Terms and Conditions

Last updated 15 oct 2019

Acceptance of Terms

This website (silmarils-minerals.com) is owned and run by Silmarils Minerals. By using this website and online shop it is deemed you accept the Terms and Conditions, and also the Privacy Policy of using this site.  **Please note we reserve the right to refuse sales of any items**

Modification of Terms

We reserve the right to change these Terms and Conditions at any time. Any such changes will take effect immediately when posted on the Website. It is your responsibility to read the Terms and Conditions each time you enter this Website and your continued use of the website indicates your acceptance of the current Terms and Conditions.

MINERALS AVAILABLE FOR SALE

Minerals for sale on this website are wholly owned by Silmarils Minerals. 

Silmarils Minerals

Minerals owned by Silmarils Minerals are priced in EUR, and payment will be charged in EUR.

ORDERING SPECIMENS 

Payment options

**All specimens must be paid in full before they will be posted**

Payment for orders made through the website is accepted by:

  • PayPal
  • Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard , American Express
  • Bancontact
  • Direct Bank Transfer in several different currencies
  • Cash on Delivery if we happen to meet up shortly

Please contact us before placing your order if you prefer to use any of these two last options.

Postage

Silmarils Minerals aim to post all items within seven (7) days of receiving payment.

All orders are fully insured where possible, and the full value declared on the appropriate customs declaration forms.

All orders are posted from our Belgian office by BePost.

  • for orders less than 2 kg we use the BePost “bpack world light” service
  • for orders more than 2-5 kg we use the BePost “bpack world” service
  • for orders more than 5 kg, please contact us before ordering or we will contact you for additional shipping costs after ordering

Local pickup is possible for Belgian destination addresses from our office in Ghent, Belgium or where we could meet at any of the fairs we attend. Please contact us before ordering.

Postage costs (in EUR)

Silmarils Minerals reserves the right to change the postage rates without notice as determined by the underlying costs.

International postage

If you wish to have your specimens posted via Fedex, DHL or other couriers please contact us first to find out the additional costs.

Customs/Duty Fees

It is the customer’s responsibility to pay all associated customs or duty fees when minerals are being shipped internationally.

30 Day Grace period

As there is no substitute for seeing the specimen in real life you are entitled to a 30 calendar day grace period. If you examine the specimen and decide it is not what you wish to buy please follow our Returns Procedure and we will happily refund the cost of the item. Please note that there can be no return if you do not notify us within the 30 day grace period.

If you decide that you wish to return a specimen after the 30 day grace period, we will deduct a 20% restocking charge per specimen from the original purchase price of the specimen.

First come, first served

All items are sold on a first come – first served basis; if there is a conflict between customers on one item, the person from whom we first received the order, will receive the item.

If the specimen is already sold

If you missed out on a specimen, or like the look of one that is already sold, please email us and let us know. We carry a large stock of specimens which change regularly and may have a similar item that we could sell to you. You may also join our mailing list on our website to receive email updates when minerals of a particular category or location become available for sale.
Please note that minerals may be returned to sale (for instance if an order was cancelled) so if a mineral you like is currently reserved, please look again in an hour – it may have been returned to sale!!

RETURNS POLICY

All customers are entitled to a 30 calendar day grace period from receipt of the purchase, for you to view the specimen(s) in real life and decide if you wish to keep the specimen(s). 
If you are in anyway unhappy with your purchase and wish to return the specimen, please follow the steps below:

