Frequently Asked Questions

In 2009, Jamie, the owner of Baraka Gems, was boarding a return flight from Kenya when he met the namesake of the company. Upon entering the plane he heard a young child crying. As he worked his way back to his seat, he noticed that the tearful child was a young Kenyan girl nestled between an elderly couple. Hours after takeoff, the little girl was still upset. When the lights went off in the cabin signaling bedtime on the long flight, the elderly gentleman stood up and headed for the rear restroom. As he passed Jamie's seat, Jamie tugged on his shirt sleeve and asked the man how the little girl was doing, hoping to help if he could. The man told him a short story about how they had been permitted by the Kenyan government to adopt the little girl out of what was left of her famine and AIDs decimated community. She was one of a few survivors, and the couple was told that if someone didn't adopt her, she would likely not survive to adulthood. The man told Jamie that she had never seen a white person, or heard the English language spoken. The airplane was a brand new experience which was making her scared and unsure of the future. The couple hoped by adopting her at such a young age that she would be able to overcome the trauma of the transition and find a better life. Jamie asked the man what her name was and he said, "It's Baraka, which is Ki-Swahili for Blessings. She has already been a blessing to us, and we hope we will be for her as well." Six months later, when Jamie incorporated the jewelry store, he named it after that little orphan girl he saw on that flight from Kenya.  

Our name is a reflection of a mission and a dream.

At this time, we donate a minimum of 10% of the profits every sale to our non-profit, A Ring Of Hope. We are driven to one day grow our business so that we can support a donation of 50% of total profits.

A bespoke (custom) piece is made from scratch and has multiple steps that are labor-intensive. For a full breakdown of the process click here. At Baraka, we understand that this isn’t always an option financially. As such, we are dedicated to getting access to fine jewelry for every budget. We use a catalog of prefabricated designs where adjustments can be made. This is what we consider customized. This cuts down on certain fees and steps making for an overall more affordable process. All the while getting you a piece that is still unique to you. 

Our Vintage & Estate collection is sourced from the community we serve. We purchase from private sellers and estate sales. Our team's knowledge of vintage jewelry allows us to curate a unique and precious collection that is ever-changing.

Our team here at Baraka, combined, has decades of experience in the jewelry industry. We use this knowledge to examine and identify key traits, and jewelry markings to establish the era of their origin. Anything in question is examined by a certified appraiser and gemologist.

Cleaning services are done in-house where the piece is placed in our ultrasonic and then steam cleaned. Any scratches that need to be buffed out would be a polishing service. Polishing is done by our bench jeweler. This process can take 1 to 2 weeks. 

Typically repairs take 1-2 weeks to complete. Certain projects can take longer if we have to acquire additional pieces or employ the use of experts outside of our wheelhouse (lapidaries, hand engravers, etc.). We do work with almost any jewelry that is brought in, but we do hold the right to deny working on the piece if we feel uncertain about our ability to guarantee a quality repair.

We work with solid silver, gold, platinum, and palladium. We also sell contemporary metals, but cannot do any repairs/resizing on these pieces.

We are happy to trade precious metals and jewelry pieces towards in-store credit. This can be used towards any service in the studio. If you have multiple pieces of jewelry or precious metals you would like to trade in, we ask you to make an appointment to give us time to evaluate the value of your pieces.

Yes, we work with multiple vendors from all over the world and can source almost any natural or lab-grown gem. We also work in moissanite. 

GIA stands for Gemological Institute of America. GIA is the leading worldwide stone evaluation laboratory and is recognized in the industry as the most reliable laboratory for diamond grading particularly. EGL stands for European Gemological Laboratory. Many EGL-graded diamonds fall in a slightly lower clarity and color quality than comparable diamonds with the same specifications graded by GIA gemologists.

We release new pieces to the website at least once a week. Join our newsletter here for a direct  message when we post anything new. 

It is very difficult for anyone in the industry to guarantee that any diamond or gemstone is completely conflict-free. We try to purchase from traceable sources as much as possible. We are happy to discuss any information we may have about a particular gemstone or diamond you are interested in.

Shipping anywhere in the United States is included in the online purchase price and is based on the value of your piece. We have applied an appropriate amount for insurance which ensures your package is shipped with an adult signature required. 

Washington state sales tax is applied to all purchases regardless of the location of the buyer, or where it’s being shipped to.

All Custom Design and Bespoke Design pieces are non-returnable. These also include any pieces that we alter specifically for you. Existing pieces purchased online or in our studio can be returned for an 80% refund, or 100% store credit toward a future purchase within one week of purchase in their original condition. All returned merchandise is inspected by us and our jeweler. If you believe you purchased something from us with a manufacturing error or any discrepancy in the product, please email us directly at info@barakagems.com or call our studio at 206.783.1313.

We use USPS priority, and FedEx packaging for all of the items we ship. Our name is only found on the return address on the shipping label.

Yes, we do! Please email us at info@barakagems.com or call our studio at 206.783.1313, after you’ve made your purchase and we’ll set you up with a pick-up appointment. 

While we do try to accommodate those who come to our storefront without an appointment, certain services and situations require one. We want to make sure that every piece of jewelry created by us is met with a personal and interactive experience. We want our customers to be the centerpiece. We book up to hour-long appointments to make sure you are happy. 

Yes join our mailing list here

If you found something special with us that you can't quite purchase yet, we would be happy to place a complimentary hold on that item for 24 hours.

We accept most standard credit cards and contactless payment methods. We also accept cash, checks, and wire transfers, which must be cleared with our bank before the merchandise is released. We also offer layaway plans with a 20% non-refundable deposit. We do not offer financing at this time.

Vintage & Estate jewelry items are typically one of a kind and duplicates are rarely found. However, we pride ourselves on being able to create unique pieces from a variety of inspiration photos and heirloom jewelry. It is always worth reaching out to us to see if we can find or make something comparable.