Donation

Donations

Donating your jewellery to a museum or a charitable fund for auction is one of life’s most rewarding gifts. However, many people fail to have their diamonds or jewellery valued beforehand. Whilst they are acting with good intentions, non-valued jewellery can cause headaches for institutions of this type. Donated jewellery that comes with an appraisal certificate not only gives them the true value, but also valuable description of the item itself.

What happens during an appraisal for donated items?

Valuing donated items differs little from regular valuations, apart from there being more onus placed on identifying the item for museum purposes. In both scenarios, your diamond valuer will:

• Note whether the diamonds are certified by the GIA.
• Inspect the item’s condition.
• Note the individual parts that make up the overall jewellery item.
• Inspect the piece for blemishes or scratches.
• Test the item against market forces to determine its desirability and worth.

These aspects of the valuation process for donated jewellery will all come together to make the donation process run easy and hassle-free.

Benefits of having your item appraised before donation

An appraisal certificate given along with the donated item will provide them with all of the details that they require to use the jewellery piece in the future. For museums, this means that they will be able to provide an accurate description of exactly what the item is, and what makes up its composition. For charities, it will provide them with a minimum hammer price that they can act on, should they list the item for auction. This value will also be recommended as a retail price.