Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Welsh Gold
Every Clogau watch and piece of jewellery contains rare Welsh gold.
The Welsh gold that goes into every piece of Clogau jewellery comes from a stockpile that was mined by ourselves during the late 1990s.
Each piece of Clogau contains a consistent percentage of Welsh gold within the gold element of the jewellery. The percentage has always been the same and it has been a closely guarded family secret for over 30 years.
We understand that customers and collectors of our jewellery need reassurance that Clogau contains Welsh gold and that the percentage is safeguarded, so we have a meticulous quality system in place which ensures that the percentage is constant.
These systems are audited annually by Edinburgh Assay Office and a separate certificate of assurance is issued each year.
Gold mining no longer takes place in Wales, making Welsh gold one of the rarest golds in the world. For this reason, we can only include a small amount of this exclusive gold in each piece. This allows our jewellery to be not only unique but also affordable. It also ensures the longevity of our supplies.
The Welsh gold is normally included within the rose gold detailing of the piece. In the items that do not contain rose gold, we incorporate it within the other gold featured in the piece.
At present, Welsh gold can be valued up to 30 times more than standard world gold.
In 2017, 10 lots of Clogau gold, mined under government lease between 1979 and 1981, were auctioned with an estimate of about £9,000.
But after going under the hammer in Colwyn Bay, the lots went for £44,000. The auctioneer had been told by experts that Welsh gold was "visibly discernible" from other types and the "Clogau factor" could increase the selling price.
The smallest nugget weighing 3g (0.1oz) had a guide price of £600-£700 but sold for £4,000. The 16.26g (0.5oz) of gold flakes and dust was expected to fetch between £1,600 and £2,000 but went for £10,500.
The precious metal was mined from Clogau St David's after a farmer in the area, Jack Williams, approached Kerry John Thackwell and his father Ray. The pair came to Wales to mine in Gwynfynydd after working in Western Australia. Mr Williams told them he was the last miner to work in St David's in 1939 and could show the men where there were gold-bearing veins.
The men obtained a mining lease and extracted the gold over three years.
Every piece of Clogau jewellery is marked with the Welsh Dragon stamp to indicate that Welsh gold is contained within. The CG stamp identifies the item as a genuine piece of Clogau jewellery.
- Assay Office Hallmark
Since 2004, each piece of Clogau jewellery is tested and marked by the Edinburgh Assay Office. - Clogau Sponsor’s Mark
This identifies Clogau as the manufacturer of the item and is struck by the assay office. - Clogau stamp
This identifies the item as a genuine and original Clogau jewellery piece. - Welsh Dragon stamp
This stamp guarantees that Clogau Welsh gold has been added to your jewellery. At present, this stamp is not included on Clogau watches although they do contain Clogau Welsh gold. - 18ct gold standard mark
This identifies an item’s gold purity as 750 parts per thousand. - 9ct gold standard mark
This identifies an item’s gold purity as 375 parts per thousand. - Sterling silver standard mark
This indicates the item contains sterling silver with a purity of 925 parts per thousand. - Platinum mark
This indicates the item contains platinum.
Each item is stamped with the Welsh Dragon symbol.
Since 2014, The Edinburgh Assay Office has continued to work closely with Clogau Gold of Wales developing and witnessing their chain of custody for the addition of Welsh gold to their jewellery products.
We are satisfied that the quality management process followed by Clogau Gold of Wales provides assurance of the statement "Welsh gold is contained within each piece of Clogau Gold jewellery" by supporting:
• The validity of the source of Welsh gold used by Clogau Gold of Wales.
• That a pre-determined quantity is being included in the production of all Clogau Gold items.
• That the quantity is consistent across their range of jewellery.
• That verifiable records are being kept to provide clear audit trail to support these assurances.
John Fadden
Quality Manager
Edinburgh Assay Office
18th October 2017
Every piece of Clogau jewellery contains rare Welsh gold as used for over 100 years by some members of the British Royal Family.
