Items sent to us are returned to you together with the finalised report within 7 days. If you make an office appointment; your items can be returned to you before you leave and the valuation report will follow within a couple of days once the necessary appraisal research and value determination is completed. In some instances you will leave with the report too.
Sometimes a very quick service is required and depending on the number and complexity of your items, and on our work schedule, where possible, we will do our utmost to oblige a quick turnaround.
Yes. We are insured by the most highly respected specialist jewellery Insurance Company trading in Ireland and the UK. Your jewellery is fully covered by their comprehensive policy from the moment we take receipt of your pieces to the minute they are returned to you. In addition, we also employ stringent security procedures for both your protection and ourselves.
We value all jewellery, regardless of where you bought it. The value we place on your ring will be based on the likely cost to replace your ring with one of a similar design, description, content and quality that can be sourced from within the Irish market place.
While many people have their jewellery valued on the insistence of and to satisfy the requirements of their insurance company and think no more of it, several worthwhile benefits accrue from this valuation. Proof of ownership is useful in the event of a claim on your policy, or in the event of the return of stolen items by An Garda Siochana, or to prevent being charged Duty or VAT when re-entering Ireland on jewellery you already owned before departure.
The comprehensive detail of the appraisal together with the photographic images will greatly improve the chances of recovering stolen items, or most important of all, in the event a claim, will allow a proper replacement to be sought and supplied.
That fascinating TV programme "The Antique's Road Show" unavoidably promotes the idea that anything can be valued in something less than five minutes and without reference to any research material or, in the case of jewellery, without the measurement and grading of diamonds and gems, or the testing of metals, to determine their carat value. Anyone who watches that program for even a short time will quickly realise that what we are watching can only be the tip of the iceberg. The great bulk of the work takes place before filming commences and would make for poor entertainment. The viewer merely sees the result of the work, not the work itself.
When you avail of the services of a professional appraiser valuer, you are seeking professional advice and expert opinion, together with a professionally prepared appraisal report in which you can have confidence. This not only takes time but also a huge investment in experience, ongoing training, equipment and other resources that are necessary to do the job well, together with the responsibility associated with the finished schedule.
Rather than calculating our fees as a percentage of the value of your items, a system that is often unethical, ambiguous and can cause unpleasant surprises we charge on a per item basis. Our simplified fee structure allows us to give a detailed fee quotation before we start work.
Most insurance policies cover unspecified items up to a certain value. The upper limit can be anywhere from €1,000 to €6,000, depending on the policy premium. If a claim has to be made it can be difficult to determine where the lost item(s) value falls below the upper limit. This can lead to misunderstanding, annoyance and an unsatisfactory settlement. While most insurance companies are very fair in these situations, and it is in their best interests to keep its clients happy, you should be aware that there are some policyholders that unfortunately view a claim as an opportunity for betterment. Your Insurance Company will bear this in mind when trying to establish the value of the lost item.
So that your Insurance Company can settle your claim as expeditiously and as fairly as possible, it is in your best interests to have an accurate and up to date Appraisal and Valuation of your unspecified items as well as your specified pieces. We can provide this service at very little cost.
Insurance Companies regularly offer their customers index linked polices which are linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), as a means of keeping the sum assured in line with current prices. The Irish CPI is the total price variation of all the goods and services sold in Ireland. Within this total basket some things will increase while others fall. Jewellery is subject to its own particular market influences. If the value of jewellery fluctuated exactly in harmony with the CPI the valuer's job would be a very straightforward one. However, the components of a piece of jewellery: diamonds; gems; and various precious metals come from many different markets all having their own fluctuation in price and supply, and are also subject to changes in politics and fashion. As a result jewellery varies in price, relative to the overall Consumer Price Index.
So simply by applying the annual CPI percentage will rarely result in an accurate valuation. We find new clients with index-linked policies are often over insured and are paying premiums that are far too high. Worse still, is the fact that when the true value is established following a robbery, compensation to the insured value will not be made, because the goods were over valued and over insured. Once we have carried out a full Appraisal and Valuation on your valuables, the hard work has been done. All future re-valuations carry only a nominal fee for cleaning and checking all the pieces, recalculating the value and producing a new schedule for your Insurance Company.
We ask our clients to furnish us with any relevant documentation that they might have such as receipts, previous valuations, grading reports, certificates etc. This material will sometimes resolve uncertainties such as providing the un-mounted weight of a large number of small stones rather than relying on calculation methods which would be less accurate in some situations. Sight of diamond laboratory grading reports is very important in order to confirm that the stone in the ring is indeed one and the same as that in the grading report, graded diamonds also carry a premium which should be included in the final calculation of value.
