Start a gemstone jewelry business · Step 13 of 17
Selling jewelry internationally: find less crowded markets
How to sell gemstone jewelry abroad: find less crowded markets with free tools, translate and price for each country, and handle EU VAT.
Most new jewelry brands fight for attention in English, against thousands of others. Yet many buyers search in their own language and find far fewer offers. This step closes Phase 3: how to spot less crowded markets, adapt to them, and keep the paperwork under control. It follows getting your brand known at home.
1. Why look beyond English
According to W3Techs, about half of the top 10 million websites (49.3% at the end of 2025) are in English, against 6.0% in Spanish, 5.9% in German, 4.5% in French and 0.7% in Hungarian. English-speaking internet users, by contrast, were estimated at roughly a quarter of all users in 2020 (Internet World Stats). In other words, buyers in many languages are served by far fewer websites than English speakers. For a small brand, that can mean less competition for the same searches.
This doesn’t mean every non-English market is easy: buying power, habits and competition vary. It means it is worth checking.
2. Find your markets with free tools
- Google Trends: compare a search term across countries, and look at the translations of your main keyword (for example “pulsera de piedras naturales”, “Edelstein Armband”).
- Keyword Planner: rough search volumes by country and language.
- Search yourself in the local language: how many serious brands come up? Are their sites translated properly, with local prices and shipping?
- Local marketplaces: which ones dominate, and how crowded are they?
Look for markets where the searches exist and the offer is thin or poorly adapted: that’s your opening.
3. Adapt, don’t just translate
- Language: a professional or carefully checked translation; machine translation alone shows, and it can mistranslate stone names.
- Currency and prices: display prices in the local currency, with rounded, local-looking amounts.
- Sizes and units: centimeters or inches depending on the country.
- Payment methods customers expect locally.
- Shipping costs and times shown before checkout (see step 15).
- Customer service in the language, at least by email.
4. The tax side in the European Union
For sales to consumers in other EU countries, there is a single EU-wide threshold of €10,000 a year for distance sales of goods. Below it, sales may remain subject to VAT in your own country; above it, VAT is generally due in the customer’s country. The One-Stop Shop (OSS) lets you declare and pay that VAT in your own country, instead of registering everywhere. For imports of low-value goods into the EU (up to €150), a similar Import One-Stop Shop exists. Step 17 summarizes the rules by country; check them with your accountant.
Selling outside the EU (United Kingdom, Switzerland, United States…) adds customs declarations and sometimes import taxes for the customer: say it clearly on your site to avoid refused parcels.
5. How the Loch Ness builder helps you go international
Our bracelet builder is available in English, French, Spanish and Hungarian, with several currencies. Your customers compose their bracelet in their language, with prices in their currency, under your brand. And because it is set up on demand, we can adapt it for a new market. It lets a small brand test a country without rebuilding a whole store.
Frequently asked questions
Which countries are best for selling gemstone jewelry?
There is no universal answer. Compare search interest, local competition, buying power and shipping costs for your niche, and start with one or two markets close to you.
Do I need a separate website for each country?
Not necessarily. Many platforms handle several languages and currencies on one site. What matters is that each customer sees their language, currency and shipping conditions.
Do I have to charge VAT of the customer’s country in the EU?
Above €10,000 a year of cross-border distance sales to EU consumers, VAT is generally due in the customer’s country, declared through the One-Stop Shop. Below it, other rules may apply. Check with an accountant.
Sources
W3Techs — Usage statistics of content languages for websites · Wikipedia — Languages used on the Internet · European Commission — VAT One-Stop Shop · Google Trends Help — Explore results by region
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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