Refunds & Returns Policy
The short version:
- Talismans cannot be returned (except under the EU Right of Withdrawal, on which see more below).
- Talismans cannot be exchanged.
- Talisman purchases cannot be refunded (whether in whole or in part).
The long version:
Please understand that astrological talismans are unlike mundane merchandise. The spirits of astrological talismans gain an affinity for particular humans, sometimes even simply through the purchasing process. Some people have even had the experience that the careless and casual use and handling of a talisman that belongs to one person by another person risks the spirit’s departure from the stone. Since attunement to a talisman by multiple different people (especially when this is not done with mutual and thoughtful agreement) risks rendering the talisman magically inert, talismans are unsuitable for resale or return.
Talismans are not exchangeable. Idola Stellarum talismans are individually crafted, not mass-produced. Furthermore, we are devotional practitioners of astrological magic, not professionally trained jewelers: our offerings are more like charm bags than artisinal jewelry pieces. We aim to be as transparent as possible about the quality and condition of our talismans. We work with pre-fabricated settings from trusted professional jewelry manufacturers, and we carve, set, and affix herbs to our stones within strict ritual boundaries (see our guarantees). The intensive time limitations of our magical workings combined with our level of skill means there may be aesthetic or technical quirks with any given talisman. These factors, combined with the inevitable variations in color and appearance that occurs with natural gemstones, means that every Idola Stellarum talisman will be unique.
By purchasing an Idola Stellarum talisman, you acknowledge and accept that you are purchasing a handcrafted item with natural variations, and that the talisman you receive will be similar though very likely not identical to the talisman pictured in product photos. Even if you consider such natural variations to be imperfections or flaws, please note that they do not negatively impact the magic. On the contrary: the handcrafted charm-bag nature of collected and consecrated materials inherent in an Idola Stellarum talisman is an important part of their magic. We also trust that the particular talisman of any batch that you receive is the exact talisman you were meant to receive.
For the above reasons, all talisman sales are absolutely final: no returns or exchanges will be provided if the talisman has been marked as delivered by the postal service tracking.
EU Right of Withdrawal
The one exception to the above policy of no refunds/returns is that customers in the EU possess an inalienable ‘Right of Withdrawal’ under Directive (EU) 2023/2673. This right grants all customers in EU member states a 14-day period after receipt of physical goods to request a withdrawal, which involves sending your purchased products back to us for a full refund. Although we believe that talismans should fall under the exemptions to this regulation, any argument to that effect would hinge on assumptions and beliefs belonging to the specific spiritual perspective of astrological magic. Thus, our belief that the Right of Withdrawal should not apply might not be recognized by let alone legally defensible from within the assumptions of a secular materialist culture.
Unfortunately for businesses such as ours who do not unambiguously fall under the legal exemptions of Directive 2023/2673 but who cannot resell returned merchandise while retaining our integrity, the Right of Withdrawal cannot be waived, and it cannot be overriden by a ‘no returns’ policy. One solution to this would be to refuse to sell to EU customers at all; but while this might be the safest option, it would also unfairly deprive many people of the opportunity of coming into relationship with these talismanic spirits. Thus, rather than not sell to EU customers, we have decided to abide by the regulation and provide a ‘Withdraw from contract’ button on our shop pages to allow EU customers to request a withdrawal of their purchase as required by the Directive.
Choosing this option means choosing to trust that our customers based in the EU will respect the nature of talismans and our business practices and ethics. What this means in practice is that while EU customers are entitled by law to exercise the Right of Withdrawal, doing so has multiple relational impacts, namely (1) communicating in action that you are knowingly and willfully circumventing the principles behind our return policy; (2) causing material, financial harm to Idola Stellarum by legally forcing us to refund your sale despite knowing that we cannot and will not ethically re-sell your returned talisman; thereby (3) depriving some future customer of the possibility of obtaining the talisman returned under the Right of Withdrawal. (Naturally, if you exercise your Right of Withdrawal before your package has been shipped, none of these impacts apply, and doing so is perfectly reasonable and understandable.)
For the above reasons, please understand that we reserve the right to deny future sales and services in perpetuity to anyone who chooses to cause harm in this way through their exercise of the Right of Withdrawal, and that exercises of this Right may lead us to review our policies and decide to no longer do business with customers in the EU going forward.
Disclaimers
Please note that talismans are sold for entertainment and novelty purposes only, and we cannot guarantee specific results from any given talisman for a particular person.
For more information, please consult our guarantees and disclaimers.
Shipping Damages & Repairs
Every Idola Stellarum talisman is ensouled according to our strict ritual specifications and safely stored until its time comes to join a collection. No talisman that has serious damage or flaws is included in any collection, and each talisman is packaged, and shipped by hand. In short, no talisman ships out that we have not personally inspected and handled to ensure its readiness to find a home.
Once the packages are out of our hands, however, we no longer have control, and it is possible (especially with international shipping) that a package could be opened or damaged in transit.
In the rare circumstance your talisman has arrived detached from its setting or otherwise significantly damaged in the shipping process, please contact us (preferably before handling it with your bare hands). We will be happy to help you find a repair election and strategize how to approach this process. Shipping back and forth to repair it ourselves will not be practical, especially if you live overseas, but if this is a possibility we are happy to explore it. In cases of egregious or unsalvageable damage we will of course work toward a fair and equitable resolution of the situation.
Gifting and Transfer of Talismans
If you have purchased a talisman but not handled it or performed a ritual of introduction, you are free to re-gift or sell the talisman to someone else. Under no circumstances do we recommend the transfer of talismans to another person after a talisman has been handled with your bare hands or a formal ritual introduction has been made.
Idola Stellarum does not endorse or take any responsibility for third-party sales of our talismans, and we cannot guarantee that an Idola Stellarum talisman gifted or sold by a third party has not been tampered with, damaged, or otherwise negatively impacted. We offer no guarantee (whether express or implied) of customer service to third-party recipients of Idola Stellarum talismans.
Final Notes
See our Terms & Conditions for more.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.
Please note we are not currently available to provide personal consultation about your natal chart. Get on our mailing list to access future opportunities for relationship-tending support in our Inner Sanctum membership.
We are happy to recommend professional astrologers to support you in choosing what type of talisman may work best for you. Particularly, we endorse the astrological, magical, and talismanic expertise of Ursula Rising. This service is also offered by Christopher Warnock.