Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! Catbird, and all of the designers we carry, use recycled gold and conflict-free, responsibly sourced stones. The Catbird line is entirely made in New York. Read about how we operate here and learn about our diamonds here!

Recycled diamonds are reclaimed diamonds. These are whole vintage diamonds that were removed from older pieces of jewelry. We purchase these stones from a supplier that specializes specifically in the trade of recycled diamonds.

Since these stones are all in their second lives, tracing where they came from originally is not possible. However, since they are recycled they have zero environmental impact (no mining) and are utilizing materials which already exist in a finished form. Learn more about our diamonds here.

All stones have a hardness factor based on the Mohs scale. While diamonds rank the highest (a stately 10), rubies and sapphires don’t far fall behind (they are both 9s) making them great choices. While you see plenty of vintage rings with emeralds, opals and pearls, they are definitely more delicate so we don’t recommend them for an engagement ring that you plan to wear every day.

You can read more about our diamonds here, and shop by stone here.

Don't worry, we're here to help! We make our jewelry as resilient as possible, but, as with all jewelry, stones sometimes fall out or a mechanism or chain can break. Your satisfaction is our highest priority - we will work with you to address the situation! 

Please see it here.

We created this sheet to answer this question! Please email us if you have any other questions!

It's ok! It happens! Sometimes, the oils in our skin can cause a reaction with gold leaving a mark on skin or on the gold itself. It can even be affected by what we've eaten that day, by chemicals or lotions that may have come into contact with it, or sweat from your recent workout! The discoloration can easily be removed with a soft polishing cloth. You can read more about cleaning jewelry here. If the polishing cloth doesn’t do the trick - please contact us. 

Most black diamonds on the market are heat-treated for a more opaque, rich black coloration. Because these heat treated black diamonds are opaque, they will most likely have an inaccurate result if tested according to a typical authenticity test for white diamonds. You can ask a jeweler to use a DiamondNiteor similar test for more accurate results.

We do not do custom work or set stones at this time.

Yes - we are happy to ship internationally. Please read the details here.

Please see our domestic shipping costs here. We currently offer free ground shipping over $200 for the continental United States.

We offer flat-rate shipping within the continental US: Standard - $9 and Expedited (2 Day) - $25. Shipping to Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico is $28.

All packages heading outside of New York state are not subject to state tax. We also offer an option to pick up items in our Brooklyn store with no extra charge, however NY tax applies. If you would like overnight shipping please email us to confirm the possibility of this. 

We require signature on delivery for items over $500. If you need us to make an exception to this, please inform us in the Special Instructions section of your checkout page. We cannot waive signature for shipments valued over $1000.00

We do! Same Day Delivery is available for select Brooklyn and Manhattan zip codes between 10am and 4pm ET Monday through Friday - excluding major holidays. Check out what's available here. Orders are delivered within three hours of your order time. Orders placed after 4pm will be delivered between 10am and 1pm the following business day. More details here.

All of our jewelry comes in our signature black Catbird box. If you request gift wrapping, we add our lovely Catbird ribbon. (We also like to add in some goodies!) If you have any requests (ex: you want some rings together in a box, or the least amount of ring , etc.) just let us know in the Special Instructions section at check out!

If you need something by a certain date, we will do our best to accommodate you. Some designers charge a nominal, non-negotiable fee to prioritize your order. Please contact us before placing an order that you need by a certain date. 

Paying for Expedited Shipping does not guarantee that you will get your item in two days. It does, however, shorten the time your item will spend in transit. (If you live east of Ohio it is generally not worth it to pay for Expedited Shipping unless you absolutely need a guarantee of the arrival date.) Please see the item's individual page for availability or contact us and ask if it is in stock. If you need something by a certain date, please contact us and we will do our absolute best to make it so.

UPS My Choice is a service provided by UPS which lets users decide when and where a package is delivered. 

This service includes the ability to request a delivery time, change a delivery address and hold at a UPS ‘Access Point’ or ‘Will Call’ location. This feature helps deliveries to fit your schedule. Keep in mind, packages valued over $500 require a signature. 

UPS Access Points are various locations (including lockers) that are hand-selected based on reliability, location and ease of experience.

You can use a UPS My Choice membership to redirect packages to your preferred pickup location before or after our first delivery attempt. More details here.

You can shop online and pick-up your order in our Bedford Avenue store and avoid shipping costs! Make sure to wait until you receive an email letting you know your order is wrapped up and ready for you. To collect your order, you will need to present a copy of your order confirmation. NY taxes will apply to your order.

Orders not picked up within 60 days will be refunded and returned to stock. This applies to in-stock items only — it does not apply to any custom orders. Please contact us if you need more time.

Some items on our website may require a lead time. We generally list any wait times on the item's page. If you still have specific questions, please email us with your online Order ID# or Send Sale #.  

