FAQ

Why can’t I see your prices on the website?

Only trade customers who register can see the full range of our products with prices.

Why do you ask for registration and references for new customers?

Our company is strictly Business-to-Business. In order to protect our existing customers, we require potential customers to register so that we can be sure that we are dealing only with genuine trade customers. We ask for references, or some proof of trade, such as a link to a sales platform or website, to confirm business status (not for credit purposes). If you are able to direct us to a business platform it is not necessary to give the names of referees – please just complete those sections with the words ‘new customer’.

What if I am not yet trading but want to start a business?

We understand that it is difficult to start out and gain access to wholesalers. If this is the case, please enter ‘new business’ in the reference boxes and give us a ring to discuss the situation and we will do what we can to help. We have helped many new businesses get started.

How long after we register will we be able to use the website?

You will receive an e-mail from us confirming your registration and password, usually by the next working day.

What is your minimum order?

As we are strictly a Business-to-Business company we ask that customers spend £50 (excluding VAT) on an initial order and thereafter £50 (excluding VAT). The website will not accept orders for less than £50. This is to cover the cost of order processing and payment. For account customers there is no minimum order requirement, but usual postage charges will apply. Regular proforma customers may apply for an account.

What is your system once we order?

Orders may be placed via the website, email, mail, fax, or telephone. The items will be ‘picked,’ and the order processed by the dispatch team.

How do we know if items are available?

The CME website gives Buyer’s information about the availability of Goods when ordering.
The website stock levels are updated every 2-3 hours.

You will also have the option to request an e-mail if the item is out of stock. Account customers may pre-order items out of stock

Ordering Options

The CME website gives customers information about the availability of our products and the options for ordering with stock levels being updated hourly.

In-stock: This indicates that the products are in stock and can be added to orders and sent immediately.

Partially available: This indicates that the products are in stock but that the stock is limited in number.

Telephone Orders: Buyers who place orders by fax, telephone or e-mail will be informed of items that are available or out of stock prior to the order being picked.

How do I pay for my order?

Payment is via the website or by credit card, BACS, or cheque. (Please make cheques payable to CME Leicester Limited.) Customers may prefer to make payment by telephone or BACS. Our bank details are given on your proforma invoice. New customers start by paying by proforma.

Do you send substitute items if you are out of stock?

No, we never send substitute items unless specifically requested by a customer.

Customers are charged only for items in stock and available.

Can I pre-order or have a back order?

Pre-orders

Pro-forma customers can choose an e-mail letting them know when the goods are in stock when ordering on the website.

Account Customers (not pro-forma) will be offered the chance to pre-order items which, once in stock, will be added to any subsequent order. They may also request a pre-order delivery of one or more items although this will incur delivery charge.

Back Orders: We do not offer a back-order service.

Can I keep adding and changing my order once placed?

To ensure that orders for all customers are processed as fairly and efficiently as possible, customers cannot add to, or alter their orders, once they have been placed and confirmed by us.

Are goods on pre-order charged at the price they were when first ordered?

Prices are fixed to customers at the point of despatch (see Terms and Conditions). Customers are entitled to cancel orders if the price of a previously ordered item is increased and therefore unacceptable to them.

Which shipping services does CME use?

CME uses the carriers that provide the best customer service for the geographical areas. Royal Mail Next Day Delivery, DHL Express Next Day (these services refer to next ‘working day’ and exclude weekends).

Shipping

Customers choose their preferred delivery option on the website when placing their order.

UK customers

Royal Mail Postcodes and exceptions
Delivery only during “working” days are Monday-Friday

Postcodes
Royal Mail delivers throughout the UK. However, there are certain delivery restrictions in particular areas:
By 5.30pm the next working day in the following postcode areas:
AB30 - 39, 41 - 45, 51 - 56
HS1, 3 - 9
IV21 - 28, 40 - 49, 51 - 56
KA27, 28
KW1 - 3, 5 - 15
KW16 Stromness Town only
PA20 (0&9)
PA28 - 38, 41 - 49, 76, 77
PH15, 17 - 26, 31 - 40, 49, 50
ZE1

Royal Mail delivery within TWO working days by 5.30pm to the following postcodes areas:
HS2
IM, JE
PA60 - 75, 78
ZE2, 3

Royal Mail delivery within THREE working days by 5.30pm to the following postcode areas:
KW16 - non Town
KW17
PH30, 41 - 44

Most PO boxes in the UK only accept delivery from Royal Mail. Therefore, in the CME basket Royal Mail will be set as the default carrier for all PO box addresses in the UK. No other option will be available.

