Jewellery Valuations FAQ's

Q - Is my jewellery insured while it is with you?

A - Yes we carry comprehensive insurance from the major jewellery industry provider.

Q - Do you offer an 'at home ' service?

A - No, for the simple reason that we prefer to work in a controlled lighting environment with all our equipment to hand. Controlled lighting is important in the assessment of coloured gems and diamonds and it would be impossible to bring all necessary equipment with us.

Q - Why do you ask to see previous valuations, receipts and certificates of the jewellery when what I want is an independent opinion?

A. - We ask this in your best interests. A valuer is required to show due diligence. Very often receipts contain information that would be very difficult for the valuer to establish. A good example is the precise weight of a mounted gemstone. We calculate an estimated weight but if the supplier has weighed the stone before mounting that should be accurate. Diamonds or gemstones with certificates from internationally recognised laboratories may carry a premium over other stones. It is therefore important that we are aware not only that the stone has documentation but from which lab. it comes.

For an insurance replacement valuation we have to take into consideration where the item was purchased. The type of supplier and the quality of an establishment can make a difference to the asking prices so we need to establish the market in which replacement will be made.

There are occasions when we do not agree with a previous appraiser and it is preferable that we have opportunity to discuss that with you before we prepare the documents.

Lastly, and by no means least, provenance can play a large part in valuations and supporting documents are therefore important.

All documents produced are scanned and form part of our own copy of the work. Failure to provide documents containing information that has a bearing on the valuation of an item renders the valuation void.