Is a bespoke jewellery deposit refundable if I change my mind?

Usually not, or only partially. Because bespoke goods are exempt from the standard 14-day change-of-mind cancellation right, most commission agreements state that the deposit is non-refundable once design or material sourcing work has started, since it's covering time and costs the jeweller has already incurred. Some jewellers will refund a portion if you cancel very early, before any design work begins — it's worth asking what their specific policy is before you pay.

What should a written commission agreement include?

At minimum: the full specification (metal, stone details including carat, cut, clarity and colour where relevant, and setting style), the total price and payment schedule, an estimated completion date, how many revision rounds are included, what happens if you want changes beyond that, and the cancellation and refund terms for both sides. If any of this is missing, ask for it in writing before paying a deposit.

Does Section 75 cover a deposit paid partly by credit card and partly by bank transfer?

Yes, in principle — Section 75 protection depends on the cash price of the item falling between £100 and £30,000, not on how you split the payment, so paying even a small portion of a qualifying purchase by credit card can bring the whole transaction under its protection. This is general guidance rather than a guarantee of any specific claim; check the current position with your card provider or Citizens Advice if you're relying on it.

What happens to my deposit if the jeweller goes out of business?

This is one of the real risks of a large upfront deposit, and it's why some clients prefer staged payments tied to milestones rather than a large single deposit. If a jeweller becomes insolvent, you'd typically be an unsecured creditor, which often means a limited or no recovery. Paying by credit card and relying on Section 75, where the purchase qualifies, is one of the more reliable protections against this specific risk.

Can I negotiate the deposit percentage?

Sometimes, particularly for larger commissions or with independent jewellers who have flexibility that larger operations may not. It's a reasonable question to ask, especially if you'd prefer a smaller upfront deposit with more staged payments tied to completed stages of work. Not every jeweller will agree, but it costs nothing to ask before you commit.

How does paying for a bespoke commission work?

The money side of a bespoke commission is often the part people feel least equipped to ask about, largely because it isn't standardised the way buying something off the shelf is. There's no fixed price on a shelf tag and no returns policy printed on a receipt. Understanding how deposits, staged payments, and agreements typically work takes most of the uncertainty out of it.

What a deposit is actually for

A deposit isn't simply a booking fee. It covers real costs the jeweller incurs before you've paid in full: design time (sketches, CAD modelling, sometimes a physical model), sourcing and securing stones, which may need to be bought or put on hold with a supplier, and blocking out workshop time, particularly with smaller studios where a bespoke commission occupies a specific slot in a limited production schedule. Asking for a deposit protects the jeweller against a client dropping out after this work and cost has already been incurred, and it's standard practice across the industry rather than a sign of anything unusual.

Typical deposit bands in the UK

There's no single fixed figure, but a deposit of around 50% of the estimated total price is the most common single structure among UK bespoke jewellers, often described as securing the commission and covering material costs, with the balance due on completion or collection. Some jewellers structure it differently: a smaller initial design deposit (commonly in the low hundreds of pounds) to cover the sketching and CAD stage, which is credited against the final price if you proceed, followed by a larger deposit once the design is approved and production begins.

Treat any specific percentage you're quoted as that jeweller's own policy rather than a fixed industry rate — it's reasonable to ask how the figure was arrived at and what it covers, particularly for higher-value commissions where the deposit itself is a significant sum.

Staged payments beyond the deposit

For longer or more expensive commissions, some jewellers break the total price into more than two payments, tied to milestones such as design approval, the start of stone-setting, and completion. This has a real advantage for you as the client: each payment is linked to a specific, verifiable point in the process, rather than handing over a large sum upfront and waiting. If a jeweller only offers a single large deposit with the balance due on collection and no other structure, it's worth asking whether staged payments are possible, especially on a higher-value piece.