EU/ROW Customers

Please note that free shipping for EU/ROW covers the first box of weight up to 2 KG or size 33 x 31 x 9 cm. CME reserves the right to request extra payment for any additional parcels based on the terms of the carrier selected by the customer on the website.

We do not offer a delivery service to PO boxes outside of the UK.

DHL Remote Zone Countries Zones 5-11

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bonaire, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Dominican rep., Egypt, El Salvador, Falkland Isle, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan Liberia, Libya, Macau, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Martinique, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongo, Lamont, Serra, Morocco, Namibia,

New Zealand, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Russia, Africa, Singapore, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uganda, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zimbabwe

CME cannot accept liability for any loss resulting from late delivery or non-delivery of Goods.

What is your delivery time?

We aim to despatch orders within two days of receipt of your order.

If you have a mistake in your order, please let us know as soon as possible and we will attempt to rectify this as soon as possible. If you need to return an item sent in error – please post this back and we will refund or send a replacement.

If you use ‘Next Day Delivery’ why does your basket show the delivery time as 1-2 days when selecting the carrier?

Orders placed early in the day may be shipped on the day but generally we allow for a day to process orders and ship the following day. We prefer to advertise a 1–2-day model to avoid disappointment.

Can I use any carrier to deliver to my Post Box address?

Most PO boxes in the UK only accept delivery from Royal Mail. Therefore, in the CME basket Royal Mail will be set as the default carrier for all PO box addresses in the UK. No other option will be available.
We do not offer a delivery service to PO boxes outside of the UK.

How often do you change your prices?

We make every effort to keep our prices stable. However, as we deal only in precious metals, prices are subject to fluctuations in precious metal values and currency rates so there are times when we need to adjust the prices. Prices are fixed to customers at the point of delivery (see Terms and Conditions) but, otherwise, prices may go up or down. We do not add a surcharge to existing stock when prices soar, and we pass savings on to customers when prices are low.

Can we return items if I don’t like them?

1. We do not offer a sale-or-return service. Items which have manufacturing faults will, of course, be exchanged or refunded. Postage will be refunded on manufacturing faults but not on items returned for other reasons.
2. Please complete the form at https://www.cmejewellery.com/useful-forms/returns
3. We will then send a pre-paid and tracked ‘Returns’ label via email which can be attached to your package.
4. Customers who choose to return goods by alternative carriers or services will be responsible for their own postage costs.

For International returns please see our Full Terms and Conditions

If an item is discounted or a special offer – does this mean that it is going to be discontinued?

This is generally the case although we may have a significant amount of the special offer in stock. Occasionally we discount a running line. Please contact us for information if you wish to know the stock availability. Special offers that sell particularly well are occasionally re-instated as current lines.

Do your products come boxed?

As our goods are unbranded the majority of our customers prefer to use their own branded packaging. However, we do have a selection of plain boxes available separately as shown in the Sundries section of the website.

Can I have bespoke items ordered or made?

Yes, we love to collaborate with companies to develop new items for their ranges. Please be aware that for bespoke items the minimum quantity may be 50 items or more. Please contact the buying and design team tracey@cmejewellery.co.uk to discuss any project you would like to develop.

Can we use your images?

CME customers are welcome to use all of the stock images on the website with the exception of our model images. Products that can be shared can be accessed by right-clicking any image on the website and pressing the download option.

We also have a photo share service that shares some banner and lifestyle shots. These can be accessed by navigating to ‘My Account’ and pressing the ‘Downloadable Images’ button.

Can I let my customers view items on your website?

Yes, and there is the ability to hide our prices when you do so – just click on ‘My Account’ and then ‘Hide Website Prices.’ When you’re done, go back and turn them on again.

Please see our ‘how to’ videos for help with using features of the website.

Is your live chat a robot?

No, you will be chatting to one of our members of staff.

