• How long do you take to carry out the work?
• Is my jewellery insured while in your possession?
• What is an Independent Appraiser/Valuer?
• Why should I use a JASNZ Appraiser / Valuer?
• What about other appraisals? Insurance companies will accept any appraisal they receive, even the ones I’ve provided.
• Why do you charge to have an Appraisal / Valuation carried out?
• What does it cost for my jewellery to be appraised?
• Why should I have my pieces valued for Insurance purposes?
• My Insurance Company automatically covers items below $2,000 without an Appraisal and Valuation.
• My policy is index linked, surely there is no need to have my valuables re-valued.
• What should I do if I am considering having my items valued by you?
• Can my jeweller provide one of your valuation reports?
• What does "Appraisal" and "Valuation" actually mean? What is the difference?

Q: How long do you take to carry out the work?

A: This depends on the number and complexity of your items, but here is a general guide:

If you make an appointment and attend our office. Your items will be given a preliminary examination (this is of no charge to you). Before you leave the office, we are able to indicate a price to complete the appraisal process, and  give you a time to collect when completed, once we have carried out the research and appraisal/valuation.  If you make an appointment, and, depending on the number of items, you will often be able to collect the item/s with the appraisal report on the same day.

If, for your own reasons, you wish to have an urgent one hour service, we may do so with a pre-booked appointment, but this service does cost a little more.
If, after we have indicated a price to prepare an Appraisal/Valuation, you do not wish to proceed, there is no charge to you for the consultation.

If you send your items to us. This should be by Insured Courier, ‘Signature Required’ for security. Your items and appraisal documentation will normally be back in your possession within 3  to 5 working days. There may be some exceptions to this rule, if the number of items is larger than normal, you will be informed. If you wish to use a secure ‘Courier Service’ please contact us prior to sending so that we may advise you on a suitable method of packaging and dispatching. Please note the address we use for posting valuables is AGL, LG, 155 Queen St. Auckland CBD. (Note there is no reference to valuables in the address). If using a delivery service, we will arrange a mutually agreeable date and time to collect and return your items. If you wish we can email you to keep you informed of the progress. We appreciate that sometimes a very quick service is required, and where possible we do our utmost to oblige. An Urgent fee may apply, if so, you will be informed.

Q: Is my jewellery insured while in your possession?

A:  We are insured for Items we hold on the premises by a selected Insurance Company. From the moment we take receipt of your precious pieces to the minute they are returned to you, they are fully covered. In addition, we employ extremely stringent security procedures for your protection and ours.

Q: What is an Independent Appraiser/Valuer?

A: An Independent Appraiser/Valuer is a qualified individual whose sole business is the Appraisal and Valuation of jewellery, watches and small silver pieces.
We are not owned, employed by or affiliated to any Insurance company or broker, retail Jeweller or any company that may have a vested interest in the value placed on items.
We are totally unbiased and independent.

Q: Why should I use a JASNZ Appraiser / Valuer?

A: Insurance Companies are becoming increasingly aware that not all jewelry appraisals meet insurance industry standards. These Insurers want to do business with and refer their customers to qualified appraisers who can prepare appraisals for insurance purposes to ‘Jewellery Appraisers Society of New Zealand’ Appraisal Standard.
To qualify as a JASNZ Appraiser/Valuer, a person needs to meet high professional standards, in terms of experience, qualifications, integrity, knowledge, equipment, procedures and presentation. Every schedule prepared by Advanced Gem Laboratory is composed under very stringent guidelines laid down by the JASNZ, and their work is by necessity, subjected to ‘Peer Review’ by the JASNZ, to ensure that these guidelines are being met. 

Q: What about other appraisals? Insurance companies will accept any appraisal they receive, even the ones I’ve provided.

A: It’s true that there are other appraisers and different appraisal standards and forms, some better than others. For the insurance industry the question is, “Which standard can we truly rely on to properly insure the item of jewelry?” While some may have experienced that insurance companies do indeed take any appraisal, that is changing — and fairly quickly. You can be assured a JASNZ appraisal will always be accepted by your Insurance Company.

Q: Why do you charge to have an Appraisal / Valuation carried out?

A: There is a popular misconception that appraisals are carried out in a manner as shown on the ‘Antiques Road Show’. In that instance, the hours of examining items, researching facts and compiling information for the broadcasts, are not shown, as it would make for poor entertainment. The viewer merely sees the result of the work, not the work itself.

When you request the services of an appraiser you are seeking professional advice, and expect to pay a reasonable price for an expert opinion and evaluation. The fee you pay covers not only the time it takes to prepare an appraisal in which you can have confidence, but also the investment in the training, equipment and other resources that are necessary to do the job well and for the responsibility associated with the finished schedule. In this, as in most cases, the cheapest is not the best!

You will be pleased to know that we DO NOT charge a fee based on a percentage of the value (in fact, it is not legal and we consider it unethical to do so). In the majority of cases, you will know exactly how much we will charge you before you agree to have the appraisal and valuation carried out. We don't give our clients unwelcome surprises with our fees.

Q: What does it cost for my jewellery to be appraised?