Welsh gold is famous for being selected to create generations of royal wedding rings including those of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, and Princess Catherine. This has made Welsh gold some of the most sought-after jewellery in the world.
Manufacturing
Our jewellery is consistently hand-finished to a very high standard using conflict-free diamonds, ethically mined gold and a 7-stage quality control process.
Originally, all Clogau jewellery was manufactured in North Wales, but in 2005 the decision was made to move production overseas in an attempt to fulfil customer demands for shorter manufacturing and delivery times, and to sustain the growth of the brand.
The change has meant that the costs to both customer and company have been reduced, and customers now receive their jewellery with 2-3 working days, instead of several weeks. It has also meant that we can keep up with the demand for Clogau jewellery on the high street and, increasingly, internationally.
The majority of Clogau jewellery is made up of multiple components due to the addition of Welsh gold (usually in the rose gold detailing), thus complicating the manufacturing process. A team of dedicated employees are responsible for creating jewellery of the utmost beauty and quality.
Gold from the Clogau St David’s Mine, and other Welsh gold, has been mined in an ethically sound manner. Within the majority of our jewellery, however, Welsh gold is combined with globally sourced gold.
As members of the Responsible Jewellery Council, we are committed to completing the compulsory member certification against the Code of Practices and the voluntary Chain of Custody standard, which is currently under development. The RJC aims to improve the transparency of the full jewellery supply chain, from mine to retail.
The quality of Clogau diamonds are typically:
- In silver items where the diamond is 0.49ct or under: SI1 (slightly included) clarity and G-H colour (near colourless)
- In gold items where the diamond is 0.49ct or under: VS2-SI1 (very slightly to slightly included) clarity and G-H colour (near colourless)
- Any diamond 0.5ct or more, set in gold or silver: VS1 (very slight inclusions, not visible to the unaided eye) clarity and G-H colour (near colourless)
“A trusted technique, hand-in-hand with an organised approach to the supply chain, ensures that product quality is consistently high and low fault rates are maintained.”
Ben Roberts, Managing Director
The quality of construction, finish and methods used are under constant review and improvement, and are written into the Service Level Agreement for suppliers. The agreement covers manufacturing requirements such as high quality alloys to be used in the anti-tarnish casting grain, German findings/clasps and chain sourced from the UK.
A stringent 7-stage quality-control process is in place:
- Porosity check on cast “tree”
- 1st stage component 1 surface finish check
- 1st stage component 2 surface finish check
- Solder/laser check & pre-polish
- Final surface polish check
- Construction & size check
- Final check
Delivery
Get FREE Standard Delivery to UK addresses with all orders of £150 or more
Orders (online and telephone) of £149.99 or less with a UK delivery address: Standard Delivery £2.99, Express Delivery £6.99
All orders over £150 (UK delivery address): FREE Standard Delivery
All orders with non-UK address: £14.99
*Telephone orders placed with our Outlet stores may be subject to different postage charges.
Yes, even if it is your first order with us.
Every order we send will arrive in an anonymous package, without any Clogau branding. So don’t worry if you're buying a gift for someone, we won’t spoil the surprise!
Yes, but you must have an online account with us (which is free of course). Simply click the ‘Order Tracking/History’ link once you have signed in to your account.
Orders of £149.99 or less are sent by Standard delivery (these usually arrive within a few days but can take up to 12 days on rare occasions, excluding Sundays). You can upgrade to Express delivery for £6.99.
Items shipping via Express delivery (available as an upgrade at checkout for £6.99) will normally reach you the next working day, excluding Bank Holidays, if you place your order before 4pm and all of your items are in stock. All deliveries require a signature on delivery. During very busy periods (such as Christmas) your order may be dispatched the next working day.