Is your jewellery real silver?

Yes, we deal only in precious metals; Sterling Silver and 9 and 18 carat gold. (Please see Hallmarking information under ‘Hallmark Guarantee.’) The UK Hallmarking Act requires all silver items over 7.78g to be hallmarked and all gold over 1.0 g. Below these weights there is no legal obligation for items to be stamped although they must still comply with the necessary standards. However, we recognise that customer confidence requires some form of proof and therefore the majority of our silver products will be stamped with 925, SIL or SILVER and gold with 375 or 750 respectively. (See the Metals and Materials and Hallmark Guarantee sections for further explanation.)

What are the platings and coatings used?

Fashions for yellow and rose gold colours but at affordable prices led us to offer gold-on-silver items as part of our range. In addition, many items also have coatings to resist wear and/or tarnishing. Please see our Metals and Materials section which has further detail about the metals and materials used in our products. Please note that we deal only in precious metals.

Does silver tarnish?

Unfortunately tarnishing due to the chemical composition of silver can be a problem for silver and low carat gold items.

Sterling silver is an alloy of silver and small amounts of base metals such as copper. The chemical make-up of silver means that it can be prone to tarnishing as the copper reacts with sulphur-containing gases in the air to form a layer of the compound copper sulphide (Cu2S).

Tarnish occurs gradually when the surface of metal is exposed to air and moisture. A chemical reaction begins to take place (known as oxidation), as the metal reacts with sulphur in the air which, in turn, starts to form a dark layer all over the items in question. This process can be exacerbated by being exposed to the air, the presence of moisture, chemicals, or bodily sweat, etc.

Traders are advised to store their jewellery prior to sale in a dry place away from light or heat and to equip their workplace with impregnated silver cloths or solutions which can help if tarnishing develops.

https://www.naj.co.uk/advice/Caring-for-Jewellery

Are your products hypoallergenic?

We cannot determine with absolute certainty that the Sterling silver jewellery purchased is 100% hypoallergenic. However, we reduce the risk of allergy in all products by ensuring that,

• They comply with all hallmarking regulations and are guaranteed silver or gold
• They comply with the REACH regulations with regard to nickel content (nickel is the most likely metal to cause an allergic reaction)

Pure silver itself is hypoallergenic. However, Sterling silver is an alloy which contains 92.5% silver and 7.5% of other metals as pure silver is too soft for making jewellery. Allergy to pure silver is extremely rare but allergies may occur to other metals used to make up the remaining 7.5%. Copper is the most common metal used to make sterling silver, as copper is an exceptionally strong material. Allergies to copper are very rare.

Gold

Pure gold is hypoallergenic. However, 9ct, 14ct, 18ct and 22ct gold are alloys; a mix of gold and other metals such as copper, palladium, zinc and silver and therefore cannot be claimed as 100% hypoallergenic.

Rhodium

Rhodium is hypoallergenic as it is tarnish resistant. Rhodium-plated jewellery offers a fine layer of rhodium that can protect the user’s skin from exposure to the any allergenic metals.

Do you use eco-or recycled silver?

We recycle all of our scrap silver. This is used to manufacture products that are made in the UK. Many of our overseas suppliers also use recycled silver. We do not advertise this as we cannot be sure that these are made from our recycled silver directly or that no new silver has been added.

Can you explain ring sizing to me?

Unfortunately, there is no international standard for converting ring sizes from one country to another. The UK, generally, uses letters of the alphabet with the most popular sizes depending on the style of ring and it’s intended wearer – men usually require larger sizes than women.

We stock from as small as size D, through, in some cases, to size Z whilst trying to stock those sizes likely to be requested for that style. (Sizes L-R are those most commonly available.)

CME illustrations and product descriptions or descriptions of size, dimension, style, weight etc. are given in good faith, however, cannot be guaranteed as absolutely correct. In particular, some ring manufacturers do not work to UK sizes, so we offer the nearest approximation available.

How can I be sure I’m sending the right ring size to my customer?

We advise all retailers to have the means to size and check their own rings. Most jewellers find a standard ring stick the best option- the size is taken from the leading edge of the ring (nearest the handle of the ring stick).

Updated 30/08/2024