  1. Please contact Silmarils Minerals immediately (and within the 30 days grace period from the receipt of your purchase) in WRITING, including via email, of your intent to return the item. You are also welcome to contact us by telephone, but we will require written confirmation to follow.
  2. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF WE DO NOT RECEIVE WRITTEN NOTIFICATION OF YOUR INTENTION TO RETURN THE SPECIMEN WITHIN THE 30 DAY GRACE PERIOD, WE WILL BE UNABLE TO ACCEPT THE RETURN.
  3. Return the specimen to us in its original condition following the instructions below. The specimen must arrive at Silmarils Minerals Belgium address within 7 calendar days of notifying us of its return. This means you must post the item to us immediately upon notification of return.
  4. International customers wishing to return specimens may have a longer period allowed for postage depending on their location. This will be decided upon the notification of intent to return.
  5. Carefully wrap the specimen(s) individually using the original packing material, and include any labels or documentation. There should be at least 2cm of padding around each item, and each item should be placed in its original specimen box.
  6. Place the specimen boxes (with wrapped specimens enclosed) in the postage box, or a new box if the original box was in any way damaged during transit, with at least 4cm of padding between the specimen boxes and the sides of the postage box. Bubblewrap or scrunched newspaper are the best to use as padding. There should be no possible movement within the box once packed.
  7. Please insure the package for the full value of the specimen(s) being returned; as you are responsible for the full value of the items should they be lost or damaged during return transit.
  8. PLEASE PRINT ON THE CUSTOMS DECLARATION FORM THAT YOU ARE RETURNING THE SPECIMEN TO ITS ORIGINAL OWNER, in order for us to avoid unnecessary delays in receiving the return specimen, and customs fees.
  9. Post the box to the return address mentioned on the package received.

Please note that you are responsible for all postage costs related to the return of a specimen to Silmarils Minerals.

All monies paid for the specimens, including the initial cost of postage and packaging will be refunded within 30 days of the notice of cancellation upon receipt of the returned specimen on time, and in good condition.

Item was received in a damaged condition

If you received your specimen and it was damaged in transit please contact us immediately via phone or email. We will then be able to come to an arrangement with you for either:

  • the return of the item and a full refund;
  • return of the item and a similar item to be sent to you as a replacement;
  • or a discount on the damaged item if you wish to keep it.

**Please note that we will need to see the evidence of the damage, preferably by digital photograph**

If you are returning the item please return all pieces of damaged or broken specimen with any labels and documentation, and the original packaging following the steps in the Returns Policy.

Please remember to insure the item to the full cost of the specimen(s) and post it to the return address.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT MINERALS

General health warning

Please note that some minerals may be toxic and/or contain heavy metals, and so all minerals should be handled carefully. Never inhale or ingest mineral dust, or lick specimens. Always wash your hands after handling minerals.

Size of specimens

Each specimen is assigned a size category based on the way the mineral would be displayed in a collection. The size category is determined by the length of the longest dimension. The measurements noted on the specimen page are accurate to within 0.5cm, an error smaller than this is not a reason for a refund.

Size CategoryCentimeters Millimeters Inches
Micromount<1<10<0.4
Thumbnail1 – 2.510 – 250.4 – 1
Miniature2.5 – 525 – 501 – 2
Small Cabinet5 – 1050 – 1002 – 4
Cabinet10 – 20100 – 2004 – 8
Museum size >20>200>8

Photographic representation

Whilst we endeavour to photograph the mineral specimens as accurately as possible, please be aware that they are NOT to scale and are only REPRESENTATIVE of the mineral. We try to keep the photographs as true to life with accurate colour. Please remember that the photograph colour of the specimen may not appear the same on your computer screen as the specimen in real life.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and Conditions will be governed by the laws of Belgium and any user of this Website hereby agrees to be bound exclusively by the jurisdiction of Belgian courts without reference to rules governing the choice of laws. If any of these Terms and Conditions are found to be unlawful, invalid or unenforceable by a Court, the remainder of the Terms and Conditions will not be affected and will remain valid to the full extent allowed by the law. This does not affect your statutory rights as a consumer.

A Special Note about Children

Children are not eligible to use our online shop and we ask that minors (under the age of 18) do not submit any personal information to us or use the online shop.

Links from this website

This Website may contain hyperlinks to websites operated by other parties. Silmarils Minerals is not responsible for the site contents, the privacy policies or terms and conditions of those websites, and does not necessarily share or endorse the opinions expressed or the information contained in such websites.

COPYRIGHT and trademark notices

By using this Website you agree to respect the intellectual property rights of Silmarils Minerals and agree to refrain from copying, downloading, transmitting, reproducing, printing, or exploiting for commercial purpose any material including photographs contained within the Website, or link to this Website without our written permission.
‘Silmarils Minerals’ and the Silmarils Minerals logo are the intellectual property of Silmarils Minerals. The copyright in this Website rests with us. All photographs on this site belong to Silmarils Minerals and may not be reproduced for any use without express permission. 

If there is anything you do not understand or would like clarification on for the above terms and conditions, or would like to ask any other questions please do not hesitate to contact us.