Engagement Ring valuations

faceman

Can someone recommend a reliable jeweller that can value an engagement ring bought abroad for insurance purposes? (Baring in mind that some snooty jewellers wont value rings bought outside the state!)

Cheers!

DoubleL

I think Weirs on Grafton St do it but you have to leave it in a couple of days. I had my ring made here by a friend who is a gemsetter in the west of the country. He got a jeweller in Galway to do the valuation. Most places charge about 150e and then 1% of the value. PM if the Galway guy is any use to you and i can give details!

sud

just wondering if you bring a ring to get valued what is stoping the valuer uping the valuation because if it is precentage base the more it costs the more he makes i asked this because i recently got a ring valued in cork for insurance purposes and he valued it at 10,000 euro more than i paid for it I dont know if i got a really good bargain or he over valued it?

Ballyman

Why don't people tell the Jeweler to go **** themselves when they try and charge 1%??

Whats that about?? Why isn't it a flat fee?? These percentage merchants make my blood boil.

sud

i agree with you, but unfortunately if you buy your ring outside of the E.U you need to get a valuation done here, as in my case an American one will not do to get it covered under house insurance

keyes

sud wrote:

just wondering if you bring a ring to get valued what is stoping the valuer uping the valuation because if it is precentage base the more it costs the more he makes i asked this because i recently got a ring valued in cork for insurance purposes and he valued it at 10,000 euro more than i paid for it I dont know if i got a really good bargain or he over valued it?

to be honest, it's the professionalism and integrity of the valuer that stops him. a good valuer will take pride in accurately describing the item, and putting a fair price on it.

it might sound very simplistic, but in my experience that's the way most people operate

Nicki123

I popped into Weirs last weekend to get my ring valued and they said that they could do it for a €40 fee, I'd have to leave the ring with them for 4 - 6 weeks and then they'd charge me 1% of the valuation :eek: They could've just said no!!!!

There's a lady in the Hibernian mall who'll do it for a flat fee. Going in next week to get it done.

faceman

^ you shouldnt need to leave a ring in to get if valued. AVOID!

keyes

faceman wrote:

^ you shouldnt need to leave a ring in to get if valued. AVOID!

not necessarily true - it depends on the work needed. if it's a simple enough thing, a ring with a certificate, then it can usually be done the same day, but you may have to leave the ring in for a few hours. if you don't trust the shop with your item, then why do you trust them to put the correct value on it?

fees vary greatly, and can be indicative of the expertise you get.

faceman

keyes wrote:

... but you may have to leave the ring in for a few hours.

maybe a few hours in certain circumstances but not 4-6 weeks

keyes

faceman wrote:

maybe a few hours in certain circumstances but not 4-6 weeks

couldn't agree with you more

Fey!

faceman wrote:

maybe a few hours in certain circumstances but not 4-6 weeks

If you go to a busy jeweller, they'll have a backlog of work. However, a week should be the max.

A bit like getting a big job done on your car.

faceman

Fey! wrote:

If you go to a busy jeweller, they'll have a backlog of work. However, a week should be the max.

A bit like getting a big job done on your car.

i disagree. the checks done to value the ring only take a few minutes, even shorter than changin a wheel on your car!

Fey!

faceman wrote:

i disagree. the checks done to value the ring only take a few minutes, even shorter than changin a wheel on your car!

You really need to research what you're talking about, as you obviously have no idea what goes in to valuing a ring.

I was going to outline it here, but I think I'd be wasting my time, as you obviously have your mind made up.

faceman

Fey! wrote:

You really need to research what you're talking about, as you obviously have no idea what goes in to valuing a ring.

I was going to outline it here, but I think I'd be wasting my time, as you obviously have your mind made up.

with all due respect, thats a facetious remark. I did. I have had 3 seperate valuations done for the 1 ring. Please do outline what happens.

faceman

Actually on re-reading my posts its a bit misleading what ive said. The process of valuing the ring using the ring itself doesnt take long. The jeweller may take a few days after they have examined the ring to get a price. There is no need for them to take the ring for that however.

