Maman et Sophie in Germany and Austria: Sizes, Delivery, Warranty

Buying Maman et Sophie in Germany or in Austria means, in practice, buying from Italy: the house is Florentine, the workshop is Italian, and the German-language jewellery trade carries it only in places. That is less of a problem than it sounds — an Italian parcel reaches Munich, Hamburg or Vienna with no customs step at all — but there is one thing worth getting right before ordering, and it is the ring size.

What you are actually buying

Eighteen-carat gold or 925 sterling silver, natural coloured stones, and a house style that is warmer and more superstitious than the Northern European norm: hearts, amulets, lucky charms, small pieces given to mark a birth or a reconciliation. Over twelve hundred references from the brand sit in our catalogue, from about 50 € in silver to past 1.500 € in gold with diamonds. The signature that repeats across the range is a small pierced heart closing a chain.

Four bracelets give the measure of it:

• Five floating London blue topaz hearts, 18kt yellow gold, 409 € as we write.
• BRTIE5, the five lucky horns, 389 € — the cornetto is the Neapolitan charm against bad luck, and wearing five of them is a very Italian kind of insurance.
• BPDRPZPE, pearls and sapphires, listed 489 € and 415,65 € on our page today.
• The 18kt «Nuvole» bracelet in pale blue, 425 €.

The one real obstacle to Maman et Sophie in Germany: sizes

German, Austrian and Swiss jewellers quote rings by the inner diameter in millimetres — you will have been told you are a 17 or a 17,5. Italy quotes the inner circumference minus forty, so the same finger is an Italian 13,5. A 17 mm diameter is roughly 53,4 mm of circumference, which lands on an Italian 13; 16,5 mm is about an Italian 12. Necklaces are easier, because the pieces in this range are adjustable across three rings and cover 36 to 42 cm in one purchase.

Ring sizes: the one thing worth checking twice

Italian sizes count the inner circumference in millimetres and then take forty off it: a finger measuring 52 mm is a French 52 and an Italian 12. Germany, Austria and Switzerland quote the inner diameter instead (16,5 mm is about an Italian 12), and a British N lands around an Italian 13. Our ring size guide has the full conversion table, and if you are between two numbers write to us before ordering: it is a two-minute answer, and it saves a return.

Maman et Sophie in Germany: delivery, VAT and the two-year warranty

Germany, Austria and Italy are one customs territory: no duty, no clearance fee, nothing to pay at the door, and VAT settled at checkout against the delivery address. Parcels go out insured, tracked and anonymously packed — see shipping and costs, two to seven working days for Europe. The two-year Gewährleistung a German buyer expects is the same EU legal warranty of conformity we give, valid wherever you live in the Union, and the maker's card travels in the box on top of it.

If the size is wrong anyway

There are fourteen days to withdraw, and for a ring the practical route is usually an exchange rather than a return — write before sending anything back. Our ring size guide has the conversion table, and a piece of cotton thread and a ruler settle the question in two minutes.

Ordering from Italy: what a European buyer actually gets

Cicala Gioiellerie is a jeweller in Genoa, on the Italian riviera. We opened in 1950, we still sell out of a real boutique with a goldsmith's bench behind it, and sending a parcel to Paris, Munich, Vienna or Rotterdam is ordinary Tuesday work. Inside the European Union the mechanics are simpler than most people expect.

• No customs, no clearance fee, no paperwork. Italy and the rest of the Union are one customs territory: the parcel travels as if it came from a shop in your own city.
• VAT is already in the price and is calculated at checkout against the delivery address. Nothing is added at the door, and nothing is hidden before it.
• Insured, tracked, and packed anonymously. Nothing printed on the box says what is inside. The exact delivery cost appears before you pay — see shipping and costs — and Europe is quoted at two to seven working days.
• Two years of legal warranty of conformity, valid across the Union wherever you live, on top of the maker's own warranty card that travels in the box: warranty page.
• Fourteen days to change your mind under the returns policy, with card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay or bank transfer at checkout.
• A workshop, not a warehouse. What we sell we also repair, in our own workshop — and we answer e-mail in English.

See the Maman et Sophie collection →

Frequently asked questions

Is Maman et Sophie sold in Germany and Austria?

Only in places, and rarely as a full range. The complete catalogue is Italian: we list over twelve hundred references with delivery to German and Austrian addresses.

Is there customs duty on a parcel from Italy?

No. Italy, Germany and Austria are inside the same customs territory: no duty, no clearance fee, nothing collected on delivery. VAT is calculated at checkout.

How do German ring sizes convert to Italian ones?

German sizes are the inner diameter in millimetres, Italian sizes the circumference minus forty: 16,5 mm is about an Italian 12, and 17 mm about an Italian 13.

What warranty applies?

The same two-year EU legal warranty of conformity you would get from a German seller, plus the maker's warranty card supplied with each piece.

What do the pieces cost?

From around 50 € in 925 silver to over 1.500 € in 18kt gold with diamonds; the bracelets in this article run from 389 € to 425 € at the time of writing.