I am not a valuer or an appraiser. While I will have an idea about how something was made, the materials used and the period it was manufactured, I have not yet specialised in these areas.

Many people will ask me “what is is this worth?” or “how much can I sell it for?” because I am jeweller and they presume I know. I often can give an educated guess or check the gemstones are genuine but I am not able to advise in any more depth.

There is a huge amount of work to properly value jewellery. It must be cleaned, assessed, gemstones identified and tested, estimations of carat weight and metal weight completed. Careful notes must accompany photos. Additonal factors like the maker, how was it manufatcured, and date can all play a part in over all value. Sometimes research must be conducted, further lab tests made and expertise sought so it can take a good amount of time in some cases.

There are several types of appraisals/ valuations out there. Probate value is different to second hand value. Total loss for insurance is different than scrap value. These numbers will not all be the same amount so know what you need before you ask.

If you need to have anything valued I recommend one of the UK’s top valuers Georgina Deer of Valuations Services Ltd located in Manchester. Whoever you choose I strongly advise that you work with a registered valuer of the Jewellery Valuers Association (JVA) or similar.

Lastly make sure you are not under insured in the event that you have things stolen or lost. Many people rely on insurance under thier house and contents or rental policy which will have a threshold and may not be enough. I always advise laying out all your jewellery and watches next to a ruler and taking good photos. Then if you do experience loss or theft at least you will have a record of what has gone missing as it is easy to forget those items you don’t wear everyday.