Anna23

What I dont understand is why do ppl spend so much on a silly wedding ring? I dont see why, as ppl will not know if its a real diamond or a fake one and they dont care either.

Fey!

Faceman; each stone has to be appraised individually, which can be a little bit time consuming. Each has to be measured, checked for flaws and chips, have the colours checked and have the cut checked to see whether or not it's good or bad. Fluorescense also has to be checked. All of this has a major effect on the value, and will all need to be double checked.

Even with a cert, the stone needs to be checked against the cert to make sure that they match. Then the setting has to be checked, and the setting and the shank may need to be acid tested.

It may sound simple, but it does need to be concentrated on, so you need to get an opening in which to do it; if the valuer is also one of the sales staff, then that will effect the length of time needed. If the valuer has a large volume of valuations, then you'll also have to wait for those that arrived before you to be done first.

Hope this helps.

keyes

faceman wrote:

i disagree. the checks done to value the ring only take a few minutes, even shorter than changin a wheel on your car!

Faceman - with the greatest of respect, that's complete nonsense. While i can do a quick "back of my hand" calculation instantly, do you really expect a professional to sign his name to something without doing all the checks and measurements necessary? Even just verifying that a cert applies to a particular diamond can take that long. Then there are other issues such as: do i agree with the cert, which lab did the cert, what do i believe the grades are, comparisons with known standards, etc. (This is critical, as different standards apply in different parts of the world; an "F" grade on a Dubai cert is not necessarily the same as an "F" grade on a GIA or British cert, for example. This is one reason why diamond prices appear to vary in different parts of the world; the truth is that the price for a paricular diamond the same, but the certing is done differently, to artificially boost the apparent grade of the diamond. But that's for another day)

Plus, as Fey alluded to, just because it suits you, it doesn't necesarily suit the valuer - there may only be one valuer, who has other appointments that day, who may be busy with his customers. Remember, you didn't buy the ring from them, you are not their customer.

faceman

keyes wrote:

Faceman - with the greatest of respect, that's complete nonsense.

see subsequent posts.

keyes

faceman wrote:

see subsequent posts.

oh, i did. but i still stick by what i said.

faceman

keyes wrote:

oh, i did. but i still stick by what i said.

do you think i should question the valuations i got done so? what would you recommend i say to them?

keyes

faceman wrote:

do you think i should question the valuations i got done so? what would you recommend i say to them?

to be honest, i'm not too sure what you are saying. if you have a valuation, and you're happy with it, then it's all good!

ciarj

Carol Clarke Jewellers on Royal Hibernian Way, Dawson St have a great reputation for valuing jewellery. I went in there to get an heirloom valued. Took a half hour, all done right in front of me. Cost me 75 euro but well worth it to avoid the hassle outlined above!

RonnieL

I'm not sure if it's ligit to resurrect a thread that's 6 years old, but it's the one that came up when I searched for engagement ring valuations a month or so ago, so I'm thinking it's ok. I needed valuations done for house insurance purposes, and having bought the ring outside Ireland, I couldn't go back to where it was bought.

Since then, I've had my wife's engagement and eternity rings valued by Padraic Lavin who runs http://www.jewelleryvaluationsireland.ie/

I'd like to make it clear that I have nothing to do with Padraic - I just found his site through a google search. I spoke to him over the phone initially, and satisfied myself that he was trustworthy etc. He said I could call up to him in Mayo and have the valuation done in an hour or so while I wait, or bring the rings into one of the jewelers he works with and have them sent to him that way. I'm based in Galway, so I went into the Watch & Jewellery Repair Centre on Abbygate street. I think the guy who runs it is called Ray. I've since been in to him to get a battery in my watch - I didn't know the place existed before. That's neither here nor there.

Anyway, to cut a long story short I suppose I'm just writing to recommend both Padraic and Ray. Padraic did a very thorough job on the valuations, providing detailed reports including photos of the rings and a pdf version on a cd. Ray cleaned and resized the rings, and did an excellent job on those too. He's also very friendly which helps!

That's all. Just a positive review for some local businesses who are doing good work.