Frequently Asked Questions
Payment Options
Checking out through the website is currently unavailable – please give is a call at 215-629-5600 to arrange your payment. We accept all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express), debit cards, money orders, electronic payments (CashApp, PayPal, Zelle), and checks (personal and cashier). Please note that using American Express will incur a 2% transaction fee. We will ship products two weeks after receiving payment by check, so we can ensure that the check has cleared. We also accept payment through Affirm “buy now, pay later” plans (see below). We now have gift cards, which your clergy, friends, and family can apply towards their purchases, allowing you to contribute to the creation of their special custom jewelry.
We offer the option to put down a deposit of 3/4 of the cost of your item(s) and pay the rest before we ship the final product(s) to you. We also offer financing through Affirm, which allows you to pay over 24 months with no interest. To learn more about how Affirm works, see affim.com and https://www.affirm.com/
Yes! If you want to use scrap gold and silver for payment towards your order, that is perfectly fine. Some communities even have a gold offering, through which they crowdsource gold and silver donations towards the cost of their clergy’s items. If you do want to pay with scrap metal, please call us before shipping it to us. We want to ensure that it gets sent safely and properly. When we receive your metal, we will contact you to go over what you sent to us. We may need a couple days to assess the value of the metal, as we have to test each piece to verify the type and karat of each.
All of that said, please know that we won’t be using the metal that you send us to make your new piece. Even if you have a pure gold coin, it will be assessed as scrap gold. We can only use our metal to make the jewelry.
Purchasers of rings, crosses, and chains who cancel within one week of making their orders will receive a refund of their payment, minus a cancellation fee of 25% of the total order. For any order canceled more than one week after being placed, no refunds are available. Any payments made prior to cancellation can be credited towards another piece of jewelry within 6 months of the cancellation date. There are no refunds for orders of croziers or other accessories.
Customization Options
Yes! Whatever item you choose will be customized to your design specifications. Whatever you want, we can do (within some bounds)! If it’s an item that we haven’t made before in that size, we won’t initially know exactly what your cost will be. You will need to make a down payment based on an estimate of the cost, so that we can create a model, which will give us the ability to finalize a cost for you. Custom pieces generally require 12 weeks to complete.
We offer many stock images, as well as the opportunity to use your own seal or logo. Gallery & Portfolio images that are specific to particular customers are not duplicated. Upon request, we can create an image or seal for you, if you don’t have one.
When you “Shop Rings” on our website, you can upload a photo directly to your online order. You can also email us a photo file or text us a photo.
Yes! Let us know what you would like, if you do not see it listed.
Yes. Inscriptions done by hand are offered for all of our rings, as well as on the back of crosses. *If you want a “laser inscription” (performed by machine in a particular font), that costs $35 extra per item.
If you are allergic to gold, let us know about your allergy. In most cases, you aren’t allergic to the actual gold, but are allergic to the nickel in the alloy it’s mixed with. To ensure your safety, we can use certified nickel-free gold, palladium, platinum or 18k gold, which has 75% fine gold content that usually surmounts any allergy problems.
If you are allergic to silver, we can instead use palladium, platinum, or white gold as a safe alternative.
Sorry, we do not work in alternative metals such as steel or titanium.
Pricing
We do not write appraisals, but we can get you an appraisal. We use an outside GIA-certified appraiser to ensure complete objectivity and authentication. Orders over $5,000 include appraisals. If your piece falls under that amount, we are happy to furnish you with one for an extra fee. Each piece appraised is $75.
There is a 100% Lifetime Guarantee on the workmanship of the ring. If there is any defect in your jewelry, or a diamond is lost, we will correct it free of charge and also cover the return shipping. EXCLUDED from the warranty is the center stone.
Yes! Depending on the size of your group and what you are ordering, it will determine the discount you will receive.
Yes, a discount will be assessed once your order is confirmed.
Yes, but only to active military members that are looking for engagement rings or wedding bands.
Shipping & Delivery
Customized rings typically take 12 weeks from design to completion. We hold the highest standards for every piece of jewelry, so when at all possible, please contact us at least 12 weeks before you need custom jewelry.
In some cases, we can do rush orders, to be completed in as little as two weeks (depending on complexity). Rush orders must be paid IN FULL when the order is placed and carry an additional $500.00 *rush* fee. PAYING THE RUSH FEE DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE ORDER WILL BE READY TO MEET YOUR RUSH DATE. We do our very best to finish your pieces in time for your ceremony, but, if it is not possible due to delays outside our control, we will loan you a comparable quality ring, cross, and/or chain (whatever you ordered) for your ceremony. The rush fee includes moving your order to the front of the queue, and all costs associated with the loaned stand-ins (sizing, shipping in both directions, etc.). There are absolutely NO REFUNDS once a rush order is made, under any circumstances. (This includes any financial or health issues.) When you are placing a rush order, you are agreeing to these terms.
We do not loan stand-in items outside of the rush order process.
Free shipping within the continental United States is included with every purchase.
