Most people who search for a jewellery valuer near them have a specific piece in their hand and a specific form in front of them. It might be a ring that needs adding to a home insurance policy, a box of a parent’s jewellery that has to be declared to HMRC, or a brooch nobody in the family can identify. The instinct is to find the nearest jeweller. The better first question is what the valuation is for, because probate, insurance and sale each call for a different figure, often a different kind of report, and sometimes a different kind of practitioner altogether.
This guide explains those differences, sets out what the letters after a valuer’s name actually mean, gives a realistic picture of what a written valuation costs, and then lists jewellery valuers, jewellers and auction houses across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that we have checked and found to offer a formal valuation service. For probate in particular, the answer to “near me” is often that it does not need to be near you at all.
Before Choosing a Jewellery Valuer: What Is the Valuation For?
A valuation is an opinion of value on a stated basis for a stated purpose. Change the purpose and the number changes with it. The same diamond ring can carry a retail replacement figure of several thousand pounds for an insurer, a materially lower open market value for HMRC, and a lower figure still as an auction estimate once the saleroom’s commission is taken into account. None of these is wrong. They answer different questions, and a report prepared for one purpose is frequently unsuitable for another.
Probate
An executor or administrator has to report the deceased’s jewellery at its open market value at the date of death. That basis is set by section 160 of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984, and we have written about what it means in practice in our guide to what HMRC means by open market value. HMRC’s own Inheritance Tax Manual says that a professional valuation of household goods which states it has been prepared on the basis of open market value, or in the terms of section 160, will usually be accepted, and warns that valuations prepared for other purposes, insurance in particular, may overstate value. Form IHT407 asks for any individual item of jewellery valued at £1,500 or more to be listed separately, with a copy of the professional valuation enclosed if there is one.
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None of that requires the valuer to be in the same town as the jewellery. What HMRC needs is a defensible open market figure on the right basis, and for the great majority of estates, where the jewellery is a mixture of gold chains, dress rings, a watch or two and perhaps one or two better pieces, that figure can be reached professionally from clear photographs, hallmarks and measurements. We provide jewellery probate valuations across the whole of the UK on that basis. Our FGA and DGA qualified gemmologists work from photographs taken on a phone, reports are prepared under section 160 and normally delivered within one to two working days, and pricing is £49 for up to five items or £99 for six or more.
If you need a probate figure and nothing else, our jewellery probate valuation service is designed for exactly that, and the directory below is there for everything else.
Valuing jewellery for probate?
You probably don’t need a local valuer at all. Our gemmologists prepare HMRC-compliant section 160 open market valuations from your photographs, anywhere in the UK, usually within two working days. £49 for up to five items, £99 for six or more.
Insurance
An insurance valuation gives the cost of replacing the item with a new equivalent at retail, which is why it is usually the highest figure a piece will ever carry. Insurers generally want a written report with a full description, photographs and the replacement figure, and many ask that it be reasonably recent, so an insurance valuation is a document that has to be renewed rather than obtained once. Because the report is describing precisely what would need to be made or sourced to replace the piece, most insurance valuers want to examine it in person, weighing it, measuring the stones and testing where necessary. This is the purpose for which a local appointment matters most, and the directory is organised with that in mind.
Selling
If you intend to sell, you are not really looking for a valuation at all. You are looking for an estimate of what the piece will fetch, and that comes from the people who would sell it. An auction house will normally give a free estimate, often from photographs, of the hammer price it expects. A dealer or jewellery buyer will make an offer, which is a price they will pay today rather than an opinion of value. Both are useful, and neither is a formal valuation report. If you want independent advice before deciding where to sell, some of the independent valuers listed below offer pre-sale or open market reports, which give you a figure to negotiate from without any interest in the outcome.
Identification and General Curiosity
Sometimes the question is simply what a piece is and roughly what it is worth. A good jeweller or a gemmologist can usually answer that in a few minutes and many will do so without charge, on the understanding that a verbal opinion is not a document you can rely on for insurance, probate or a family settlement. If the verbal answer surprises you, that is the point at which a written report becomes worth paying for.
One caution applies whichever route you take. Many of the businesses in this directory specialise primarily in insurance replacement valuations, because that is what most of their customers need. If you require a valuation for probate, ask before you commission it whether the report will state an open market value appropriate for estate administration rather than an insurance replacement value. A reputable valuer will know the difference immediately.
What Qualifications Should a Jewellery Valuer Have?
Jewellery valuation in the UK is not a regulated profession. Anyone can offer the service, which is why the letters after a valuer’s name carry real weight and why it helps to know what they mean, because they do not all mean the same thing.
FGA and DGA are the two qualifications most often seen. They are awarded by Gem-A, the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, to holders of its Gemmology Diploma and Diamond Diploma respectively who are paid-up members of the association. An FGA can identify a stone, tell natural from synthetic and spot treatments. A DGA can grade a diamond. These are serious technical credentials and they are the foundation of good valuation work, but they are qualifications in gemmology, not in valuation. Knowing what a stone is and knowing what it is worth on a particular basis on a particular day are different skills.
Valuation-specific status comes from two bodies. The National Association of Jewellers runs the Institute of Registered Valuers. A Member, MIRV, must hold a recognised appraisal qualification, a gemmological qualification with a practical element, diamond grading training and at least five years in the trade, and must submit sample valuations for assessment. A Fellow, FIRV, must have been a Member for at least three years and achieved a Grade A pass in the Institute’s monitoring programme. All registered valuers submit examples of their work for review at least every five years. The Jewellery Valuers Association runs a comparable route: a JVA Registered Valuer needs recognised gemmological, diamond grading and valuation qualifications, at least five years in the industry and an approved sample portfolio. MJVA and FJVA denote its members and fellows.
