VALUATIONS

Insurance Valuations

Your insurer might request a valuation report for jewellery and watches which exceed the 'single item limit' specified under your insurance policy. A valuation report gives a detailed summary of the item, along with photographs and a recommended 'replacement value'. This is the expected cost of replacing the item if it's stolen, lost or damaged beyond repair.

Like many independent jewellers, we used to provide valuation reports as an in-house service, and did so over many decades. However, over the past couple of years, the requirements of UK insurers have changed due to a dramatic increase in insurance fraud involving jewellery and luxury watches. Improvements in technology mean that fraudsters are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their methods, making it incredibly difficult to spot fakes without specialist equipment. As a result, most insurance providers have become unwilling to accept valuation reports provided by independent jewellers, as they cannot be certain of their accuracy. Customers might pay for a report only to have it refused by their insurer, or have issues when they attempt to make a claim. While some jewellers continue to offer in-house valuations, we don’t believe this is worth the risk for our customers. Therefore, all valuation reports are now arranged through The Guild of Valuers & Jewellers, who are accepted by all leading UK insurers.

The Guild of Valuers & Jewellers works diligently using the latest technology and best-practice methods to provide a professional, independent and impartial valuation every time. Each item will be detailed, photographed and appraised by one of their expert valuers and stored on their secure e-Register database. This information is vital for the success of any future claims, leaving nothing to chance in an insurance validation process. You can also use the e-Register database to report your items as lost or stolen, enabling police and your insurers to assist in the claim and recovery process.

In addition to insurance valuations, The Guild also offers valuations for the purposes of probate, family division, open-market sale and sale between parties.

Click the logo below to learn more about their service and view a sample valuation report.

This is a third-party service and involves posting your items to The Guild of Valuers & Jewellers in Bath, using Royal Mail Special Delivery. See the Postage section for more information.

Timescale:

The standard timescale for The Guild of Valuers & Jewellers valuation service is three weeks, including postage times.

An express service is available for a 100% surcharge, which reduces the timescale to approximately one week including postage times. Express services are subject to availability.

All timescales quoted are approximate. They are not guaranteed and may be extended during busy periods, or for valuations containing more than ten items. We have no control over third-party timescales.

Postage:

A postage charge of £30 applies to each booking. This is only charged once per booking, no matter how many items are sent. It covers the cost of insured postage to and from The Guild of Valuers & Jewellers, insured for up to £25,000 as standard. If this level of insurance is insufficient, we can obtain additional insurance for an extra cost. Please ask for a quote.

All items will be sent by Royal Mail Special Delivery. While this service is generally reliable, we have no control over items being lost or damaged in transit. Please bear this in mind when choosing to send your items away, especially if they have sentimental value.

Prices:

The prices for The Guild of Valuers & Jewellers valuation services are shown below. All prices are set by The Guild and no discount can be offered. Prices include VAT.

Valuation reports are provided as e-Valuations and will be emailed as a PDF document. If you require a printed copy, this can be provided for an additional charge of £25.

The following prices apply to the valuation of standard jewellery and watch items for the purposes of insurance, family-division, open-market sale or sale between parties. A valuation for insurance purposes should not be used for sale.

High-end watches include brands such as Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Cartier, Jaeger leCoultre, Patek Phillipe, Panerai, Hublot, Omega, Breitling and Tag Heuer. If you are unsure whether your watch would be classed as high-end, please contact us.

First item: £80
Subsequent items: £65 per item
High-end watches: £140 per item
Printed copy of report: £25 per report
Return postage: £30 per parcel

Additional charges may apply to non-standard items (for example antiques, designer pieces, rare gemstones, complex gemstone-set designs). For these items, we recommend requesting a quote before sending your items away. We will contact The Guild to determine whether it would incur additional charges.

Please note: valuation reports will not be provided for counterfeit or imitation items. If you submit an item for valuation and the valuer's assessment reveals it to be counterfeit or imitation, the item will be returned undone. Each returned item will be subject to a £40 handling charge in addition to the return posting costs.

Probate valuations are charged at a reduced rate of £35 per item with a minimum charge of £210, which covers up to six items. Return postage charges apply.

Example Costs:

The total cost to value one standard item would be £110 including the £30 postage charge.

The total cost to value two standard items would be £175 including the £30 postage charge.

The total cost to value one high-end watch and one jewellery item would be £250, including the £30 postage charge.

A probate report for ten items would be charged at £380, including the £30 postage charge.

How to book:

Please bring your items in during our normal opening hours, and we will arrange to send them to The Guild of Valuers & Jewellers on your behalf. No appointment is needed to book the items in.

Please bring any supporting documents you have for each item, for example receipts, guarantees, gemstone certificates or previous valuations. This will avoid delays and minimise queries.

We will provide The Guild with your contact information so they can contact you directly with any queries.