Hello,

I’ve already searched on this thread can’t seem to find anything about this specific topic, so I’m going to ask and see if anyone else is in the same situation or have experience in this area.

I’m looking to buy semi precious gemstones but after a lot of research I can’t find any good supplier in the UK. I mean there’re a quite few suppliers but they’re all very expensive in comparison to what you can get from abroad.

I landed on Etsy and a lot of suppliers from India are selling these gemstone with 1000s of good reviews, so I was wondering if anyone has experience dealing with these suppliers through Etsy or directly and want to share their experience? I’ve spoken to a few suppliers from India and they have sent me pics and videos etc which are looking good.

I know there’s custom charges when you get anything from abroad, every product you get has it’s own code etc and the rules are different if I was buying diamond or other high quality precious gemstones. But I’m mainly looking for semi precious stones, like opal or moonstones (to be more specific) as I would be selling my pieces eventually for £20 - £60.

I know you register directly with HMRC for getting goods in and out for larger quantities but I’m talking here about once in a while so I think in this case mainly the courier dealing with it will be sorting this already and if there’s any charges they’ll let me know. Something like when you buy things from eBay sometime they charge you and other times it just goes through customs.

Certififying Semi Precious Gemstones- I don’t think I have to certify semi precious gemstones, these include ruby, opal, sapphire etc by law unless I’m selling diamonds etc?

I want to do things the right way and put the foundation right from the beginning, so any help, tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you