A third signal is independence. The Association of Independent Jewellery Valuers admits only valuers who do not buy, sell or broker the kind of items they appraise and who are not owned by a jeweller, insurer or loss adjuster. That matters most when a conflict of interest would matter, for example when a valuation will be used to settle a dispute between beneficiaries, or when the person valuing a piece might also like to buy it.
Membership of the National Association of Jewellers on its own is a trade association membership, not a valuation credential, and the same is true of the various diploma and certificate courses in retail jewellery that appear on shop windows. In the directory below we have recorded credentials only where they are published on the provider’s own site or on a professional body’s register. Where a business describes its valuer simply as “experienced” or “qualified” without saying how, we have said so rather than guessed.
How Much Does a Jewellery Valuation Cost in the UK?
We reviewed the published fee schedules of the providers in this directory in September 2026. Not every business publishes its prices, and many quote per item on enquiry, but among those that do a clear pattern emerges.
Independent valuers and better jewellers generally charge a document or first-item fee of between £70 and £125, and then between £45 and £75 for each further item. Several add a per-carat charge for diamonds over one carat. Some jewellers price more simply at a flat £40 to £50 per item, and a few publish minimum fees of £20 to £40. Where a probate fee is published separately it is usually in the region of £95 to £100 for the first item. Home visits are charged on top, either as a call-out or an hourly rate, and at the upper end one national network publishes a home valuation fee of £800 for up to ten items.
Auction estimates are free almost everywhere. Auction houses that also prepare formal probate or insurance reports charge for those, with one Yorkshire saleroom publishing probate valuations from £99 plus VAT and insurance from £50 plus VAT.
For comparison, our own online jewellery probate valuation is £49 for up to five items and £99 for six or more, and the difference is not that the work is done less carefully. It is that a photograph-based open market valuation for HMRC does not require a valuer’s afternoon in your living room, and the price reflects that.
How We Researched This Directory
This directory is our own research. We set out to find businesses across the UK that offer a formal jewellery valuation service, and we checked each one against its own website first, then against the registers of the National Association of Jewellers, the Jewellery Valuers Association and Gem-A where a credential was claimed. We did not rely on directory or aggregator sites as the sole basis for including anyone.
Gold buyers and jewellery buyers were excluded unless they separately advertise a genuine written valuation service. Where a business offers both free auction estimates and paid formal reports, we have said so, because the two are not the same thing. Where a site did not clearly state that a service was offered, we have not assumed it. Where we could not verify a credential, we have not listed one.
Inclusion is not endorsement. Nobody has paid to appear, we have no commercial relationship with any business listed, and we have not ranked anyone. We have also not tried to claim that every jewellery valuer in the country is here. Some counties are thinly served and we say so rather than padding the list, and where our first pass found nothing locally we have said that too.
The directory was last researched in September 2026. Businesses change their services, move and close, so check the current position with the provider before travelling. If you know of a valuer we should consider for a future update, please let us know.
Find a Jewellery Valuer Near You
Providers are listed by country and then by county or region. Mobile valuers who cover several counties appear in full under their base and are cross-referenced in the other areas they serve. National services that operate through partner jewellers or by post are listed separately at the end, and are relevant wherever you are.
Valuing jewellery for probate? You probably don’t need a local valuer. See how our online probate valuation works.
England: Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, County Durham, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Greater London, Greater Manchester, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Somerset, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Tyne and Wear, Warwickshire, West Midlands, West Sussex, West Yorkshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire.
Scotland: Edinburgh and the Lothians, Glasgow and the Clyde, Tayside and Central Scotland, North East Scotland, Ayrshire and the South West, the Highlands and Islands, the Borders and Fife.
Wales: South East Wales, South West Wales, South Central Wales, Mid Wales, North Wales.
Northern Ireland: Belfast and County Antrim, County Down, and the western counties.
Jewellery Valuers in England
Bedfordshire
We have not yet verified a jewellery valuer with premises in Bedfordshire. The county is covered by mobile valuers based nearby, and by the national partner networks listed at the end of this guide.
Valuing jewellery for probate? You don’t need a local valuer. Our online jewellery probate valuation works from your photographs, wherever you are.
TW Valuations covers Bedfordshire by home visit from its base in Essex. See Essex.
Berkshire
Berkshire has two independent registered valuers and one of the country’s larger regional auction houses.
Shirley Mitchell FGA DGA Ltd, Windsor. Independent valuer working by home visit, secure post and through partner jewellers across Berkshire, Surrey and the wider South East. Insurance, probate, family division and open market reports. FGA, DGA and Fellow of the Jewellery Valuers Association, with professional valuation diplomas. sdmvaluations.co.uk
The Jewellery Appraiser, Reading. Independent registered valuer offering appointments at a private studio and home visits across Reading and the Thames Valley. Insurance, probate and resale reports. MIRV. thejewelleryappraiser.co.uk
Dreweatts, Newbury. Auction house at Donnington Priory with a London showroom and a jewellery and watches department. Free auction estimates online, by video or in the saleroom, and paid probate and estate valuations, including home visits nationally. dreweatts.com
Bristol
Clarity Valuations, Bristol. Independent registered valuer with an office at Aztec West and a second office in Carmarthen, plus home visits across the South West and South Wales including Bath, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Taunton and Worcester. Insurance, probate, family division, post-loss and pre-sale reports. FGA, DGA and Fellow of the Jewellery Valuers Association, and the JVA’s Registered Valuer of the Year in 2023. clarityvaluations.co.uk
Buckinghamshire
We found no jewellery-only valuation practice with premises in Buckinghamshire on this pass. The county is served from neighbouring Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
Probate Valuations, Henley-on-Thames covers Beaconsfield, High Wycombe and Marlow. See Oxfordshire.
Shirley Mitchell FGA DGA Ltd reaches the county by home visit and partner jewellers. See Berkshire.