We ship through UPS or FedEx, depending on your location. We usually send items via 2-day shipping, sometimes by express overnight shipping, depending on the circumstances. In all cases, we require a direct signature at delivery for our packages. We will call you before we ship to confirm that someone will be at your shipping address to sign when the package is delivered. Note that we cannot control package delivery protocols for knocking/ringing bells/making sure someone is home. In the event that you miss a package delivery for whatever reason, we may be able ask our insurance company whether there is a local facility where you can pick it up, but they make that decision for us. Otherwise, they will attempt delivery again on the next business day. (This is why we try to confirm that someone will be home for delivery and recommend that you stay on high alert for the arrival of the carrier.) We need our shipments to be insured so that your investment in these special custom pieces is protected.
Again, your shipping address should be somewhere where you or someone you trust can sign for the package – your home, church, or other place of business. We do NOT recommend or support mailing your expensive items to a UPS Store, FedEx Ship Center, or the like. If a customer insists on our shipping to that kind of establishment, BishopRings will hold zero liability in the event that the shipment is not received properly.
Jewelry Diagrams
Jewelry Specifications and Quality
Yes. We use genuine amethyst in every ring.
Our diamonds are F-G range in color and SI1 clarity. This means that they are white and bright, and no inclusions are visible to the unaided eye.
We do our best to ensure that our diamonds come from reputable sources. Lab-created diamonds are also available upon request and are 100% conflict free, created here in the US.
Please visit this link from the Gemological Institute of America to find out more: https://4cs.gia.edu/en-us/laboratory-grown-diamond/
18-karat gold is 75% gold and 25% alloy. 18K gold tends to have a warmer yellow color because of its higher fine-gold content. It is considered hypoallergenic.
14-karat gold is 58.3% gold and 41.7% alloy. 14K gold is the recommended standard for rings because of the higher gold to alloy ratio, which keeps it from oxidizing.
10-karat gold is 41.7% gold and 58.3% alloy. This option can be less favorable for rings, because it has a tendency to oxidize on the skin, causing the metal to darken. However, it is a great option for a cross and/or a chain (because it will be worn over clothing).
Caring for Your Ring
To clean the ring, use hot (not boiling) water with some Dawn dishwashing liquid, or something similar. Let the ring sit in a glass or bowl with the solution for about 10-20 minutes. Then, take an old toothbrush and scrub under where the stones are, to get the dirt out. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.
Be gentle with your ring! The rings are substantial, but can still get scuffed and dinged. You would have to send it back to us to get those out. If there are just fingerprints or smudges, you could use a polishing cloth to bring the luster back.
The ceremonial rings (with the large center stones) can be worn every day, but they are not designed to be worn when going to the gym, gardening, or doing any kind of activity that is going to risk marring up the stone or the band.
If you notice that your ring’s center stone is loose, send it back to us to tighten it.
We will polish your ring for the entire life of the ring, if you cover shipping costs to us and back to you. Similarly, we will resize your ring one time, up or down one size, without labor cost. You will need to cover shipping.
10K gold tends to oxidize sometimes, as 10K is technically more alloy than actual fine gold. Silver is naturally prone to turn darker over time if not polished. Other factors also contribute to oxidation, such as the oils in your skin, any chemicals you may have come in contact with, as well as humidity and sometimes salt water. Nothing is wrong with your jewelry. It may just need to be polished to return to its former glory. Give us a call and we can polish it for you.
Gold plating does sometimes wear off over time, that’s why we recommend gold over silver with gold plating, especially for rings. We can guarantee gold plating for up to 6 months. After that, you can pay $150 to have us polish and re-plate your piece.
Amethysts, synthetic rubies, and other colored gems are delicate stones, and therefore can become susceptible to scratches and chips over time. They can also break if enough force is applied. If your center stone does break for any reason, we will replace it AT COST (which will be determined at that time), without any additional fees for labor. We will tell you the cost of the new stone and the cost to ship the ring back to you, both of which will be your responsibility.
General Information
If you find yourself in town and would like to stop by, you’re more than welcome! Please give us a call first, as our hours are subject to change and we can be in and out of the shop. To ensure that we will be in the shop with dedicated time to spend discussing your project, please make an appointment.
If you live in or near the greater Philadelphia area, you can make an appointment and we can size your finger for you.
We can also send you a finger sizing tool free of charge to get your measurement in the comfort of your home. Call or email us with your size once you use the tool.
We will order croziers for you from our supplier. These items come as-is (unless severely damaged in transit). They (as well as the cases they come in) often have very minor imperfections, for which we are not responsible. This can include: modulation in the finish, as well as minor knicks and scratches, and sometimes the partitions in the cases can loosen or break. None of these would preclude the crozier from being used, and we do not replace them or the cases. There is an option to purchase a customized crozier bag that will keep all pieces of the crozier separate as they have individual slots in the bag. This is often better than the hard case, as it optimizes space for travel. It also will have your name embroidered on it. All sales are FINAL when ordering croziers and crozier bags.
We do not have a print catalog at this time. However, please feel free to print images from the website to show your friends, church members, council members, etc.
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