WELCOME TO Yugen Handmade.

Earthly tokens for the romantic, the nostalgic, the stargazer, the wild at heart. Welcome to yūgen.

yūgen / yoo-gehn / n. : an awareness of the universe that triggers emotional responses too deep and mysterious for words

Previously known as "jerseymaids", yūgen was founded by Lauren Beacham in 2007, and was a creative outlet after earning her BFA in photography to bring her Polaroids and jewelry together. After 4 years of significant growth, Lauren left her job as a gallery director to run her business full time.

We at yūgen are here to provide excellent customer service, beautiful products, and a welcoming atmosphere. We are here to celebrate the universe with you - its literal beauty, incredible mystery, and the people and places we find as our home within it. We're positively thrilled to have you. Welcome to Yugen Handmade.

Before purchasing a yūgen product, please look over our policies and FAQ. Our policies are firm, and aim to be fair to everyone. Please carefully read them, along with individual product descriptions, and contact us with questions before purchasing. By purchasing from us, you agree to these policies and are accepting responsibility that you have carefully read the item description and viewed all product photographs of the piece you are purchasing.

PAYMENT & TAX

• Items purchased that are shipping to Maryland will be charged a 6% sales tax at checkout.

• Payment can be sent through Paypal or Credit Card using our secure checkout. We also accept credit card payment over the phone.

SHIPPING

• We ship to the address provided at checkout. Please be sure that it is correct before completing checkout. If it is not, please notify us immediately so we can make the change before shipment. All items are shipped by USPS.
• All of our items are handmade to order. Please check our turnaround times for an estimation of how long your order will take to produce before it ships. We aim in all situations to exceed these timelines and your expectations, but use this window as a general guideline on when your item will be shipping. Rush upgrades are available for an additional fee, please contact us before ordering for more information.
• Upgrading your shipping at checkout will not rush production. Please contact us to add a rush production to your order before you make your purchase. Additional fees will apply.
• All of our items are packed with quality materials and significant care. But no matter how much care one uses, items can still get damaged in transit. If your item arrives damaged, please contact us upon it's arrival with photographs of the item and the package (exactly how it came to you) and we will discuss with you how a replacement or repair will be issued.
• If you fear your shipped order has been lost in transit, please contact us and we can work something out (for international buyers, there will be a longer waiting period unfortunately.) In the case of packages lost in transit, refunds will not be given and replacements can be discussed. To ease your mind, insurance is also available for an extra fee. Domestic packages shipped within the US will have tracking information, but international packages may not. If you would like to guarantee that your package is tracked, domestic or international, contact us prior to purchase.
• If your item was marked as delivered by the post office, though you did not actually receive the physical item, please verify the address you provided during checkout, contact your neighbors, housemates, postal carrier and local post office to deal with the issue. In most cases, it was just mis-delivered or mis-scanned and has a way of working itself out over time. We are not responsible for replacements of items that were mis-delivered or mis-scanned at the fault of your local post office. If these items are returned to us because of their mistake, we will gladly re-send them to you at no cost. But if they are not recovered, we sincerely apologize - but there is nothing more we can do.
• We are not responsible for any duties, taxes or brokerage fees that are incurred from border crossing, nor do we have any knowledge of what they may be at the time of your order. No refunds in any circumstance due to these fees will be given. No exceptions.

REFUNDS & EXCHANGES

• If you are in any way dissatisfied with your order, please contact us. And please remember the golden rule - be nice! You are dealing with a very small team of real people who are eager and happy to help you. Your satisfaction is our priority - we want to be sure you are happy and are open to trying to work out a positive solution within our policies. And in finding that solution, we deeply appreciate your patience and kindness.
• You have 90 days from the time the item is delivered to contact us with any returns or problems with what you purchased. As mentioned above, if damage or loss occurs when in transit, no refunds will be issued but repairs and/or replacements can be discussed. We will not issue a refund or exchange until the original item is received back in the condition in which it was received or see photographs of the damaged item with the packaging it came in. If an item is damaged after the 90 day period, no action will be taken. Please read below for more information of what items qualify for a refund or exchange.
• Items that were damaged due to negligence in care, i.e. tarnishing, water damage, bending your jewelry, etc, do not qualify for refunds, replacements, or exchanges. We send care information with every piece we sell, and if an item is damaged by ignoring these suggestions, we are not responsible. No exceptions.
• Items that you would like to return due to a skin sensitivity do not qualify for refunds or exchanges. If you have skin sensitivities, please carefully read the listing description and contact us if you are unsure. We do offer many pieces in sterling silver and 14k gold, and most of our pieces are nickel and lead free and we are happy to find a good match for you.
• We do not, under any circumstances, refund shipping charges, production upgrade fees, or reimburse you for return shipping.
• We stand behind our products and our materials. If you are dissatisfied with your item, please contact us within 90 days of receiving it. As long as it is not a customized item, as specified below, we are happy to offer an exchange of equal value or send a refund minus a 15% restocking fee once the item is returned to us. The restocking fee covers the donation made to charitable causes for every purchase of return-able items. It is not applied to equal value exchanges, it is only applied to refunds or partial refunds. It is non-negotiable.
• Custom orders do not qualify for exchanges or refunds. Please read the list below for items that do not qualify for returns.

What qualifies as custom and cannot be refunded or exchanged?

• An item customized with an image provided by you

• A piece was customized in a special size or length that differs from what is detailed in the listing (this includes sized sterling silver rings)

• A design or item you requested made from images, designs, or materials not typically sold in our shop (ie a 14k gold ring, a galaxy image not in our usual collection of available images, etc.)

• Galaxy wrist watches.

If you are still unsure, please ask before making your purchase.