Cambridgeshire
Cheffins Fine Art, Cambridge. Auction house with a jewellery department. Free auction estimates, including online, alongside professional valuations for probate, inheritance tax and insurance, with home visits across East Anglia. The firm describes its jewellery staff as experienced gemmologists and accredited valuers; individual credentials are not published. fineart.cheffins.co.uk
TW Valuations covers Cambridgeshire by home visit. See Essex.
Cheshire
Cheshire is well served by mobile independent valuers based in and around the county, and by Manchester practices that travel.
Independent Valuation Services Ltd, Macclesfield. Long-established independent consultancy working by home and site visit across Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Staffordshire, and travelling to London, Wales and the North East. Probate, insurance, sale advice and legal work. Alan Hayes is FGA with a diamond grading diploma and describes registered valuer credentials on the firm’s site. e-ivs.com
Stefan’s Bespoke Jewellery, Sale. Independent jeweller serving Sale, south Manchester and Cheshire. Insurance, probate, capital gains and open market valuations. No individual valuer credential is published. stefansjewellers.co.uk
PKW Jewellery Valuations covers Cheshire by home visit from Shropshire. See Shropshire.
Valuation Services UK Ltd covers Chester and Cheshire from Manchester. See Greater Manchester.
Cumbria
Kendal has two jewellers offering written valuations; the rest of the county relies on them, on the national partner networks, or on valuers travelling from Lancashire.
Kendal Goldsmiths, Kendal. Jeweller offering independent written valuations for insurance, probate and resale. No named valuer credential is published. kendalgoldsmiths.co.uk
Morgan Banks Jewellers, Kendal. Jeweller preparing written valuation documents for insurance in-house, with items kept on the premises. Probate is not mentioned on the valuation page, so ask before booking if that is what you need. morganbanks.co.uk
Derbyshire
Clarindon Jewellers, Ashbourne. Regional jeweller offering formal probate jewellery valuations across Ashbourne, Derby, Buxton, Chesterfield, Matlock, Bakewell, Uttoxeter and Leek. The published service is specifically for probate; ask about insurance reports separately. No individual credential is published. clarindon.co.uk
Independent Valuation Services Ltd covers Derbyshire by home visit. See Cheshire.
Devon
Devon Valuations, Devon. Mobile independent valuer working by home visit across Devon and Cornwall, with legal and expert witness instructions nationally. Insurance, probate and estate, open market and sale advisory reports. Rachel Kinsella is FGA and MIRV. devonvaluations.co.uk
Michael Inkpen FGA Ltd, Plymouth. Independent valuation practice with an office at Plympton and home visits across the South West. Retail replacement, probate, family division and private sale valuations. FGA and Fellow of the Jewellery Valuers Association. jewellery-valuer.co.uk
Baldwin Jewellery, Tavistock. Local jeweller providing a walk-in route to formal valuations, which are carried out by Michael Inkpen. Insurance, probate, resale and family division. baldwinjewellery.com
Dorset
Local formal valuation options in Dorset are thinner than in neighbouring Hampshire and Devon.
Jordans Jewellers, Dorchester. Jeweller offering free verbal assessments and paid written valuations in store. The page does not specify probate or insurance reports, so confirm the basis before commissioning. jordansjewellers.co.uk
South Coast Jewellers, South Coast. Jewellery business offering home visit valuations for insurance, probate and resale along the South Coast. The business also buys jewellery, which is worth bearing in mind if independence matters to you. No valuer credential is published. southcoastjewellers.com
County Durham
We have not yet verified a specialist jewellery valuer based in County Durham who meets the criteria for this directory. Independent Valuation Services Ltd travels to the North East from Cheshire, and the national partner networks operate through jewellers in the county. For probate, a local valuer is not necessary in any case; a remote valuation from photographs will normally serve.
Valuing jewellery for probate? You don’t need a local valuer. Our online jewellery probate valuation works from your photographs, wherever you are.
East Riding of Yorkshire
Hugh Rice, Hull. Retail jeweller offering jewellery and watch valuations for insurance, probate and other purposes, with published fixed fees. No professional credential is published. hughrice.co.uk
Duggleby Stephenson, Beverley. Auction house with offices in Beverley, York, Scarborough and Harrogate. Free market advice, and paid probate and insurance valuations with home visits. See North Yorkshire for the full entry.
East Sussex
W.E. Clark & Son, Lewes and Uckfield. Independent jeweller whose valuer, David Clark, is FGA, DGA and a JVA Registered Valuer. Insurance, probate, family division, capital gains and private sale valuations, with a published fee schedule. weclarkandson.co.uk
Pippa Deeley Auctions, Bodiam. Auction house and valuation practice offering jewellery valuations for probate, insurance, open market, capital gains and sale, with home visits across Sussex and the South East. The firm is regulated by RICS as chartered arts and antiques surveyors; jewellery-specific gemmological credentials are not published. pippadeeley.com
Crystal Clear Valuations covers the whole of Sussex from Banstead. See Surrey.
Julian Cousins & Associates covers Sussex from Kent. See Kent.
Essex
TW Valuations, Harlow. Independent valuer working by home visit across Essex, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Kent, Middlesex, Bedfordshire and London. Insurance, probate and inheritance, division of assets, open market and post-loss reports, with a particular interest in antique jewellery, coloured diamonds and Asian jewellery. Tom Ward is a Fellow of the Institute of Registered Valuers and a Fellow of the Jewellery Valuers Association. twvaluations.co.uk
The Family Jeweller, Basildon. Retail jeweller offering written insurance and probate valuations in store, with a postal option and published per-item pricing. No professional credential is published. thefamilyjeweller.co.uk
Jewellery Portfolio Valuations and Jewels Valuation both cover Essex from London by home visit. See Greater London.
Gloucestershire
We found no jewellery-only valuer with premises in Gloucestershire on this pass. The county is covered from Bristol and Surrey.
Clarity Valuations visits Cheltenham and Gloucester. See Bristol.
