Photographing jewellery for a probate valuation can feel like it should require specialist equipment or professional knowledge, but it does not. A smartphone camera is all you need, and most of the other things that will make your photographs useful are already in your home. The goal is simply to give the valuer enough clear, well-lit information to do their job accurately.
Your Basic Setup
The single biggest improvement you can make to your photographs costs nothing. Natural light, from a window during the daytime, produces far cleaner images than any artificial lighting you are likely to have at home. Evening lighting in particular tends to create colour casts and shadows that make it harder to assess items accurately.
A kitchen worktop or table positioned near a window is an ideal spot. You do not need a lightbox, a camera, or any specialist equipment. Take the photographs on your smartphone and upload them directly from your mobile to the Swift Values dashboard using the QR code provided.
Start With Group Shots
Before photographing individual pieces, it helps to sort everything into categories. Put all the rings together, all the necklaces together, all the bracelets together, and separate out any costume jewellery into its own group.
Once sorted, take one overall photograph of everything laid out together. Then take a closer shot of each category as a group, so rings in one photo, necklaces in another, and so on.
These group shots give the valuer a clear picture of the full scope of what needs to be assessed, and they form the foundation of the whole submission.
If you are not entirely sure what you have or how to categorise something, do not worry. Sort as best you can and the team can request additional photographs if anything needs clarifying. The one thing worth avoiding is placing everything in a single unsorted pile, as that makes it much harder to assess individual pieces accurately.
Costume Jewellery: Keep It Simple
Costume jewellery often makes up the bulk of what people submit, but it needs the least amount of detailed photography. Your group shots will cover most of it.
If a few pieces look particularly interesting or unusual, it is worth taking a close-up of the front and back. But there is no need to photograph every item individually. One or two additional close-up shots of the costume jewellery as a group is plenty.
Gold and Precious Metal Items
If you believe any items are gold or made from precious metal, it is worth taking a bit more care with these photographs. The information you gather here will have a direct impact on the accuracy of the valuation.
Start by laying the items out on a plain piece of paper, sorted by type, rings in one group, necklaces in another, bracelets in another. Then examine each piece closely for any small stamped numbers or letters. These are hallmarks, and they tell the valuer what the metal is and how pure it is. Write the mark next to each item on the paper.
Next, weigh each piece on a set of kitchen scales and note the weight in grams beside it. Once your page is complete, with items laid out, marks noted, and weights recorded, take a single photograph of the whole page. That one image gives the valuer everything they need to begin assessing the gold content accurately.
Common hallmarks and what they mean:
- 375 / 9 / 9ct: 9 carat gold (37.5% pure gold)
- 585 / 14 / 14ct: 14 carat gold (58.5% pure gold)
- 750 / 18 / 18ct: 18 carat gold (75% pure gold)
- 950: Platinum (95% pure)
- 925 / Ster / Sterling: Silver (92.5% pure)
- 800: Lower grade silver, common in continental European pieces
Gemstones
You do not need to do this for every ring, only for pieces that look like they might contain a significant stone, such as a large diamond, sapphire, or emerald.
For these, place the ring next to a ruler and photograph it so the size of the stone is visible when you zoom in. You can line several rings up against a single ruler in one shot, so this does not need to take long.
As with the gold items, note any hallmarks and the weight in grams on your piece of paper and include those in the photograph.
Supporting Documents
If you have any old insurance valuations, purchase receipts, or appraisal documents for any of the items, it is worth including these. You can either photograph them and upload the images alongside your jewellery shots, or attach the documents directly to the valuation submission.
A Final Note
You do not need to submit hundreds of photographs. The steps above will give the Swift Values team a solid foundation to work from, and if anything needs clarifying or requires a closer look, they will get in touch to request additional images. The better your starting point, the more accurate the valuation will be, but do not let the pursuit of perfect photographs put you off submitting altogether.