Starfish Project: Trust Check

The bottom line. Starfish Project Inc.⁵ is a 501(c)(3) that employs women who have escaped trafficking in Asia and says all revenue from its jewelry sales goes back to that mission¹. It began in 2006⁸, on a domain from the same year⁹, and ships US orders from a fulfillment center in the United States⁴; returns go to its Goshen, Indiana address, which Google lists as a jewelry store rated 5.0 from 16 reviews^1,10. Every policy page gives the same terms: a refund within 30 days of purchase^5,7 and a one-year warranty that replaces or refunds a piece that fails in normal use^5,7. Checkout runs on Shopify with cards and PayPal^1,11, and product pages name the base metal and plating^3,12. It loses points because you pay return postage⁷, shipping insurance isn’t mentioned^1,4,5,6, there’s no chat^1,6,7,13, plating thickness isn’t given^{1,3,12,14,15,16}, and we found no Trustpilot or BBB profile¹⁷.

Starfish Project policies at a glance

How Starfish Project scores

Not scored because they don't apply to Starfish Project: diamond grading, appraisal, installments. The other 90 points are scaled to 100 (55 of 90). We are still looking for Starfish Project on Trustpilot and the BBB; the score will be updated when that's done.

The same rules apply to every store. How the Trust Score works

Who is behind Starfish Project

The site’s terms are those of Starfish Project Inc.⁵, which its FAQ describes as a 501(c)(3): all revenue from jewelry sales goes back to its mission¹, business costs including the women’s salaries are covered by those sales, and its care and training programs are funded by foundations and donors¹. It offers safe work and a care program to trafficked women in Asia¹ and says it has employed over 180 women¹. It began in 2006 as a small group of women in a city in Asia⁸, and doesn’t disclose where its workshop is, to protect the women¹. It’s a member of the Fair Trade Federation¹.

In the US, returns go to 1010 Eisenhower Dr S, Ste A, in Goshen, Indiana¹, and orders ship from a US fulfillment center⁴. The starfishproject.com domain dates from February 2006⁹. The pages we read name no founder or leaders^1,5,6,7,8; the South Bend Tribune says the company was started by Jenny McGee¹⁹, and Yahoo describes Starfish Project Inc. as an international social enterprise founded in 2006²⁰.

Google results for ‘Starfish Project’ also show the Starfish Project Foundation, at 16175 W 135th Street in Olathe, Kansas²¹. It has a different name and address from the Goshen jewelry company, and we didn’t use its reviews.

How to reach Starfish Project

Every page lists a phone number, +1-574-584-4685, and the email [email protected]⁷. We found no chat^1,6,7,13.

Returns & exchanges

You can return items for a refund within 30 days of the original purchase date; the returns page, the terms and the FAQ all say the same^5,7, and so does the store’s own description in Google: ’30-day returns and a one-year warranty on every piece’²². For a full refund, pieces must come back in their original packaging and condition, with the order number, your name and the purchase date⁷. Email customer service first, then mail the piece with its packing slip to the Goshen address¹.

You pay the return postage, and the original shipping isn’t refunded^1,7; an order that has already shipped can be returned within 30 days for a full refund less the return shipping¹. We found no restocking fee and no final-sale items^1,5,7,14,18. Pieces bought from another seller have to go back through that seller⁷.

Shipping & delivery

US orders ship from a US fulfillment center within 1–2 business days⁴, by USPS First-Class Mail with tracking, for a $7.00 flat rate, and usually arrive in 3–7 business days⁴. The FAQ and the site banner make shipping free on US orders over $75^1,6. International orders pay their own duties⁴.

We found no mention of insurance or a signature on your parcel^1,4,5,6. If an order hasn’t arrived in the stated time, you email Starfish Project with your name and order number, and it says ‘We will make sure you get your beautiful jewelry’¹; a wrong or missing item is corrected and shipped right away¹.

Warranty & care

Starfish Project Inc. warrants all its products against defects in design, material and workmanship, under normal use, for one year from the original purchase date⁷; a product that fails in that time is replaced or refunded⁵. The FAQ adds that a broken piece is replaced, or credited as a gift certificate for the same amount if it’s out of stock¹. For broken jewelry, the FAQ gives the address [email protected], without the dot used everywhere else^1,7.

We found no repair, cleaning or resizing service^1,5,7,15; the ring we read is adjustable¹⁵.

What Starfish Project sells & what it costs

Its product feed lists 300 products: earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings and gift sets, plus home decor, headbands, T-shirts and gift cards². Half of them cost $52 or less, and the most expensive is a $218 blanket set². Each piece is made by survivors of exploitation and ships from the US³.