Crystal Clear Valuations lists Cheltenham, Gloucester and the Cotswolds among its visiting areas. See Surrey.
Greater London
London has the densest concentration of independent registered valuers in the country, most of them in or around Hatton Garden and Mayfair.
Almaz Jewellery Valuations, Hatton Garden. Independent valuer offering insurance, probate, family division, expert witness, resale and private sale valuations, with a particular interest in natural and lab-grown diamonds, Asian jewellery and watches. Anna Rogers is a Fellow of the Institute of Registered Valuers and a GIA Graduate Gemologist. almazvaluations.com
EJR Valuations, Mayfair. Independent valuer offering while-you-wait appointments and reports for insurance, probate, capital gains, private sale and divorce. Emma Reeves is FGA and DGA and a registered valuer. ejrvaluations.co.uk
Heather Callaway Ltd, Hatton Garden. Independent specialist practice handling insurance, probate, private sale and legal valuations, with high value instructions nationally. Heather Callaway is a Fellow of the Institute of Registered Valuers. heathercallaway.co.uk
Jewellery Advisory Services, London. Specialist valuation and advisory consultancy for probate, insurance claims, family division and expert witness work. Katherine Brunacci is FGA and a Fellow of the Institute of Registered Valuers. jewelleryadvisoryservices.com
Jewellery Portfolio Valuations, London. Independent practice offering insurance, probate, open market and family division reports, with home visits across London and Essex. Tim Bicknell is DGA and a Fellow of the Jewellery Valuers Association. jewelleryportfolio.co.uk
Jewels Appraisal, Hatton Garden. Appraisal practice offering in-person examination and formal reports for insurance, probate, family division and sale. The valuer is FGA, DGA and an IRV registered valuer. jewelsappraisal.com
Jewels Valuation, London. Independent service for insurance, probate, sale and divorce valuations, with appointments in London and Essex and home visits. Valentina Scuderini is FGA and states IRV registered valuer status. jewelsvaluation.com
Hatton Jewels, Hatton Garden. Jeweller offering formal valuation reports for insurance and probate. The team lists GIA diamond and coloured stone training and specialist pearl training collectively rather than for a named valuer. hattonjewels.com
Hispek Diamonds, London. Diamond and jewellery business with premises in London, Birmingham and Leicester offering valuations for insurance, probate and selling. The site describes its staff as experienced gemologists; no individual credential is published. hispekdiamonds.com
Fellows Auctioneers, London. Specialist jewellery and watch auction house with salerooms in Birmingham and London. Free auction estimates online, by video and in person, and a paid probate valuation service. See West Midlands for the full entry.
Dreweatts has a London showroom. See Berkshire.
Crystal Clear Valuations and Rufus Valuations both cover London. See Surrey and Kent.
Greater Manchester
Valuation Services UK Ltd, Manchester. Independent practice with a Manchester office, home and office visits, and a network of partner retailers across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire, Liverpool, Chester, Preston and Southport. Insurance, probate, post-loss and open market reports. Georgina Deer is FGA, DGA and a Fellow of the Jewellery Valuers Association. jewelleryvaluations.co.uk
My Jewellery Valuation, Manchester. Mobile service offering home appointments across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Yorkshire for insurance, probate, resale and estate planning. No named valuer or credential is published. myjewelleryvaluation.com
Independent Valuation Services Ltd and Stefan’s Bespoke Jewellery both serve Greater Manchester. See Cheshire.
Hampshire
Jeremy France Jewellers, Winchester. Independent jeweller offering detailed insurance, probate, private sale and family division valuations, with a published fee schedule. Valuer credentials are not published. jeremyfrancejewellers.co.uk
CLW Jewellery Appraisals, West Sussex. Independent valuer covering Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex by home visit. See West Sussex.
Laings, Southampton. Luxury jeweller offering formal insurance valuations in its Southampton store. See the Scotland section for the full entry.
South Coast Jewellers offers home visits along the South Coast. See Dorset.
Herefordshire
Kate Bliss Ltd, Hereford. Independent valuation firm producing illustrated reports for insurance, probate and sale, with home visits in Herefordshire, London and elsewhere in the UK. Jewellery is handled by a specialist jewellery valuer who is FGA; Kate Bliss herself is a RICS approved valuer. katebliss.co.uk
Pleasance & Harper, Hereford. Jeweller offering full insurance and probate valuations in store. No named valuer credential is published. pleasanceandharper.co.uk
Hertfordshire
Treasured Valuations, Bushey. Mobile independent valuer offering home appointments for insurance, probate and division work across Bushey, Watford, St Albans, Hatfield, Welwyn, Harrow, Rickmansworth, Ruislip, Wembley and Milton Keynes. Raji Ashwin is a JVA Registered Valuer. treasuredvaluations.co.uk
Gatwards of Hitchin, Hitchin. Long-established jeweller offering on-premises valuations for insurance, probate and sale, which the firm states are carried out by a member of the Institute of Registered Valuers. gatwardsofhitchin.co.uk
Jago Jewellers, St Albans. Jeweller hosting regular valuation days with an independent NAJ valuer for insurance and probate reports. jagojewellers.com
Chapter79, Hertford. Independent jeweller and NAJ member offering formal valuation appointments for insurance and probate. No individual valuer credential is published. chapter79.co.uk
TW Valuations covers Hertfordshire by home visit. See Essex.
Isle of Wight
Serendipity Jewellery, Ryde. Jeweller offering written valuations for insurance, probate and resale, with published per-item pricing. The service covers jewellery, diamonds and gemstones but not watches or pearls. No professional credential is published. isle-of-wight-jewellery.co.uk
Kent
Rufus Valuations, Ashford. Independent registered valuer covering Kent, London and the South East. Insurance, probate, family division, private sale and purchase valuations. Simon Rufus is FGA, DGA and MIRV. rufusvaluations.com
Julian Cousins & Associates, Faversham. Independent practice offering insurance, probate, division and private sale valuations across Kent, Surrey and Sussex by home visit and at partner jewellers. The firm states membership of the Jewellery Valuers Association and the Institute of Registered Valuers, and publishes its fee schedule. jewelleryvaluation.co.uk
Crystal Clear Valuations covers most of Kent. See Surrey.
