Policies and Processes

Amy Waltz Designs (AWD) is located in the quaint little northern California town of Chico. AWD jewelry is intended to be more than just beautiful, it’s mindful, purposeful, earthy, and meaningful. It might sound strange or impossible, but my vision is simple. Each piece carries with it a message and a sweet sound intended to awaken goodness. If this goodness vibrates from your heart, perhaps this tiny ripple will swell and even if just one person is more mindful, the world is a better place.

General Information

Our pieces are lovingly handcrafted from scratch and made to order in our darling little Northern California studio by women who love what they do! Because of the intricate and precise nature of our craft, our current production process for most pieces is 5-7 business days. We take great pride in our work and the artisan crafted nature of it. We hand cast each character, one character at a time, all by eye. We start with raw metal and transform it into the beautiful pieces you see.
Before placing your order, please read below for metal content, shipping details, returns, refunds and exchanges, and our process.

PLEASE NOTE > Due to the increased challenges with the USPS during COVID, we cannot take responsibility for items lost or stolen in the mail. As I’m sure you’re aware, once your package leaves us, it is in the hands of the postal service and it is an entity that we have no control over. If you are at all concerned about your package not arriving, there are options for shipping that will cover you. We offer insurance for loss or theft as well as FedEx delivery options. Please select either of those at checkout if there is any concern. If you upgrade to insurance for loss or theft, if you piece is deemed lost or stolen in the mail, we will remake it for you on our dime.

Ring Sets

Our ring sets are offered in two beautiful options: Fine and Rustic. FINE includes .925 sterling silver, 14K yellow gold filled and 14K rose gold filled. Fine will be polished to a high sheen and will, for the most part, not age, except for perhaps the sterling. RUSTIC includes .925 sterling silver, 100% copper and brass. Rustic comes polished in most sets and may age (tarnish) naturally as it dances with the oils in your skin.

General Metal Information 

Fine Metal: Our fine metal has 99% more gold than plated products and our sterling is recycled .925 non-conflict sterling silver. With minimal upkeep it will stay bright and sparkly. A good choice for anyone with metal allergies. See below for what we deem as fine metal.

Fine Yellow Gold Filled: 14/20 gold filled, solid 14K gold over bonded over a jeweler’s brass core. 14/20 means 1/20th 14K gold. Gold plated is usually 1/1000 to 3/1000 gold over brass, for reference. Because of the brass core, we prefer not to roll YGF wire or cut YGF sheet. 

Fine Rose Gold Filled: 14/20 gold filled, solid 14K gold over bonded over a jeweler’s brass core. Copper is bonded with the gold to make it the rose color. 14/20 means 1/20th 14K gold. Gold plated is usually 1/1000 to 3/1000 gold over brass, for reference. Because of the brass core, we prefer not to roll RGF wire or cut RGF sheet. 

Fine Sterling Silver: .925 sterling silver is made of 92.5% pure sterling silver. Whenever possible we source recycled sterling silver. Sterling will tarnish with time and certain elemental exposure, but this is easily remedied with silver polish or a polish cloth. 

Base Metal: Less expensive than fine metal but with a similar look. Ages to look more rustic over time. Can leave green marks on the skin that wash off and are not harmful. Problematic for people with metal allergies. 

Base German Silver (Nickel Silver): alloy that contains no actual silver. Will not tarnish like sterling, but will cause a reaction in anyone with a nickel or metal allergy. It’s typically made of 65% copper, 17% zinc, 18% nickel.

Base Copper: 100% pure copper. Will tarnish, but is thought to have healing properties. 

Base Nu Gold (Red Brass): 85% copper, 15% zinc. Will tarnish, but not as quickly as copper. 

Antique Brass: Brass that has been darkened

Shipping Details

Domestic Shipping Policies
**FIRST CLASS USPS MAIL typically arrives to you within 3 business days though it’s not guaranteed. PRIORITY MAIL typically arrives slightly faster than first class mail but it also is not guaranteed. We are now offering the ability to add insurance to your order so if you are at all concerned about it being lost, please purchase insurance. We are not responsible for items lost in the mail as once it leaves our hands it’s in the hands of the postal service.
**FedEx DOMESTIC SHIPPING will get to you quick and is guaranteed. We offer 3 day, 2 day and overnight services. Please select the one you feel benefits you most at checkout.
**NORMAL PRODUCTION is currently 5 business days because of our load and the fact that everything is made-to-order from scratch. As long as we have all questions addressed pertaining to your order, it will go right into the normal production queue as soon as we receive it.
**RUSH PRODUCTION is 3 business days. If you need it quick, this is the way to go. NOTE – This is ONLY a production upgrade, NOT a shipping upgrade. If you want RUSH production message us prior to purchase.
International Shipping Policies
Please keep in mind that customs fees vary greatly from country to country and fees are not applied until the item reaches the destination country. We are unable to predict what fees, if any, will be applied. For this reason, we are not responsible for unexpected customs fees or taxes. And for that specific reason my International shipping charges are kept low so that if you are assessed fees or taxes on your end, at least my charges were minimal. Please be aware that in some countries, especially the UK, these fees can be quite high. I will not mark the customs form as a gift, as this is illegal for me to do so. We encourage all buyers to familiarize themselves with their country’s customs regulations before making international purchases.
**FIRST CLASS INTERNATIONAL USPS MAIL can take 10 days to 6 weeks to arrive. NOTE!! First Class shipments cannot be tracked beyond the US border. So once it leaves the states there is no way to track it. Please bare this in mind when placing your order. We are now offering the ability to add insurance to your order so if you are at all concerned about it being lost, please purchase insurance. Once your package leaves us, it is in the hands of the postal system, so please know the risks you are taking in ordering Internationally. It is rare when packages are lost but it has happened so if this is a concern to you please consider upgrading to FedEx International for guaranteed delivery.
**FedEx INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING is guaranteed to arrive to you in 5-6 days once it ships and it comes with door to door tracking! Please select this option at checkout if you want guarantees on your order.
**RUSH PRODUCTION is 3 business days. If you need it quick, this is the way to go. NOTE – This is ONLY a production upgrade, NOT a shipping upgrade. If you want RUSH production email us prior to purchase. Please let us know when your package arrives as we always like to know your thoughts on our products. If you have any questions please ask as we LOVE hearing from you! We also very much appreciate feedback! THANKS!!

