Valuations

[Katie5]

Hi all. Just wondering if anyone here has had any of their Rocks items valued. I went to town today just to ask around about prices of valuations. The last jeweller I saw said he would look at my items and tell me if they were worth valuing for insurance purposes. After looking at them he said they were not worth valuing for insurances purposes as none of them were worth over £1000
He also turned his nose up a bit and said "I'm guessing these are from GemsTV or QVC" and also mentioned the fact that they were all heat treated (which I already knew - but he said it in a way that implied heat-treatment was a really bad thing, which surprised me as I was under the impression that the majority of gems these days are heat-treated).
The items he looked at were:
http://www.colouredrocks.com/ai-lv329/
http://www.colouredrocks.com/ai-ad145/
http://www.colouredrocks.com/ai-bs614/
http://www.colouredrocks.com/ai-nv504/

Would be great to hear any of your experiences with valuations and which jewellers you've used.

Thanks, Katie

 

[stevebennett]

Hi Katie

Don't the high street talk rubbish at times! Sorry its late in the evening in Thailand and i don't mince my words when i am tired!

Any jeweller that knows anything about coloured gemstones will know that you don't heat treat Emeralds, however 99% of Emeralds are waxed or oiled. Plus the lovely Tanzanite ring you have, is definately heat treated because with out heat treating Tanzanite it remains brown Zoasite. No heat treatment no Tanzanite!

If you need a valuation i suggest finding someone independent or sending them to Safeguard, which is part of the Assay office.

If it helps, i have received 16 copies of valuations from happy customers regarding the blue diamond ring, and on average they came back at around £650!

best wishes

Steve

 

[mariek]

Hi katie some lovely things you have got there ... you shouldnt really have a problem with your valuations ,i have brought ahem quite a few from rocks and all mine have exceeded my expectations in valuations, i have had mine done for insurance purposes... i tend to use a local jeweller who independently values and makes my loose stones into items for me, but also i have used regency linked with rocks, £10 per first item then £5 per additional i think ...and their valuations have been very good for what ive had... i think u will see some of mine on the rocks homepage if you look scorpio/marie ...hope that helps tho i know there will be more of us along soon to help as well.

 

[Katie5]

Thank you so much Steve and Marie - that's very reassuring! I read about the heat treating of Zoisite to get Tanzanite in your book Steve (so was wondering why he was looking so disdainful!), but I was just so disappointed with the way he was looking at and talking about the rings that I didn't really want to talk to him anymore and just wanted to leave asap lol! I've got my Alexandrite ring coming on Monday and I definitely won't be letting him see it hehe! Thanks again for your replies and I will have a look at the Regency website regarding valuations.

 

[perdita]

I sometimes wonder if the High Street jewellers are feeling the competition and are snotty about items we buy direct from Rocks.tv, etc because they simply cannot get anywhere near their prices as they have so many overheads and therefore add ridiculously high mark ups.

The bottom line is....do you like what you have bought? Are you happy with the price you paid?

I sent 2 rings to Stanley's/Regency for valuation and was amazed at the replacement value they have put on the rings.

Incidentally, I doubt if your High Street jeweller will ever have seen Alexandrite let alone be able to put a value on it!!

 

[PearlyQueen]

It must be 'orrible when these snooty jewellers are looking down their noses at your bling hun, what a nasty experience for you.
But don't let it put you off your lovely things (I have both the blue diamond and the aquamarine, so you have great taste...lol).
Bet the things he was selling were every bit as treated as yours are. But he wouldn't tell you!
In fairness, the jeweller was probably right about one thing, I wouldn't think any of them would value over £1K for insurance purposes.

 

[tequila]

valuations

hi Katie i havent had any Rocks stuff valued yet but have bought lots frrom gemstv and had them valued ie a silver watch with lavender jade and amerthyst bought for £29 valued for £400 dont use a jeweller from a big chain they hate you buying from these channels because then you dont go in and buy their over priced items find a good local jeweller mine charges £12 up to a valuation of £750 then its more ,goes by percentage then, i have not had anything valued for less than i paid, just the opposite, but in the long run if you love what you have bought it really doesnt matter what it is worth i judge my first instincts if when i open the box my first thought isnt oh i like that then i send it back happy shopping

 

[RachelN]