TW Valuations covers Kent by home visit. See Essex.
Lancashire
Susan Pennington Jewellery Valuations, Ormskirk. Independent valuer offering while-you-wait office valuations and home visits for insurance, probate and legal purposes across Lancashire and the North West. Susan Pennington is FGA, DGA and a Fellow of the Institute of Registered Valuers, and a member of the Association of Independent Jewellery Valuers. jewelleryinsurancevaluations.co.uk
Nettletons Jewellers, Clitheroe. Jeweller offering detailed valuation certificates for insurance, probate and family division. No named valuer credential is published. nettletonsjewellers.co.uk
Louis Meyer Jewellers, Fleetwood. Independent jeweller offering written valuations for insurance and probate on the Fylde coast. No named valuer credential is published. louismeyer.co.uk
G&M Goldsmiths, Preston. Goldsmith and jeweller offering formal insurance and probate valuations alongside its retail and buying services. No valuer credential is published. gmgoldsmiths.co.uk
Valuation Services UK Ltd and My Jewellery Valuation both cover Lancashire from Manchester. See Greater Manchester.
Leicestershire
A.R. Smith Jewellers, Blaby. Jeweller offering jewellery and watch valuations for insurance, probate, private sale and family division, with some specialist reports referred to the Birmingham Assay Office. arsmithjewellers.co.uk
Hispek Diamonds has premises in Leicester. See Greater London.
Lincolnshire
MD Jewellers, Grantham. Independent jeweller offering formal valuations for insurance, probate and heirloom purposes. The site describes its valuer as a registered valuer and gemologist without naming the registering body. mdjewellers.co.uk
Merseyside
We have not yet verified a specialist valuer with premises in Liverpool. Valuation Services UK Ltd covers Liverpool and Southport by appointment from Manchester (see Greater Manchester), and the national partner networks operate in the city.
Valuing jewellery for probate? You don’t need a local valuer. Our online jewellery probate valuation works from your photographs, wherever you are.
Norfolk
Webbs Jewellers, Holt. Independent jeweller offering insurance, probate, divorce and private sale valuations in north Norfolk. No valuer credential is published. webbsjewellers.com
North Yorkshire
Tennants Auctioneers, Leyburn. Auction house with its head office at Leyburn and an office in Harrogate. Free sale estimates, and confidential formal valuations for sale, insurance or probate, including home and bank visits. Individual jewellery credentials are not published. tennants.co.uk
Duggleby Stephenson, Scarborough, York, Beverley and Harrogate. Auction house offering free auction advice and paid probate and insurance valuations with published starting fees, with offices across Yorkshire and home visits. Individual jewellery credentials are not published. dugglebystephenson.com
Peter Nottingham Jeweller, Boroughbridge. Independent jeweller and NAJ member offering insurance, probate, divorce and private sale valuations for Boroughbridge, Harrogate and York. Personal credentials are not published. peternottinghamjeweller.co.uk
Northamptonshire
Independent Jewellery Valuations & Consulting, Northamptonshire. Home visit service covering Northampton, Daventry, Silverstone and the surrounding county, from an independent valuer based in Warwickshire. Insurance, probate, estate division and divorce. Ilona Stachowiak is MIRV and DGA. iasvc.co.uk
Northumberland
Jacksons Jewellers, Morpeth. Jeweller offering insurance, probate and family valuations, with its buying service kept separate. No valuer credential is published. jacksonsjewellers.squarespace.com
Clayport Jewellers, Alnwick. Independent jeweller offering professional valuations for insurance, probate and sale. No valuer credential is published. clayportjewellers.com
Nottinghamshire
Nutan Jewellers, Nottingham. Jeweller offering detailed valuations for insurance and for private or commission sale. Probate is not mentioned on the service page, so ask whether an open market report is available. nutan.com
Rutland
We have not yet verified a formal jewellery valuer based in Rutland. The nearest options are in Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, and the national networks cover the county.
Valuing jewellery for probate? You don’t need a local valuer. Our online jewellery probate valuation works from your photographs, wherever you are.
Shropshire
PKW Jewellery Valuations Ltd, Shifnal. Mobile independent valuer offering home and office appointments across Shropshire, the West Midlands, Cheshire, Staffordshire and North Wales, with wider travel by agreement. Insurance, probate and private valuations, with published per-item fees. Phil Withington is a member of the Jewellery Valuers Association. pkwjewelleryvaluations.co.uk
Somerset
Gold & Platinum Studio, Bath. Independent jeweller offering insurance and probate valuations on site. The business describes an in-house gemmologist and goldsmith; no postnominals are published. goldandplatinumstudio.co.uk
Clarity Valuations visits Bath and Taunton. See Bristol.
The Guild of Valuers and Jewellers has its valuation centre in Bath. See Nationwide Services.
South Yorkshire
McAvoy & Beardsmore, Sheffield. Jeweller offering purpose-specific valuation reports for insurance replacement, probate and private sale. No valuer credential is published. thesheffieldjewellers.com
Staffordshire
We found no jewellery-only valuer with premises in Staffordshire on this pass. The county is well covered by mobile valuers.
PKW Jewellery Valuations covers Staffordshire. See Shropshire.
GW Valuations covers Staffordshire. See Worcestershire.
Clarindon Jewellers serves Uttoxeter and Leek. See Derbyshire.
Suffolk
Suffolk has an unusually complete mixture of jewellers, an auction house and a visiting registered valuer.
