonable costs of delivery.

Oktaaf shall reimburse the refund, within 14 (fourteen) days of the day on which Oktaaf has received the products back or the client has supplied evidence of having sent back the products, whichever is the earliest. Reimbursement shall be executed by Oktaaf using the same means of payment as the client used for the initial transaction, unless the client has expressly agreed otherwise and provided that the client does not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.