Dear Katie5, Im so sorry you have this experience. I have had the same reaction from my local jeweller about the jewelery from Steve's previous company. The jeweller was very snooty about it - even though I thought the pieces were gorgeous. This jeweller has subsequently had to close due to lack of business. I think that says it all and they simply can not compete with the prices here at RocksTV.
I have been on a silversmithing course (only a beginner really!) and even buying the silver and gemstones at trade prices, I cant make the pieces for the prices sold on RocksTV (taking into account time to make them etc etc) and thus I feel that RocksTV items offer fabulous value. The pieces then are fun to wear every day and we can all afford many pieces to allow us to enjoy gemstones and looks that we could not possibly access prior to Rocks and Steve's previous company.
My only slight fear is that if I ever need to sell any items in the future (to raise money if I needed it - although it would be tough to part with my pieces!), it may be difficult to use jewellers or auction houses as they are unable to see past the 'shopping telly snobbery' and fail to see that RocksTV (for example) is a jewellery store that is better than most. My local auction house refused to allow me to put some in with them as they had bad feedback from some of their traders (probably trade jewellers). I have not yet had the confidence to use ebay- although I know that is an option. The jewellers in my local town also were not helpful at all.
I wish the attititude in the rest of the jewellery business would change as I want to feel that I am handing on hierloom pieces to my children that will grow in value. I want to feel that if I ever needed to realise their value that I would be able to - as you never know what is around the corner.
Perhaps Steve's new ranges of Lorique will help to change opinion as they will be high end pieces that I hope will raise RocksTV's profile for both the public and in the jewellery business in the UK. If Steve can get his pieces into the 'A' list limelight then a RocksTV piece will then carry endorsements that will add to the pedigree of RocksTV items.
I have a !!!!large!!! collection of RocksTV items now and have thoroughly enjoyed wearing all of them and have comments constantly about the pieces. That is what counts at the end of the day - as wearing the jewellery makes me happy. I always recommend RocksTV to my friends and family.
I also hope I have not upset anyone with this post as it is my first one!!! I may have had a skewed experience of jewellers and Auction Houses and if other people have had a better experience from the trade could they feedback..
Best wishes to you all
Rachel N

 

[Meeshoo]

Thank you so much Steve and Marie - that's very reassuring! I read about the heat treating of Zoisite to get Tanzanite in your book Steve (so was wondering why he was looking so disdainful!), but I was just so disappointed with the way he was looking at and talking about the rings that I didn't really want to talk to him anymore and just wanted to leave asap lol! I've got my Alexandrite ring coming on Monday and I definitely won't be letting him see it hehe! Thanks again for your replies and I will have a look at the Regency website regarding valuations.

Whilst I hate to disagree with the lovely Mr Bennett - not all Tanzanite is heat treated. The majority is but some does come out of the ground blue. Some is even green, pink, yellow etc. These are not heat treated.

Your jeweller does have one point. A valuation (by Safeguard) is around £45 for the first item and then about £25-35 for all subsequent items. If you have bought an item for £250 (say), you have to decide whether you want to add it to your insurance and face a higher insurance premium. Whilst most of your items will come back at more than you've paid for them, this is only a valuation for insurance it's not an indication of worth.

I wouldn't ever go to a High Street jeweller (and that includes Regency and Stanleys) for a valuation. The only place to get a real, true life and accurate valuation that insurance companies will honour is Safeguard. They are truly independent. Regency and Stanley's valuations are, in my experience, not worth the paper they're written on - they're over-inflated in terms of valuation and don't provide sufficient information for an insurance company.

 

[Katie5]

Whilst I hate to disagree with the lovely Mr Bennett - not all Tanzanite is heat treated. The majority is but some does come out of the ground blue. Some is even green, pink, yellow etc. These are not heat treated.

Your jeweller does have one point. A valuation (by Safeguard) is around £45 for the first item and then about £25-35 for all subsequent items. If you have bought an item for £250 (say), you have to decide whether you want to add it to your insurance and face a higher insurance premium. Whilst most of your items will come back at more than you've paid for them, this is only a valuation for insurance it's not an indication of worth.

I wouldn't ever go to a High Street jeweller (and that includes Regency and Stanleys) for a valuation. The only place to get a real, true life and accurate valuation that insurance companies will honour is Safeguard. They are truly independent. Regency and Stanley's valuations are, in my experience, not worth the paper they're written on - they're over-inflated in terms of valuation and don't provide sufficient information for an insurance company.

Hi Meeshoo. Thank you for the info! I think that the Goldsmiths store where I live are having Safeguard come in on Wednesday to do instore valuations. When I asked in the store yesterday I was told it was £60 for the first item and £30 for every item after that. I think I may have to save up a bit and wait for their next instore valuation day though!

Do you know anything about 'The Guild of Valuers and Jewellers', and are there other types of valuation which can just tell you how much the item is worth, rather than for insurance purposes?

Sorry...I'm really pretty clueless when it comes to all this. At the end of the day I guess it's not all that important as I love all my pieces and am happy with the prices I paid for them. I was just curious as the presenters have been mentioning getting things valued quite a bit recently, and that's what prompted me to ask around when I was in town yesterday!

Thanks again...sorry for wittering on!

Katie

 

[Meeshoo]

The way a valuation works (and what you've have to do in order to find out how much your items are worth) is:-

1. Find out the £ per carat of each of the gemstones you have. This changes (a bit like gold does) and is based on the quality of the gemstone too. So, for example, you have an Emerald ring above? Emeralds come in all different qualities (based on colour, cut, clarity) and so the price per carat would depend on that.