International (non-UK) Delivery
Spend: up to £109.99
Charge: £14.99
Service: Royal Mail, Europe delivery aim: 3-5 working days
Worldwide delivery aim: 6-7 working days
- Spend: £110-150
Charge: £14.99
Service: FedEx, Europe delivery aim: 2-3 working days, Worldwide delivery aim: 2-5 working days - Spend: £150+
Charge: £14.99
Service: FedEx, Europe delivery aim: 2-3 working days, Worldwide delivery aim: 2-5 working days
International (non-UK) Delivery
Charge: £14.99
Carrier: DPD
Orders are Delivered Duty Paid (DDP)
Timescales depend on delivery location
Returns
We offer our customers 30 day returns
We offer all of our direct customers (excluding retailers) a 30-day “no quibble” money-back returns policy.
If for any reason you are unsatisfied with your Clogau jewellery or watch, you may return it unworn and in its original presentation packaging, and within 30 days of receipt for a full refund or exchange.
This policy does not apply to earrings (for hygiene reasons), soldered and engraved items, or vouchers (whether physical vouchers or e-vouchers), which cannot be returned (this does not affect your statutory rights).
Returns may be subject to postage charge, depending on circumstance.
Whether you wish to return, exchange, service or repair your item(s), you can arrange an online return quickly and easily. Simply follow the instructions on-screen to see whether your item is suitable for return.
Only items purchased through Clogau directly (via website, phone or mail order) can be returned here. Any item/s purchased via a Clogau stockist should be returned to the stockist.
However, if you bought your item on holiday or the shop you bought it from has closed down or moved out of your area, you can send it back to us.
You are responsible for arranging and funding any return. Where the item is faulty or dispatched in error, Clogau will only reimburse returns made within the UK (excluding International) after the item(s) has been assessed by us. Where items are deemed not faulty and we are unable to refund, and it is outside of the 30-day period or warranty, we will return to the customer by courier and Clogau will not accept responsibility if the item is lost in transit or customer refuses to accept delivery of goods. If returning a parcel to us from outside of the UK, it is the responsibility of the customer to pay their own shipping costs and any duties and taxes that may arise.
When returning items you must obtain proof of posting as we cannot accept responsibility for parcels lost in transit. Furthermore, returns must be made via a secure postal service method which carries a level of adequate insurance cover.
If you are returning proof of purchase with your item, it is advisable to only send copies as we cannot guarantee that we will be able to return any original documents.
A refund of the price of the goods will be issued once all the criteria above are met. The original method of payment for the purchase will be credited. If there are any problems with your refund, a member of our customer care team will contact you. Any funds due should appear on your bank statement within 5-10 working days. (Please note that refund times are dictated by the card issuers and are outside our control).
Jewellery must be returned in its entirety, such as a pendant with a chain, both earrings, etc.
If you are returning jewellery for repair, it is advisable that you do not return it in the original packaging as we cannot guarantee that we will be able to return this.
Vouchers (whether physical vouchers or e-vouchers) cannot be refunded.
Please note that the customer has to return the item to us prior to us exchanging/refunding the item.
If the item(s) you want is more expensive than the original item(s), please have your credit/debit card details to hand and we will process payment for the additional amount required.
If the items(s) you want is less expensive than the original items(s), we will reimburse your credit/debit card or your PayPal account (depending on your initial form of payment) for the difference in cost.
Postage costs are applicable to exchanges made during the returns period.
Arrange an exchange online now
We pride ourselves on producing high-quality jewellery and watches. However, if your jewellery or watch has a manufacturing fault, please return it to us so that we can assess the item before handing it to our craftsmen.
If your jewellery or watch is damaged in any way that does not appear to be a manufacturing fault (for example, if it was accidentally damaged), we will discuss with you any repair options and costs before proceeding.
Please note that jewellery must be returned in its entirety, such as a pendant with a chain, both earrings, etc.
Items returned for repair may be subject to postage costs if not covered by warranty.
Arrange a repair online now