What if the price changes during the commission

Bespoke quotes are usually based on an estimated stone and metal cost at the time of quoting, and precious metal prices in particular can move over the weeks or months a commission takes. Most agreements deal with this in one of two ways: either the quoted price is fixed once you've paid the deposit, with the jeweller absorbing any small market movement, or the agreement explicitly reserves the right to adjust the metal cost if the market shifts significantly before the balance is paid. Neither approach is unreasonable, but you should know which one you're agreeing to. If a specific stone you've chosen becomes unavailable after your deposit is paid — not uncommon with natural stones of a particular size or colour — a proper agreement should also say what happens next: typically a substitute stone of comparable value and characteristics is offered, or, failing agreement on a substitute, a refund of the amount paid toward that stone specifically.

What a proper commission agreement should cover

A verbal understanding is not enough protection for either side on a purchase of this value and personal significance. Before paying a deposit, look for a written agreement — even a detailed email exchange can serve this purpose if there's no formal contract — that sets out:

The exact specification: metal type and karat, stone details including carat weight, cut, clarity and colour where relevant, and the setting style, ideally with a sketch or CAD reference attached.
The total price and the payment schedule, including exactly when each instalment is due.
A realistic estimated completion date, and what happens if that date slips.
How many rounds of design revision are included in the price, and what happens — in terms of cost — if you want more.
Cancellation terms: what's refundable, at what stage, and what isn't.
What happens if a specific stone becomes unavailable or a specification needs to change for a technical reason.

None of this is unusual to ask for, and a jeweller with a properly run bespoke process will typically have most of it as standard documentation already. If a jeweller is reluctant to put the specification and terms in writing, treat that as a reason for caution rather than pressing ahead regardless.

Paying by credit card: Section 75 protection

In the UK, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes your credit card provider jointly liable with the retailer if a purchase between £100 and £30,000 goes wrong — for example, if the jeweller breaches the contract or misrepresents what you're getting. Usefully, this protection can apply even if you only pay part of the total price on the card, such as the deposit, provided the cash price of the item itself falls within that range. This makes paying at least a portion of a bespoke commission by credit card, rather than entirely by bank transfer or debit card, a sensible piece of financial protection, particularly given the size of the sums typically involved and the months-long timeline over which things could go wrong.

Debit card payments carry a separate, weaker protection called chargeback, which works through your bank's own scheme rules rather than statute, and generally offers less certainty than Section 75. Bank transfers carry the least protection of the common payment methods, since once the money has left your account there's little automatic recourse if something goes wrong.

If you cancel: what happens to your deposit

Because bespoke, made-to-order jewellery is excluded from the standard 14-day change-of-mind cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, cancelling simply because you've changed your mind doesn't automatically entitle you to your deposit back. Most commission agreements reflect this by stating the deposit is non-refundable once work has begun, since by that point the jeweller has usually already spent time and, often, money on your behalf. Some jewellers are more generous if you cancel very early, before design or sourcing work starts — but this is down to their own goodwill and policy, not a legal requirement, so check what's written down before you pay anything.

If the jeweller fails: what happens to your deposit

This is a real, if less common, risk with any large upfront payment to a small business. If a jeweller ceases trading or becomes insolvent after taking your deposit, you would typically rank as an unsecured creditor in any insolvency process, which in practice often means recovering little or nothing directly from the business. This is the strongest practical argument for paying at least part of a deposit by credit card where the purchase qualifies for Section 75, since that protection sits with your card provider rather than the jeweller's solvency. It's also a reason some clients prefer smaller, staged payments over a single large deposit, since it limits how much is at risk at any one point in the process.

None of the above is legal advice specific to your situation. If a payment dispute arises, Citizens Advice or a solicitor can advise on your specific position.

The bottom line

Expect to pay a deposit of roughly 30–50% to start a bespoke commission, usually with the balance due in one or two further instalments. Get the specification, price, timeline, revision terms and cancellation policy in writing before you pay anything. Where you can, pay at least part of the total by credit card for the added protection of Section 75, and understand going in that a deposit on genuinely bespoke work is very rarely refundable simply because you've changed your mind.