I notice you've also got an Alex on the way? Alex is looked at differently and the £worth is based on the colour change, clarity, size and then cut - this is different from how you evaluate most gemstones. Look at my avatar - that's one of my Alex and that's the colour I see in electric light. This particular stone is an emerald green during the day. This is what you want to see in a fine Alex. If you struggle to see the colour change or it's faint then it's not particularly good. Also, if you're thinking of worth, then for Alex and top quality specimens you then add in a premium because finding/sourcing another may/may not be possible. A premium will always be added for top quality gemstones but I mean TOP QUALITY - nothing less. You'll know if you have one because you'll have paid big bucks in the first place!

Another thing to bear in mind is size - for example a ring that has 10 small stones totalling 1ct is going to be much less than a ring with 1 stone weighing 1ct.

2. Then you need to know how much the gold is worth per gramme.

3. Then you need to add it £ based on how much it would be to make the ring.

Voila you have your "worth". Would you be able to do it? Probably not. If you've been a collector of jewellery for years you'll have a rough idea. High Street jewellers could do it but unless they're familiar with a wide range of gemstones and have access to them, it's unlikely they'll give you a correct valuation.

At the end of the day though, why is this important? If you feel that you've paid a "fair" price for what you've got then that's the worth.

A valuation is only needed for insurance purposes and I wouldn't get anything valued unless it's likely to come in over £1k.

 

[Katie5]

Wow. Thank you again for such an informative post! You've been extremely helpful and cleared a lot of things up. I was under the impression that it was common practice to get the type of rings that I have bought valued...I had no idea that it wasn't really worthwhile unless they were worth over £1000 (which was why I was surprised when the jeweller told me this)! I will now forget about valuations and concentrate on wearing and enjoying my jewellery!

 

[Meeshoo]

Wow. Thank you again for such an informative post! You've been extremely helpful and cleared a lot of things up. I was under the impression that it was common practice to get the type of rings that I have bought valued...I had no idea that it wasn't really worthwhile unless they were worth over £1000 (which was why I was surprised when the jeweller told me this)! I will now forget about valuations and concentrate on wearing and enjoying my jewellery!

You're more than welcome. :1:

Wearing and enjoying your jewellery is what it's all about!!!

 

[Sazza]

It does vary depending on who you have your insurance with but many will state they will insure you for any single item up to a certain value it is only when it is over that value that you need to provide a valuation in order for you to be covered. I know at one time ours was set at £4000, must go check it and see what it is now.

 

[argeybargey]

The way a valuation works (and what you've have to do in order to find out how much your items are worth) is:-

1. Find out the £ per carat of each of the gemstones you have. This changes (a bit like gold does) and is based on the quality of the gemstone too. So, for example, you have an Emerald ring above? Emeralds come in all different qualities (based on colour, cut, clarity) and so the price per carat would depend on that.

I notice you've also got an Alex on the way? Alex is looked at differently and the £worth is based on the colour change, clarity, size and then cut - this is different from how you evaluate most gemstones. Look at my avatar - that's one of my Alex and that's the colour I see in electric light. This particular stone is an emerald green during the day. This is what you want to see in a fine Alex. If you struggle to see the colour change or it's faint then it's not particularly good. Also, if you're thinking of worth, then for Alex and top quality specimens you then add in a premium because finding/sourcing another may/may not be possible. A premium will always be added for top quality gemstones but I mean TOP QUALITY - nothing less. You'll know if you have one because you'll have paid big bucks in the first place!

Another thing to bear in mind is size - for example a ring that has 10 small stones totalling 1ct is going to be much less than a ring with 1 stone weighing 1ct.

2. Then you need to know how much the gold is worth per gramme.

3. Then you need to add it £ based on how much it would be to make the ring.

Voila you have your "worth". Would you be able to do it? Probably not. If you've been a collector of jewellery for years you'll have a rough idea. High Street jewellers could do it but unless they're familiar with a wide range of gemstones and have access to them, it's unlikely they'll give you a correct valuation.

At the end of the day though, why is this important? If you feel that you've paid a "fair" price for what you've got then that's the worth.

A valuation is only needed for insurance purposes and I wouldn't get anything valued unless it's likely to come in over £1k.[/QUOTE]


Hear, hear Meesh. NOT RocksTV, but the "G" place presenters are constantly telling folk to "get it valued" on the tiniest pieces even in silver. If you can find someone to do it, what a totally unnecessary expense to be suggesting your customers should make. Very naughty and lazy way of getting a point across.

Argey xx

 

[jacky]

My local jeweller is happy to do valuations on items from tv and internet channels - he reckons he gets lots of them to do, plus the resizing, which makes a valuable addition to his actual sales...He did say however that it isn't worth getting silver items valued because it's gold that puts the price up, and a ring will always be valued higher than a pendant because of the bigger amount of gold in it. This seems to ignore the actual gemstones though...I haven't got any high-end items, only silver and lower-end gems, but I could get them valued as a collection...You only get scrap value if you sell to a jeweller - you'd have to sell privately to get anything like the real "worth", and then it's only what someone is willing to pay...

 

[Earringqueen]

Hmmm... I think I know someone who USED to work for Goldsmith and now runs his own pub, I am going to talk to him about this issue.