Jewellery Valuer and valuation blog

PKAVS – Half-Price Jewellery Valuation Days

Adrian Smith — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:30:26 +0000

PKAVS (Perth and Kinross Association of Voluntary Service) is my chosen charity for this year – “Big deal” I hear you say, “How does affect me?” Well, how about half-price jewellery appraisal and valuations carried out on weekend appointments with 100% of the fees going to this most worthy of charities? Aha, hopefully I now [...]

Online valuation of jewellery – Appraisal by sense of smell

Adrian Smith — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 11:36:14 +0000

A recent episode of the popular BBC2 programme, The Dragon’s Den, featured a new website that “values” articles of jewellery without actually handling the items. This concept undermines the very foundations of appraisal science, and in so doing exposes consumers to risks and in my opinion brings my profession into disrepute. It is unusual for [...]

Trade Only: Ode to a jewellery pre-purchase report

Adrian Smith — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 11:16:06 +0000

There is no excerpt because this is a trade only post.

Nature’s microscopic light-show

Adrian Smith — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:06:40 +0000

I have always considered myself extremely fortunate that I have an opportunity in my work to see things that have perhaps never had a pair of human eyes clapped on them before. In the course of examining gemstone inclusions I see many truly wonderous things and every now and then, I find something that tickles [...]

Jewellery Buying Guide Part Two – Shopping Channels

Adrian Smith — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:58:17 +0000

Let me open by saying that I have a stock answer when asked for an opinion on Jewellery Shopping Channels – “I am one of their greatest fans but one of their biggest critics”. I have publicly praised shopping channels but also lodged official complaints to The Advertising Standards Authority and The Office of Fair [...]

Trade Only: Spray that again

Adrian Smith — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:29:38 +0000

There is no excerpt because this is a trade only post.

It was expensive but fun

Adrian Smith — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 14:57:17 +0000

It is not every day that one gives away £1,000 and has a ball doing so, but yesterday was such a day for me. So, the auspicious evening of the draw had arrived, the wine had been cracked, the unattended dinner was merrily burning itself to a crisp, there was a flurry of expectation amongst [...]

Trade Only: Dubai, Goa and other flies in the ointment

Adrian Smith — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 10:15:36 +0000

There is no excerpt because this is a trade only post.

Straight from the heart

Adrian Smith — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:59:19 +0000

I chanced across a quote from Stateside friend and fellow jewellery valuer, Scott Gordon. This sums up perfectly and eloquently what a good jewellery valuation practice is all about and how a true professional feels: “The heart of a Valuer’s practice is gemmology and appraising. It is much, much more than a business. It is a calling [...]

Curious Case of the Cursed Casting

Adrian Smith — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 09:40:30 +0000

There is a saying that I picked up as a young trainee; ”Sometimes, your best efforts can be your worst failures”. This little story definitely falls into this genre. Dimmers of Southsea, the jeweller I worked for on the South coast of England, had close connections with the Admiralty, indeed we were the Official Supplier of Chronometers [...]