Herreira warranty: what it covers and when to use it

Let me tell you something that saddens me in the demi-fine market: resellers promising warranty coverage the factory does not give, or promising coverage for misuse just to close the sale. When the piece has an issue, the client pushes, the factory denies, and the reseller is stuck in the middle. This lesson is so that never happens to you.

The principle: factory defect, not user wear

Herreira's warranty (and that of any serious factory in the sector) covers manufacturing defects. Issues that came from inside the factory, not problems caused by using the piece after it left here. That is the principle that organizes everything.

Before promising anything to the client, read the warranty terms that came with your sample kit. The exact deadlines and conditions are there and may vary by product line. What I am giving you here is the pocket map: what typically counts and what typically does not.

What the warranty typically covers

Premature plating peeling under proper use. If the client followed care guidelines (perfume before the piece, no sea, no pool, no chemicals — covered in module 1) and plating started failing in a window that does not match Herreira's standard, that is a manufacturing defect. Possibly an adhesion failure (covered in the previous lesson) that slipped past quality control.
Solder failure in clasps and rings. A piece that opens by itself in normal use, a clasp that breaks in the first week without a fall — manufacturing defect.
Visible non-uniformity between pieces of the same set sold together. A set that ships with different colors did not clear batch control.
Defects present at delivery and identified in the reseller checklist or by the client in the first days.

What the warranty typically does NOT cover

This is where most fights start. Memorize:

Misuse. Piece worn at the sea, pool, sauna, intense workouts. Salt, chlorine and abrasion destroy plating — not a piece defect.
Contact with chemicals. Perfume sprayed on the piece, hand sanitizer directly on it, lotion under the ring, cleaning products. Identifiable cause, not covered.
Sea bathing. Worth repeating because it is villain number one. A single day at the sea wearing the piece can damage the plating irreversibly.
Drops, knocks, crushing. Mechanical damage is not a manufacturing defect.
Natural wear after years of daily use. This is where re-plating comes in, which is the next lesson — not a warranty case, but maintenance.
Modification by third parties. If the client took the piece to another jeweler to shorten a chain or do repairs, the factory warranty is voided.

How to trigger the warranty (from the reseller side)

When the client brings a case, you become the first responder. Practical script:

Listen to what happened without judging. Ask about use (sea, perfume, drops).
Inspect the piece with the lesson 2 checklist.
Photograph it (natural light, neutral background, several angles).
Get the piece code, the approximate sale date and the warranty terms for the line.
Open a ticket through the factory channel with all of this organized.

If it is a warranty case, the factory handles it. If it is not, I help you explain it to the client with technical vocabulary — not as a punishment, as information.

The pocket line

"The Herreira warranty covers what came from the factory. Care in use is our agreement, and I teach you the rules before you leave with the piece."

Say it at the moment of sale, not at the moment of trouble. Setting the agreement up front is what prevents the fight later.

What to practice this week

Reread the warranty terms that came with your kit cover to cover. Note in your phone: deadline, what is covered, what is not. Next time a client asks "is there a warranty?", you answer with date, scope and clarity. Next lesson we cover re-plating — the service that takes care of the piece after the warranty has done its job.