Some handmade jewellery pieces are made by significant or even famous craftsmen, this provenance could have a major impact on the replacement value.
So that we can provide you with a definitive and absolutely complete appraisal, we like to scan all relevant documentation to the data disc that forms part of your report.
An Independent valuer is a qualified and experienced professional whose business is to - in our case - Appraise and Value jewellery, watches and antique clocks. By virtue of not being commercially involved or aligned with any Insurance Company or any other business within the jewellery trade, we are totally unbiased and independent and free of any vested interest in the valuation outcome.
JEWELLERY VALUATIONS IRELAND ARE MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT JEWELLERY VALUERS.
THE AIJV HAVE THE MOST STRINGENT INDEPENDENCE RULES IN THE WORLD.
To qualify as a RJI Registerd Valuer, valuers have to qualify by examination, have to meet the highest professional standards, in terms of experience, qualifications, integrity, knowledge, equipment, procedures and presentation. Every valuation schedule is composed under very stringent guidelines laid down by the the RJI Registered Valuers, these guidelines were established using the best international practice in the USA and UK. In the event of a loss and the subsequent insurance claim it is very important to have an insurance industry recognised valuation report so as to expedite your claim and, more importantly, that your claim is negotiated with the appointed loss adjuster to a satisfactory conclusion.
Padraic Lavin was one of the first Valuers to qualify as a RJI Registered Valuer. He later became a tutor on subsequent RJI Valuation courses.
A gemmologist is a professional practitioner in the field of gemmology, which is the science of gemstones and a branch of mineralogy. The gemmologist applies expert knowledge and a range of simple to sophisticated laboratory equipment to the identification of gemstones, whether they are natural or treated in origin and including gems that have been treated or enhanced in some way. It is obvious that expertise in this area is essential to the process of jewellery appraisal and valuation. Gemmology courses and training to different standards are available from many institutions throughout the world. Padraic Lavin FGA is a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain. This qualification (achieved by examination) is internationally sought and widely regarded as the ultimate standard and the most difficult to achieve.
Having received the FGA in 1991 Padraic Lavin went on to teach gemmology related topics to members of the Irish retail jewellery trade. In 2004 the Science Diploma (Gemmology) was established at NUI Galway by Dr. Martin Feely (Course Director and Senior Lecturer, Earth & Ocean Science Department,). The course is the first of it's kind in Ireland and is a rarity world wide because of it's university status qualification, as most other courses are provided by professional institutions. Padraic Lavin assisted at the formation stage and is the gemology lecturer on the course.
Appraisal is a detailed "forensic" type examination of a piece of jewellery, which quantifies all of the many and various factors and components that together determines the commercial value of that piece. This would include things like; the weight and quality of the precious metals, the shape, size, weight, clarity grade and colour grade of diamonds and gems, the method of manufacture and the standard of workmanship and the identification punch marks and Hallmarks.
It is only when all of this kind of appraisal information is recorded that we can then determine the market value of the item. The appraisal is the great bulk of the work and the foundation without which an accurate valuation is possible. Valuations plucked from the air can only result in trouble when an insurance claim has to be negotiated with a loss adjuster.
In the first instance you should contact us so that we can together discuss your exact requirements and once you are happy to employ our services at the agreed fee, we can make an appointment for you. If you decide to use the An Post Registered Post Service please contact us prior to posting so that we may advise you on a suitable method of packaging and so that we might anticipate the arrival of your package.
Please note our special postal address for posting valuables:
Padraic Lavin FGA,
Pound St.,
Ballaghaderreen,
Co. Roscommon.
If you have the benefit of an established relationship with your local or family jeweller it is in your best interest to maintain this relationship. You may also prefer to collect items locally.
If this is the case our valuation reports are available through a growing number of selected jewelers. Please see PARTICIPATING JEWELLERS
Our service is also available through your jeweller.
We appreciate that if you work or run your business from 9am to 5pm attending an appointment can be difficult. We are happy to offer an "Out of Hours" service.If it is more convenient for you, we can offer appointments from 8.00 in the morning.
If evenings suit you better we can usually accommodate any reasonable request. Saturday appointments can be arranged too if you cannot make any other time. Normal charges apply plus an "Out of Hours" charge of €30.00