Berridges Jewellers, Ipswich. Jeweller offering insurance, probate and sale valuations on the premises. The firm states that its valuer was a founder member of the Jewellery Valuers Association. berridges.com
Andrews Jewellers, Ipswich. Jeweller offering in-store formal valuations for insurance, probate, sale and divorce, with an online form to begin the process. The firm describes its staff as professional jewellery assessors; no postnominals are published. andrewsjewellers.co.uk
Suffolk Jewellery & Antiques, Bury St Edmunds. Family-run jeweller providing valuation and certification for insurance and probate, with visits for larger collections. The business also buys jewellery. No formal credential is published. suffolk-jewellery.co.uk
Lacy Scott & Knight, Bury St Edmunds. Auction house offering free sale estimates and formal probate, insurance and family division valuations, with online requests and home visits across East Anglia. Individual jewellery credentials are not published. lskauctioncentre.co.uk
TW Valuations covers Suffolk by home visit. See Essex.
Surrey
Crystal Clear Valuations, Banstead. Independent registered valuer offering home visits, retail valuation days, a postal service and appointments at banks and solicitors’ offices across the whole of Sussex, London and most of Kent and Surrey, with regular visits to Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. Insurance, probate, Confirmation and family division. Karra Ellison is FGA, DGA, a Fellow of the Institute of Registered Valuers and a Fellow of the Jewellery Valuers Association, and a member of the Association of Independent Jewellery Valuers. crystalclearvaluations.co.uk
Julian Cousins & Associates and CLW Jewellery Appraisals both cover Surrey. See Kent and West Sussex.
Shirley Mitchell FGA DGA Ltd covers Surrey by home visit. See Berkshire.
Tyne and Wear
Old Eldon Jewellers, Newcastle upon Tyne. Jeweller offering insurance and probate valuation services. No valuer credential is published. old-eldon-jewellers.co.uk
Independent Valuation Services Ltd travels to the North East. See Cheshire.
Warwickshire
Independent Jewellery Valuations & Consulting, Warwickshire. Independent home visit service covering Warwickshire, the Midlands, Northamptonshire and the Cotswolds. Insurance, probate, estate division and divorce. Ilona Stachowiak is MIRV and DGA. iasvc.co.uk
GW Valuations covers Warwickshire. See Worcestershire.
West Midlands
Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter gives the West Midlands a specialist market to rival London’s, with an independent registered valuer, the Assay Office’s own valuation service and a major jewellery auction house.
Midlands Jewellery Valuations, Birmingham. Independent valuer in the Jewellery Quarter offering jewellery and watch valuations for probate, insurance, resale and family division, with home visits. Georgina Southam is FGA, DGA and a Fellow of the Institute of Registered Valuers. midlandsjewelleryvaluations.com
Birmingham Assay Office, Birmingham. Independent laboratory and valuation service with a counter in Birmingham and a nationwide partner network. See Nationwide Services for the full entry.
Fellows Auctioneers, Birmingham. Specialist jewellery, watch and gemstone auction house with salerooms in Birmingham and London. Free auction estimates online, by video and in person, and a paid probate valuation service. Individual credentials are not published. fellows.co.uk
Hispek Diamonds has premises in Birmingham. See Greater London.
GW Valuations, PKW Jewellery Valuations and Independent Jewellery Valuations & Consulting all cover the West Midlands by home visit.
West Sussex
CLW Jewellery Appraisals, West Sussex. Independent valuer offering home and private appointments across Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex for insurance, probate, resale and private purposes, with a particular interest in pearls. Charlotte Webster is FGA and a JVA Registered Valuer, and states membership of the Institute of Registered Valuers. clwjewellery.co.uk
Knight Jewellers, East Grinstead. Local jeweller offering insurance and probate valuations. No formal credential is published. knightjewellers.com
Sakakini Jewellers, Horsham. Jeweller offering written valuations for insurance and probate. No valuer credential is published. sakgems.com
Crystal Clear Valuations covers the whole of Sussex. See Surrey.
West Yorkshire
Shaws Jewellers, Pudsey. Jeweller offering formal reports for insurance, probate, family division and private sale. The firm states that its valuer is a Gem-A accredited gemmologist and diamond grader. shawjewellers.co.uk
DGJV, Leeds. Specialist diamond grading and jewellery valuation service offering insurance, probate and resale reports, with lab-grown identification, in person or by post. Individual credentials are not published. dgjv.co.uk
Duggleby Stephenson and Valuation Services UK Ltd both cover West Yorkshire by appointment. See North Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.
Wiltshire
W. Carter & Son, Salisbury. Long-established jeweller with in-house valuers offering detailed reports for insurance, probate, open market, private sale and family division, with a published fee schedule. The firm states that its valuers hold Gem-A diplomas and Fellow status, and that its head valuer is a Fellow of both the Institute of Registered Valuers and the Jewellery Valuers Association. wcarterandson.co.uk
Worcestershire
GW Valuations, Worcester. Independent jewellery and watch valuer offering home and fixed-location appointments across Worcestershire, the West Midlands, Staffordshire and Warwickshire. Probate, insurance, capital gains, family division and watch authentication. Geoff Whitefield is a Fellow of the Jewellery Valuers Association. gwvaluations.co.uk
Clarity Valuations visits Worcester. See Bristol.
Need the valuation for probate?
A local appointment is not normally necessary. Our online jewellery probate valuation works from your photographs, anywhere in the UK.
Jewellery Valuers in Scotland
In Scotland the process is Confirmation rather than probate, but the inheritance tax rules and the open market basis of valuation are the same across the UK, and several Scottish valuers describe their estate work in those terms.
