A relative has died, now you need to divide the jewellery, but how?
If you are settling an estate, this is the valuation you need both to ensure there is a fair distribution among the heirs, and also to prove the estate value for inheritance tax. So it is often called the Probate Valuation.
In this case the valuation would be the amount we would pay on the day the owner died, however normally we will buy at the price we quote, unless there have been major changes in prices; for instance the value of gold may have fluctuated a lot.
We don't charge for these valuations. However they are brief, just adequate to identify the different pieces.
Why don't we charge? We nearly always get the opportunity to buy some of the items valued, so we do it free for the sake of goodwill.
Bring the jewellery to us, and explain you need a probate valuation. Often there are a number of pieces to value, and it does take time, so we may need to keep them for a few days, we will tell you how long we need when you bring the jewellery to us.
If you have found any of the receipts, or any other documentation (e.g. stone certificates) do bring them, as it helps us. But don't worry if you haven't found them, it really doesn't have much effect on the value. Often it is more important to get the estate settled quickly.
Remember if you (or whoever inherits the jewellery) decide to sell, we will need proof of identity. But we do not need it while we are doing the probate valuation.
We know this is a very distressing time. We understand the considerable pressure on you, and will handle everything with sympathy, and strive not to cause you any additional problems.
