Start a gemstone jewelry business · Step 17 of 17
Legal requirements for selling jewelry online
The rules to know when selling gemstone jewelry online: terms of sale, data protection, VAT, product safety, nickel and lead limits, health claims, by country.
This last step gathers the legal points mentioned throughout our guide. It doesn’t replace a lawyer or an accountant, but it gives you a map of what to check, with links to official sources, so you can ask the right questions.
1. Your website and terms of sale
- Business identity: name, address, contact details and registration number, visible on your site.
- Terms of sale: prices including taxes, delivery costs and times, payment, right of withdrawal and its exceptions, legal guarantees, complaints (see step 16).
- Clear information before the order: in the EU, the main characteristics of the product, the total price and the delivery costs must be given before the customer pays.
2. Data protection and cookies
If you sell to people in the EU or the UK, the GDPR (and its UK version) applies: collect only the data you need, explain what you do with it in a privacy policy, keep it secure, and ask for consent before non-essential cookies and before sending marketing emails.
3. VAT and taxes
- In your country: register and check whether you charge VAT, depending on your status and turnover (see step 3).
- Sales to other EU countries: above €10,000 a year of distance sales to consumers in other member states, VAT is generally due in the customer’s country, declared through the One-Stop Shop (see step 13).
- United Kingdom: overseas sellers must generally charge UK VAT on goods of £135 or less sold directly to UK consumers (see step 15).
- United States: sales tax rules depend on each state; check them if you sell significantly to US customers.
4. Product safety and materials
- General product safety (EU): since 13 December 2024, the GPSR requires safe products, the manufacturer’s name and postal and electronic address, and a product identifier on the product, its packaging or an accompanying document, and this information in your online listings (see step 9).
- Nickel, lead and cadmium (EU, REACH): metal parts in prolonged contact with the skin must not release more than 0.5 µg/cm² of nickel per week (0.2 for piercing jewelry); lead in jewelry is limited to 0.05% by weight, and cadmium to 0.01% by weight. Ask your suppliers of spacers, charms and clasps for test results or a declaration of conformity.
- Precious metals: if you use silver or gold, some countries require hallmarking above certain weights. Check before selling.
5. Naming stones and describing treatments
Stones must be named correctly, and treatments disclosed: the FTC’s Jewelry Guides in the United States and a 2002 decree in France both set rules (see step 5 on sourcing). In France, a check by the consumer protection authority found undisclosed treatments and missing stone names among the most frequent failings.
6. Health claims: the line not to cross
This is the most sensitive point for gemstone jewelry. In the EU, falsely claiming that a product can treat illnesses, dysfunctions or malformations is on the list of commercial practices that are always considered unfair. In the United States, the FTC requires health claims to be backed by competent and reliable scientific evidence. In practice:
- ✅ “Amethyst is traditionally associated with calm.”
- ❌ “Amethyst relieves anxiety”, “this bracelet treats insomnia”, or any promise of a health effect.
Our article on the line between mineralogy and lithotherapy explains how to talk about tradition honestly.
7. Packaging, accessibility and the rest
- Packaging: extended producer responsibility in France (Triman logo and Info-tri), LUCID registration in Germany (see step 9).
- Accessibility: the European Accessibility Act has applied to e-commerce services since 28 June 2025; microenterprises (fewer than 10 employees and under €2 million turnover or balance sheet) are exempt from its service obligations, but an accessible site is good practice anyway.
- Reviews and endorsements: no fake reviews, and partnerships with creators must be disclosed (see step 12).
- Trademark: protect your brand name (see step 2).
8. Summary by zone
| Zone | Key points to check |
|---|---|
| France | Registration, legal notice and terms of sale, stone naming decree, Triman and packaging scheme, no health claims |
| European Union | 14-day withdrawal and its exceptions, 2-year legal guarantee, GDPR, OSS VAT above €10,000, GPSR, REACH limits, accessibility |
| Germany | LUCID packaging registration before the first shipment |
| United Kingdom | UK GDPR, VAT on goods of £135 or less, consumer cancellation rights |
| United States | FTC Jewelry Guides, endorsement disclosures, health claims, state sales tax, no de minimis exemption on imports since August 2025 |
Frequently asked questions
Can I say that a stone has benefits?
You can say what a stone is traditionally associated with. You must not claim that it treats, prevents or relieves a health condition.
Do I need to test my metal parts for nickel?
If you sell in the EU, your metal parts must respect the REACH nickel limits. Ask your suppliers for test reports or declarations of conformity, and keep them.
Does the GPSR apply to small jewelry brands?
Yes, it applies to consumer products sold in the EU regardless of the size of the business. For small items, the required information can go on the packaging or an accompanying document.
Sources
Your Europe — B2C e-commerce and distance selling · EUR-Lex — General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 · EUR-Lex — Unfair Commercial Practices Directive 2005/29/EC · Compliance Gate — Jewellery regulations in the EU · European Commission — VAT One-Stop Shop · GOV.UK — VAT and overseas goods sold to UK customers · RPC — The European Accessibility Act · U.S. eCFR — FTC Jewelry Guides (16 CFR Part 23) · FTC — Health Products Compliance Guidance
Written by Camille G., founder of Loch Ness. I designed symbolic jewelry for my own brand from 2013 to 2023, and I have been building web apps and tools full-time since. I code this bracelet builder myself. My story · GitHub · ORCID
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