Edinburgh and the Lothians
Alistir Tait Gem, Edinburgh. Independent gemmologist offering jewellery valuations for insurance, Confirmation and family or inheritance tax matters. Alistir Tait is a Fellow of Gem-A and holds its Diamond Diploma, and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. alistirtaitgem.co.uk
Jewellery by Liam Ross, Edinburgh. Jeweller hosting formal valuation services by independent valuer Sammantha Maclachlan, who is FGA, DGA, a Fellow of the Institute of Registered Valuers and a member of the Jewellery Valuers Association. Insurance and probate, with a published fee schedule. jewellerybyliamross.com
Hamilton & Inches, Edinburgh. Luxury jeweller offering insurance and probate valuations through a specialist valuer. Individual credentials are not published. hamiltonandinches.com
Robert Anthony Jewellers, Edinburgh. Jeweller offering specialist reports for insurance, estate and probate, resale and legal purposes. No valuer credential is published. robertanthonyjewellers.com
Laings, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Luxury jeweller with stores in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff and Southampton offering formal valuations, which its site describes for insurance. Ask whether a probate report is available. laingsuk.com
Surety Valuations serves Edinburgh from Perth. See Tayside and Central Scotland.
Glasgow and the Clyde
LFL Valuations, Troon. Independent valuer serving Glasgow, Ayrshire and the wider country through home visits, retail appointments and a postal service. Insurance, probate and Confirmation, divorce and sale valuations. Lee-ona Long is FGA, DGA and a Fellow of the Jewellery Valuers Association. lflvaluations.com
Laings has a Glasgow store. See Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Tayside and Central Scotland
Surety Valuations, Perth. Independent jewellery valuation practice and gemmological laboratory offering same-day appointments and formal reports for insurance, Confirmation and open market purposes, serving Perth, Dundee, Stirling, Aberdeen and Edinburgh and working with jewellers throughout Scotland. The practice states that it is completely independent and does not buy, sell or broker jewellery. Adrian Smith describes himself as a registered valuer; postnominals are not published on the main page. suretyvaluations.co.uk
North East Scotland
We have not verified a jewellery valuer with premises in Aberdeen on this pass. Surety Valuations serves the city from Perth, and the national partner networks operate through Aberdeen jewellers.
Ayrshire and the South West
LFL Valuations is based in Troon. See Glasgow and the Clyde.
The Highlands and Islands
We have not yet verified a specialist jewellery valuer based in Inverness or the Highlands. Surety Valuations takes instructions from across Scotland, and postal and photograph-based services cover the region. For Confirmation, a local valuer is not necessary.
The Borders and Fife
We have not verified a locally based jewellery valuer in the Borders or Fife. Surety Valuations and the Edinburgh practices above are the nearest options, along with the national networks.
Jewellery Valuers in Wales
South East Wales
Christopher George Jewellers, Cardiff. Jeweller providing in-house valuations by its own team for insurance replacement and probate, with published probate pricing and an on-site gemmologist. Postnominals are not published. christophergeorgejewellers.co.uk
David Edwards Jewellers, Cardiff. Jeweller offering in-house valuations for insurance, inheritance and probate, and sale between parties, in store or by home visit, with an on-site gemmologist. Individual credentials are not published. davidedwardsjewellers.co.uk
Rogers Jones & Co, Cardiff. Welsh auction house with offices in Cardiff, Colwyn Bay, Carmarthen and mid Wales, and in Chester. Free sale estimates and paid probate and insurance valuations, with home visits. Individual jewellery credentials are not published. rogersjones.co.uk
Clarity Valuations visits Cardiff and Newport. See Bristol.
Laings has a Cardiff store. See Scotland.
South West Wales
Clarity Valuations, Carmarthen. Independent registered valuer with a Carmarthen office and home visits to Tenby and the surrounding area. See Bristol for the full entry.
Rogers Jones & Co has a Carmarthen office. See South East Wales.
South Central Wales
Clarity Valuations visits Swansea and Bridgend. See Bristol.
Mid Wales
Rogers Jones & Co has a mid Wales office. See South East Wales. We have not identified a jewellery-only specialist based in mid Wales on this pass.
North Wales
Rogers Jones & Co has an office in Colwyn Bay. See South East Wales.
PKW Jewellery Valuations covers North Wales by home visit from Shropshire. See Shropshire.
Looking for a probate valuation?
You do not need to find a valuer nearby. We provide HMRC-compliant jewellery probate valuations from photographs across the whole of the UK.
Jewellery Valuers in Northern Ireland
Belfast and County Antrim
Ross’s Auctioneers & Valuers, Belfast. Auction house offering online, virtual and in-person sale valuations for jewellery and watches, plus formal probate and insurance services. The free online valuation is an auction estimate; ask separately for a formal report. Individual jewellery credentials are not published. rosss.ie
Margaret Forbes Jewellery, Belfast and Lisburn. Jeweller with in-house gemmologists offering insurance valuations. Victoria Forbes is FGA and DGA and Charlotte Forbes is DGA. Probate is not mentioned on the services page, so ask whether an open market report is available. margaretforbesjewellery.com
Ellisons Jewellers, Belfast. Jeweller offering insurance valuations, including in many cases for items bought elsewhere. Probate is not mentioned; ask before booking. ellisonsjewellers.co.uk
County Down
Down Jewellers, Downpatrick. Jeweller offering written valuations with photographs and detailed descriptions for insurance or probate. No valuer credential is published. downjewellers.co.uk
Counties Armagh, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone
We have not yet verified a jewellery valuer with premises in Armagh, Fermanagh, Londonderry or Tyrone who meets the criteria for this directory. The Belfast and Downpatrick businesses above are the nearest verified options, and the national retail partner networks operate through jewellers across Northern Ireland. For probate, which in Northern Ireland is administered through the Probate Office of the High Court but follows the same inheritance tax rules as the rest of the UK, a remote valuation from photographs is normally sufficient.
Nationwide Jewellery Valuation Services
Two national services put an independent professional valuer within reach of almost every high street, by working through partner jewellers rather than their own premises. They are relevant wherever you live, and in the thinner counties above they may be the most practical in-person route.
