Privacy Policy for Connemara Crystals

At Connemara Crystals, located at 14 Ballynahown Road, Clifden, County Galway, H71 E8W2, Ireland, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your data when you interact with our site and services. We adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws.

Information We Collect

We collect various types of information to provide and improve our gemstone and mineral tourism and education services.

• Personal Identification Information: This includes your name, email address, phone number, and postal address when you book a guided tour, gemstone identification workshop, educational seminar, geological field trip, or custom jewellery design service. This information is essential for processing your bookings, providing customer support, and delivering our services.
• Payment Information: When you make a purchase on our site, such as ethically sourced crystals and minerals or custom jewellery, payment details are collected through secure third-party payment processors. Connemara Crystals does not store sensitive payment card information on our servers.
• Communication Data: Records of your communications with us, including emails and inquiries, are kept to assist with customer service and improve our offerings.
• Usage Data: We automatically collect information on how our site is accessed and used. This may include your computer's Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, browser version, the pages of our site that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, and other diagnostic data. This helps us understand user behavior and enhance our site's functionality.
• Preference Data: Information about your preferences, such as interests in specific types of crystals, minerals, or educational topics, helps us tailor our services and content to your needs.

How We Use Your Information

We use the collected data for various purposes to operate and improve Connemara Crystals:

• To Provide and Maintain Our Services: This includes facilitating guided tours, workshops, seminars, and processing retail orders for crystals and custom jewellery.
• To Manage Your Bookings: We use your contact details to confirm bookings, send reminders, and communicate any changes or important information related to your reservations.
• To Process Transactions: For purchasing crystals, minerals, or custom jewellery, your information is used to complete and fulfill your orders.
• To Communicate With You: To respond to your inquiries, provide customer support, and send you service-related announcements.
• To Improve Our Services: Analyzing usage data helps us understand how our site and services are used, allowing us to enhance user experience, develop new offerings, and optimize our educational content.
• For Marketing and Promotional Purposes: With your explicit consent, we may send you newsletters, updates about new products, upcoming events (like geological field trips), or special offers related to Connemara Crystals. You can opt out of these communications at any time.
• To Comply with Legal Obligations: We may use your data as required by law, such as for accounting, taxation, or other regulatory compliance.

Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data Under GDPR

We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Consent: Where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose (e.g., subscribing to our newsletter).
• Contract: Where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract (e.g., booking a tour or purchasing a product).
• Legal Obligation: Where processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which Connemara Crystals is subject.
• Legitimate Interests: Where processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by Connemara Crystals, provided these interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms. This includes improving our services, preventing fraud, and ensuring the security of our site.

Sharing Your Information

We value your trust and are careful about how we share your personal data. We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your data with:

• Service Providers: We may employ third-party companies and individuals to facilitate our services (e.g., payment processors, website hosting, email communication services). These third parties have access to your personal data only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose your personal data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or government agency).
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale involving Connemara Crystals, your personal data may be transferred. We will provide notice before your personal data is transferred and becomes subject to a different Privacy Policy.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, or as required by law. For example, we retain booking information for a period that allows us to manage any post-service queries or comply with financial regulations. Usage data is generally retained for a shorter period, unless it is used to strengthen the security or improve the functionality of our service, or we are legally obligated to retain this data for longer periods.

Security of Your Data

The security of your data is paramount to us. We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, accidental loss, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. We use secure servers, encryption, and strict access controls; however, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Your Data Protection Rights Under GDPR

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights. Connemara Crystals aims to take reasonable steps to allow you to correct, amend, delete, or limit the use of your personal data.

• The Right to Access: You have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about you.
• The Right to Rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• The Right to Erasure (Right to Be Forgotten): You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data under certain conditions.
• The Right to Restrict Processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data under certain conditions.
• The Right to Data Portability: You have the right to obtain your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
• The Right to Object: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data under certain conditions, including for direct marketing.
• The Right to Withdraw Consent: You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time if we are relying on consent to process your personal data.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided at the end of this policy. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, particularly in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work, or the place of the alleged infringement.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. We will let you know via email and/or a prominent notice on our service, prior to the change becoming effective and update the "last updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

Connemara Crystals

14 Ballynahown Road,

Clifden, County Galway,

H71 E8W2

Ireland