2023 Valuer Of The Year
I recently attended the Jewellery Valuers Association yearly conference, where I was awarded the prestigious Valuer of the Year award. “It is an award for the valuer who has excelled in upholding the JVA’s professional valuation standards and continuously shows exceptional levels of integrity. It recognises the valuer’s commitment and dedication to supporting and developing […]
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Pre-owned watch prices are falling & something unusual happened this week
Well, it finally happened. After two years of insanity, normality may be returning to the pre-owned Rolex watch market. This week a current production model Rolex crossed my desk that has a second-hand value, less than the current RRP. It’s been a while since I was able to say that.
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Visiting clients in Jersey is all work and no play
Whenever I visit my clients in Jersey, I always make time to catch up with my insurance broker colleagues. It’s never just a social call, though. Valuing watches and jewellery is a complex job at the best of times, but Jersey can often provide a unique set of challenges that we don’t find here in […]
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Fluorescence is more than just a bit of fun
Whether inspecting gemstones or diamonds, professional valuers will undertake any number of tests to help determine and grade the particular stone they have in front of them. When dealing with diamonds, testing a stone’s reaction for fluorescence under both long and short-wave UV is quick and diagnostically relevant. Not only will the type and level […]
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Reports based on photographs put you at risk
I understand that life is hectic; we’re all looking for ways to simplify or speed up whatever task we have. But some things must be done properly, and there are no corners to cut. These days there is a near-endless stream of companies offering valuations or condition reports from just a photograph. And on the […]
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Podcast – The pre-owned watch market and the importance of obtaining up to date insurance valuations
I recently sat down with Andrew Fraiwald, Private Client & Portfolio Broking Team Leader of Islands private clients. We discussed the state of the current pre-owned watch market, the importance of obtaining up-to-date watch valuations, plus why having the correct insurance for your valuables is so important. https://private.islands.insure/blog/listen-islands-private-clients-podcast-2-with-gareth-brown/
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Custom diamond set watches – Luxury upgrade or money pit?
Custom diamond watches – not the luxury upgrade or bargain you’d expect I understand from an aesthetics perspective why some people like aftermarket or ‘custom’ set diamond watches. But from a value standpoint, short of running over the watch with your car, there is little more you could do to devalue it. Contrary to what […]
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The devil is in the details!
Everyone loves a diamond certificate. However, they shouldn’t be called certificates. That’s a misnomer; they are, in fact, reports, but that’s a gripe for another day. So why do people love these things so much? Because we are told, they make a diamond quantifiable and tell you exactly what you’re buying. There is a modicum […]
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Why you need a valuation even when you have a receipt
The phrase ‘I don’t need that valued as I have the receipt’ is something I regularly hear from my clients. And on the face of it, that sounds logical, especially if it’s a relatively new purchase. Sadly a receipt only shows what was paid and not the current market value. Things change quickly in the […]
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