We do our best to ensure items on line are in stock. However, due to traffic in the store and on line, items will occasionally sell out before showing as out of stock online. We will notify you of any issues with your order as soon as possible! You can also email or call us at 718-599-3457 Mon-Fri, 10-5 ET. We are here to help!

Our store and our website operate out of two different locations, with two different inventories. At this time we are unable to take something out of our store stock and send it as an online order. (When you place an online order and select “In Store Pick up”, that order is processed and packed in our web department and then brought to the store.)

Some items (not many!) are only available in our store. If it says it is out of stock please see above.

We operate at a tricky intersection of producing a lot of jewelry (high volume!) that we make ourselves by hand. In order to keep things moving so we can get orders out to people quickly and to keep our own Brooklyn store well-stocked, we have to find ways to streamline our production. When we have orders that come in that stray from our usual offerings, it actually takes WAY longer than any regular order. So while we physically CAN make anything, we often do not have the available production time or bandwidth to accommodate special requests. If we can't offer one ring in a particular size or metal, we may have an alternative style to suggest. And if time is not an issue, sometimes we can make magic happen!

Please email our incredible customer service team with any questions!

Sales tax is charged on orders shipped within New York State, including In-Store Pick Ups. 

If you need to cancel an order you must email us within 4 hours of when you place your order. Many pieces are custom made and once production begins on them they cannot be cancelled or returned. If you are unsure if something is a final sale, please email us.

We partner with Affirm to offer financing on purchases over $50. Find out more about paying with Affirm here.

Affirm customer support: help@affirm.com or 855-423-3729 7am-7pm CST (seven days a week).

We do not take phone orders.

You can find our entire return policy here. Please email us with any questions!

If you have a question as to whether your item is returnable, please email or call us. Beauty products and some custom items are final sale. Please contact us before ordering if you are unsure. 

1. If you want a refund back to your original form of payment and would like to bring your return to the store:
No problem! Orders placed on our website can be returned to the store with our return form completed and included in your package. Your return will be sent to our warehouse to processing, this make take up to 4 - 7 business days. Our store does not offer cash refunds for purchases made on the website. 

2. If you are returning a gift and would like to bring your return to the store:
No problem! Web order returns can be brought to the store for a physical Gift Card which can be used on line or in our store. 

3. If you would like to go to the store to exchange your web order for another item:
No problem! Please bring your original order confirmation with you or you can pull it up on your phone :)

Questions? Please email support@catbirdnyc.com!

Returns for in store purchases are for exchange or store credit only and must be made within 10 days of purchase, accompanied by a receipt. Beauty products are final sale.

If you do not know your ring size, we highly recommend having your finger sized by a local jeweler and asking for your US ring size. You can also try this website, this PDF or you can order one here. We are responsible for sending you the ring size you selected upon ordering. However, we cannot be responsible for determining your ring size. (Some people wear their rings loose, some tight. The size is your responsibility and a very personal choice.) If you live in the US and need a ring sizer, please email us and we will do our best to help you!

First knuckles are really tricky! A lot depends on the shape of your fingers and knuckles. Keep in mind that it is entirely dependent on the shape of your fingers and which finger you are going to wear it on. You can also use this PDF. Most of our first knuckle ring styles can be returned

All of our rings are standard US sizes. If you do not know your US ring size, we recommend having your finger sized by a local jeweler and asking for your US ring size. You can also try this website and this PDF. We are responsible for sending you the ring size you ordered. However we cannot be responsible for determining your ring size. (Some people wear their rings loose, some tight. The size is your responsibility.)

We work diligently to keep a fair mark up on all of our items, 365 days a year. We do not ever price anything with the intention of putting it on sale. So what you get is fair and even pricing, year round. What you don't get is jacked-up prices, with a crazy sale every once in a while. (That said - we do dish out some special offers to our readers here and there so make sure to subscribe!)

(This is in reference to our WEDDING Annex where we showcae our wedding & engagement collection. not to be confused with our WELDING Annex.)

Some days we do take walk-ins, and some days are appointment only. Read more here! We highly recommend making an appointment, even if you are just casually browsing.

(This is in reference to our WELDING Annex.)

Catbird jewelers are on hand to weld (aka zap) a custom-fitted Forever Sweet Nothing Bracelet onto your wrist. A Forever Sweet Nothing Bracelet is a clasp-free version of our Sweet Nothing Bracelet. It is solid 14k gold, and suitable for constant wear. The process is 100% painless (but also 100% exciting!). If you do need to remove your jewelry for lifestyle/medical reasons, we suggest our classic Sweet Nothing Bracelet instead of the Forever option. Should you decide to remove your Forever Sweet Nothing Bracelet, a little scissor or nail cutter is all it takes.

We created this handy list of some of our favorite spots!

Some items are at our Bedford Avenue store and some are only at our Wedding Annex. There may be a specific note pertaining to its location on the item page. If you're unsure and are coming to see a specific style in person, please email us!

You can read it all here. Please let us know if you have any questions.