Birmingham Assay Office, SafeGuard. The Assay Office’s independent valuation service for jewellery, watches and silverware, offering insurance, probate, family division, open market and post-loss reports. Items can be taken to the counter in Birmingham, sent by post, or handed in at one of around 700 partner retail locations, which include Goldsmiths, Mappin & Webb, Watches of Switzerland, Beaverbrooks and many independents; the postcode finder lists the nearest. Home visits are available for larger collections. Note that the partner stores’ own pages generally describe the service in terms of insurance, so if you need a probate report, say so when you book. theassayoffice.co.uk
Guild of Valuers & Jewellers. Valuation network with a centre in Bath, a postal service, a network of partner jewellers including participating H.Samuel stores, and home, office and bank visits. Insurance, probate, open market, family division and pre-sale reports. The Guild states that all of its valuers are members or fellows of both the Institute of Registered Valuers and the Jewellery Valuers Association. gvj.org.uk
Online Jewellery Valuations vs Local Appointments
Having spent a good part of our working lives with a loupe in one hand and a piece of jewellery in the other, we are not going to pretend that a photograph tells a valuer everything. It does not. But it tells a great deal more than people expect, and whether it tells enough depends entirely on what the valuation is for.
A set of clear photographs, with the hallmarks legible and a ruler or coin in frame for scale, will reliably show a valuer the metal and its fineness, the style and likely period of the piece, the type of setting, the approximate size of the stones, the quality of the workmanship and the amount of wear. Combined with a weight from kitchen scales and any paperwork that survives, that is enough to place the great majority of jewellery within a defensible range of open market value. Most estates consist of exactly this kind of jewellery: nine and eighteen carat gold chains and bracelets, dress rings with small stones, signet rings, a string of cultured pearls, a couple of watches. For probate, where the question is what the item would reasonably fetch on the open market, a photograph-based valuation by a qualified gemmologist is a proportionate and, in our view, entirely proper way to answer it, and it is the basis on which we work.
What a photograph cannot do is test. It cannot confirm that a colourless stone is a natural diamond rather than a synthetic or a moissanite, it cannot tell whether a sapphire has been heated or a ruby glass-filled, it cannot give a precise colour and clarity grade, and it cannot see a crack under a claw or a lead solder repair. It also cannot authenticate a signed piece from Cartier or Van Cleef & Arpels, where the difference between a genuine article and a good copy is the difference between a five-figure sum and a few hundred pounds. Where those things matter, they matter a great deal, and an in-person examination is the right course.
In practice the line falls roughly like this. Remote valuation suits probate, where the basis is open market value and the typical estate contains modest pieces; it suits a first opinion before deciding whether to sell; and it suits auction estimates, which the salerooms themselves now give from photographs as a matter of routine. In-person examination is preferable for insurance, where the report must describe the piece in enough detail to replace it; for any single item that might be worth several thousand pounds or more, where a couple of grades either way changes the figure materially; for signed pieces; for large or unusual coloured stones; and for any situation in which the valuation may be challenged, whether by HMRC on a large estate or by another beneficiary in a family dispute. A good remote valuer will tell you when a piece falls into that second group, and a good local valuer will tell you when a full appointment is more than the jewellery warrants.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I get jewellery valued? At an independent jewellery valuer, a jeweller that offers a written valuation service, an auction house, or through a national service such as the Birmingham Assay Office or the Guild of Valuers and Jewellers, which work through partner jewellers. Which is right depends on whether you need the valuation for insurance, probate or sale. The directory above lists verified providers by county.
Where can I get jewellery valued near me? Use the county listings above to find independent valuers, jewellers and auction houses in your area. If none is close, mobile valuers cover most counties by home visit, and the two national partner networks have outlets on most high streets. If the valuation is for probate, distance is largely irrelevant, because an open market valuation can be prepared from photographs.
Do jewellers value jewellery for free? Many will give a free verbal opinion, and auction houses give free sale estimates almost universally. A written valuation report, which is what insurers, HMRC and solicitors need, is a professional document and is charged for.
How much does a jewellery valuation cost? Among the providers in this directory that publish fees, a first item or report typically costs £70 to £125 and further items £45 to £75, with home visits charged on top. Some jewellers charge a flat £40 to £50 per item. Our own photograph-based probate valuation is £49 for up to five items and £99 for six or more.
Can jewellery be valued online? Yes, for some purposes. Probate valuations and auction estimates are routinely prepared from photographs. Insurance valuations usually need physical examination, and so does anything of high value or uncertain authenticity. The section above on online valuations and local appointments explains where the line falls.
Who can value jewellery for probate? Anyone with the expertise to state a defensible open market value, but HMRC’s manual makes clear that a professional valuation prepared on the section 160 basis will usually be accepted, and executors have a duty to take reasonable care. A qualified gemmologist or registered valuer who understands the probate basis is the sensible choice. Our guide to how to get jewellery valued for probate walks through the process, and our jewellery valuation Q&A covers the questions executors ask most.
Do I need a registered jewellery valuer? Not by law, because the profession is unregulated. For insurance, some insurers prefer a registered valuer’s report. For probate, what matters is that the valuation is on the right basis and prepared by someone qualified to reach it; MIRV, FIRV or JVA Registered Valuer status is the clearest signal of valuation training, and FGA or DGA of gemmological knowledge.
What is the difference between a probate valuation and an insurance valuation? An insurance valuation states what it would cost to replace the piece new at retail. A probate valuation states what the piece would fetch if sold on the open market at the date of death. The insurance figure is almost always higher, often by a wide margin, and using it for probate can overstate the estate and the tax due. We have written about this in more detail in our guide to probate versus insurance jewellery valuations.
If you have arrived here looking for a jewellery valuer because you are dealing with an estate, the directory above will find you one. But you may not need it. Our gemmologists prepare section 160 jewellery valuations for executors across the UK from photographs, usually within two working days, and you can start a jewellery probate valuation whenever you are ready.