Refunds and Exchanges

If your piece has been personalized, unfortunately it cannot be returned.

We also do not allow for the return of any of our electroformed rings as each one is meticulously handmade and made to order nor do we allow for resizing them as doing so can compromise the very intricate and detailed setting and risk breaking it.

Exchanging product for another size
With the exception of the sterling silver stone set rings, electroformed rings and turquoise rings, if you have purchased something from us and it hasn’t been personalized but you need a different size or a different metal, there is a $20 restocking or resizing (depending on what you are having done) fee and you will need to cover shipping back to us and back to you once it’s been made. You will need to return the product unworn and in the original packaging with a note and your order number. If you are returning any of our patina pieces for another size, you may have to wait until the next batch is made if I don’t have your size in stock. If you have purchased a turquoise sterling ring, electroformed ring, or a gold filled or sterling silver stone set ring from us and you have ordered the wrong size, it cannot be returned nor can it be re-sized for risk of compromising the stone. So it is imperative that you know your ring size – please get your finger sized by a jeweler – before purchasing one of our turquoise gem rings.

Returns
If your piece hasn’t been personalized and it’s simply not what you expected, you have two weeks to return it from the date of purchase domestically and 4 weeks from the date of purchase Internationally given it hasn’t been worn and is returned in the state we sent it to you, we will offer you a full refund, less a $20 restocking fee and shipping. All of our pieces are lovingly made to order and we don’t keep any standing inventory, thus the restocking fee.

If you want to return or exchange your piece and it falls within the criteria above, please do the following
1) return it unworn in its original packaging
2) include your full name it was ordered under as well as your order number
3) I will need a detailed account of any conversations we have shared regarding your return or exchange. Or if we haven’t shared any conversations I will need a detailed account as to your wish with the return or exchange.
4) If there is a restocking fee you are responsible for, include that with the return plus the shipping fee if applicable ($5.50 domestic, $12 international)
5) Mail it to:
Amy Waltz Designs
290 Airpark Blvd.
Chico CA 95973

If you are ever dissatisfied with your purchase, please reach out to us! We want you happy and will do what it takes to leave you with a great feeling about us and our products. Email our team any time at hello@amywaltz.com

Additional policies and FAQs

Our Process
We work with Eco-friendly patinas and sealants to get the patina to hold and we offer Eco-friendly sprays on metal to stave off the tarnishing affect. Our patina and sealing process is a five-step, very durable low VOC process. When it arrives to you the process is fully cured. At that point the coating is best described as a modified resin, similar to varnish on furniture so take that into account prior to purchase if you have previously experienced allergic tendencies when brushing your arm against a varnished piece of furniture. If that’s the case, we suggest you steer clear of our sprays and patinas and go toward our untreated metal pieces. Our metal is pure and raw. We don’t plate or wax our metal. Every piece is made from scratch in the United States and we take considerable care with your creation. In its purest state, base metal, when it comes in contact with air and the oils of your skin, may tarnish or darken. So aged or darkened metal is a natural process and it really depends on each individual person as to how long it will take before your piece tarnishes. Some people can wear it once and they notice it darkening, others it takes a while and still others never really notice it changing. Also, some people find brass, copper and/or German silver can discolor the skin temporarily, if it’s unappealing to you perhaps consider one of our recycled sterling silver or gold filled pieces instead. We work with base metals which are alloys and solid metals. Here’s a breakdown of the content in our metals. Red brass or Nu Gold is 85% copper and 15% zinc. German silver is 65% copper, 18% nickel and 17% zinc. Copper is pure 100% copper. Recycled Sterling is pure 100% recycled sterling. What we term fine metals are our gold filled products. Gold filled is placing a layer of 14K gold over brass. If we say rose gold filled, it’s 14K rose gold over brass. If we say yellow gold it’s a layer of 14K gold filled over brass. People can have allergies to so many things and metal and sealants can of course be some of them. If it is a concern to you, we suggest you research your allergic tendencies and know them well before making a purchase. And if you even think you might have an allergic reaction to metal or the sealant we use, we suggest you steer clear of it. We cannot be held responsible for allergic reactions to our products. Reach out to us prior to making a purchase if you want to know any additional information about any of the products we offer.

How will copper affect my skin?

Copper is a healing metal and has shown very positive effects on the body. It is found in all of our base metals: nu gold, German silver and, of course, copper. Copper reacts differently to every body’s chemistry. If you find that wearing our pieces turns you green, it is a sign that you have an acidic pH. Science suggests the following ways to combat a high acidic pH: eat green, reduce acidic foods (limit your intake of meats, eggs, refined sugars, white flour and dairy), limit alcohol consumption, drink alkaline water, break a sweat and seek balance (yoga, meditation, deep breathing and long walks). Any greening washes off easily with soap and water and is not harmful.

Reach out to us prior to making a purchase if you want to know any additional information about any of the products we offer.

Please reach out to us prior to purchase if you have any additional questions or concerns, hello@amywaltz.com 🙂

Accepted payment methods

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