The pieces we read are plated: product pages name ’14k gold plated stainless steel’, ’18k gold plated brass’ and ‘white gold-plated brass’^3,12,15, and the FAQ says many pieces are ’14-18K gold ionic plated stainless steel’¹. Some pieces are sterling silver². No page we read gives the plating thickness^{1,3,12,14,15,16}. Starfish Project says all its items are lead- and cadmium-free, with nickel under 100 ppm¹.

Stones are named on product pages: a ‘natural moonstone’ ring, studs whose ‘raw cut crystal stone’ is white quartz, an Emperor stone and hematite bracelet, and crystal and zircon charms^12,14,15,16; a gift set calls its bracelet ‘Turquoise Emperor Stone’, for its ‘turquoise-hued stones’²³. The product feed has no diamonds². Beyond its Fair Trade Federation membership¹, we found no policy on where its metals and stones come from^{1,3,6,8,12,14,15,16}.

Payment

The store is hosted on Shopify¹¹ and accepts all credit cards and PayPal¹. Installments don’t count toward the score here, because half of its products cost $52 or less².

What customers say

Google lists Starfish Project as a jewelry store at its Goshen, Indiana address, rated 5.0 from 16 reviews¹⁰; its Facebook page shows 5.0 in Google results²⁴, and reviews on its own site average 4.95 from 1,302⁶. We found no Trustpilot profile for starfishproject.com — the Trustpilot results Google shows are for other companies¹⁷ — and no BBB profile; we’re still checking both by hand.

We found no complaints about its orders. On Reddit, a shopper who looked into the company wrote: ‘Seems legit, good to see them working to make a difference’²⁵.

Official social profiles

Linked from Starfish Project’s own website, so these are the brand’s real accounts.

Alternatives to Starfish Project

• Noonday Collection — Fair-trade, artisan-made fashion jewelry from Austin, Texas, from a certified B Corp
• Kendra Scott — Plated brass and sterling silver fashion jewelry with a free return label and a one-year Confidence Guarantee
• Monica Vinader — Gold vermeil and recycled silver with 100-day returns and a 5-year warranty

Starfish Project FAQ

How we score stores

The Trust Score adds up 100 points across six areas: identity & transparency (20), purchase protection (25), warranty & aftercare (15), product transparency (15), payment safety (10), reputation (15). Every point is tied to a fact we can link to, and the rules are the same for every store. Read the full methodology.

90+ Excellent · 75–89 Trustworthy · 60–74 Mostly reliable · below 60 Proceed with caution. Ratings from other platforms are summarized in our own words with a link; we don’t copy reviews.

Update history

• Nov 3, 2026 — First published, before our editor’s review. Every fact checked against starfishproject.com and the other sources listed below as they read that day.

Sources

All pages were read on Nov 3, 2026. Store policies change — check the store’s current terms before you buy.

1. Starfish Project — Your Questions – Starfish Project
2. Starfish Project's product feed (products.json on starfishproject.com, all 300 products)
3. Starfish Project — product page: Canopy Leaf Earrings in Pearl White – Starfish Project
4. Starfish Project — Shipping policy – Starfish Project
5. Starfish Project — Terms and Shipping – Starfish Project
6. Starfish Project — home page
7. Starfish Project — Returns and Refunds – Starfish Project
8. Starfish Project — Our Purpose – Starfish Project
9. Domain registration record (RDAP)
10. Google search: starfish project goshen indiana
11. Starfish Project — Payment Terms – Starfish Project
12. Starfish Project — product page: Stronger Together Crystal Studs – Starfish Project
13. Starfish Project — Contact information – Starfish Project
14. Starfish Project — product page: Custom Charm Necklace in 14K Gold – Starfish Project
15. Starfish Project — product page: Lunar Crest Moonstone Ring – Starfish Project
16. Starfish Project — product page: Sedona Stretch Bracelet – Starfish Project
17. trustpilot.com: Read Customer Service Reviews of starfish.reviews — Google result snippet, Nov 3, 2026
18. Starfish Project — Refund policy – Starfish Project
19. southbendtribune.com: Our Opinion: This project is saving one life at a time — Google result snippet, Nov 3, 2026
20. yahoo.com: Starfish Project expanding — Google result snippet, Nov 3, 2026
21. starfishproject21.org: The Beach — Google result snippet, Nov 3, 2026
22. starfishproject.com: Jewelry That Gives Back | Starfish Project — Google result snippet, Nov 3, 2026
23. Starfish Project — product page: Nature's Charm Gift Set – Starfish Project
24. facebook.com: Starfish Project (@StarfishProjAsia) — Google result snippet, Nov 3, 2026
25. reddit.com: Has anyone heard of this company before? Their mission … — Google result snippet, Nov 3, 2026