A:  We charge on a time basis so it is difficult without viewing the item/s to give an accurate quote. As mentioned, it costs nothing to discuss and obtain a quote. As a general rule it costs in the region of $60 - $90, averaging around $70 - $80 – per item. Specialised Gem Testing can cost more and must be quoted.  Watches cost more, - up to $120. This is because the research required to appraise watches is very time consuming as there are so many copies and fakes on the market which are increasingly difficult to spot, so we have to be very diligent when appraising these items.AGL Diamond and Coloured Stone reports cost between $65 & $95 depending on the size of the gem, and if a value is required, between $85 & $120. A fee of $10 per item may apply for one hour urgent items.

Q: My Insurance Company automatically covers items below $2,000 without an Appraisal and Valuation.

A: Most Insurance companies do cover unspecified items up to a certain figure (usually between $1,000 and $3,000). However, in the event of a claim, problems can arise in establishing where in the range of (say) $500 to $3,000 your item falls, and this is compounded, if you have no receipts, let alone never had an appraisal. This can lead to delays, more stress, and often an unsatisfactory settlement of your claim. Most insurance companies are very fair in these situations, but you must realize, that there are some policyholders that view a claim as an opportunity for betterment, or to obtain a ‘cash settlement’, and your Insurance Company will bear this in mind when trying to establish the value of the lost item and the validity of the claim. To ensure a swift, trouble free and fitting settlement, make sure you have an accurate and importantly, up to date Appraisal/Valuation of your unspecified items as well as specified pieces. In a Loss situation, PROOF is the best security you can have. See Why do I need an Appraisal/Valuation.

Q: My policy is index linked, surely there is no need to have my valuables re-valued.

A: Index linking is one way that the Insurance Company attempts to keep your sum assured in step with what is happening in the market place, and in the case of the Housing Market, this method can assist you. However, Jewellery, does not stick to these rules, it would make our job so much easier (but not as interesting) if it did. Jewellery is composed of precious metals and gemstones, both commodities are subject to changes in price, firstly on the daily worldwide NZ$ & US$ exchange or ‘Cross rate’ and also on the local level.

Gemstone prices can fluctuate enormously, depending on worldwide stability, economics, supply, demand and politics. Many factors, such as:- fashion and demand in one part of the world can cause prices to sharply fall or rise in another country.

Due to the above factors that govern the value of Jewellery, over time it has always increased in value, but Jewellery can also decrease in value, as well as increase. As the NZ$ is at this date (April 2007) is improving, we are paying less for gems than several months ago, so a slight drop in NZ jewellery value is occurring at this time, if it moves the other way, the value will increase. If it is ‘Indexed’ and it is only having the Insurance company's' annual percentage applied, you may find that you are paying premiums in excess of what they should be, or that over time, you are hopelessly under insured.

Once a full Appraisal/Valuation has been carried out on your valuables, the hard work has been done. All future re-appraisal –valuations will be at a special discounted fee, allowing for cleaning and checking all the items, recalculating values, and producing a new appraisal schedule for your Insurance Company.

Q: Why have I been asked for previous documentation?

A: We usually ask clients to supply any previous Appraisals, certificates, receipts, or other documentation. The reason for this is simple. There is often information contained in these documents, that we cannot normally be expected to know. For instance, it may well be that a previous appraisal, gem or diamond certificate or a sales receipt, may state the un-mounted weight of a gemstone. We do not remove gems during our appraisals, so without ‘formal’ information, we measure then calculate what we would expect a gemstone of certain proportions to weigh, but an appraisal is more accurate, if we have a reliable un-mounted weight to work with.

If the item has a proper Gem certificate from, for example, gem laboratories such as ‘GIA’ , ‘AGS’, or ‘HRD.’ or one of our own local certificates such as a ‘Quasar’ or our own ‘AGL’ certificate, these must be presented at the time of the appraisal. These certificates constitute the gemstone’s ‘pedigree’ and should always accompany the gemstone when such work is carried out. Also we need to see the original certificate, as even these are ‘faked’ in the marketplace today, and we have to be able to verify the authenticity of the document.

If, on occasion, we simply don't agree with previous assessments, it is better that we are aware of a potential problem, and discuss these differences of opinion with you before our documentation is prepared.

In addition, we like to keep records of relevant documentation and may include it as part of your report. For example, we normally print a copy of a ‘Gem Certificate’ on the reverse of the appraisal.

When it comes to watches the original papers can help back up and prove that the watch is a genuine one. This may help to keep the cost of the appraisal down if it helps to save time in researching the item

Perhaps the piece has some form of ‘provenance’ that may affect its value, often this additional documentation will provide evidence that such provenance exists.

Q: What should I do if I am considering having my items valued by you?

A: In the first instance, you should contact us so that we can discuss your exact requirements, and set up an appointment time, to view what you may need to have appraised.
We try our best to make you comfortable while you are with us.
If you decide that you would like the work carried out, we will set dates for the completion of the appraisal and a time  to collect your items and documentation.  

Q: Can my jeweller provide one of your valuation reports?

A: We appreciate that you may prefer to deal with your family jeweller and would encourage you to maintain this relationship. The flexibility of drop-off and pick-up times may also suit your needs better. If so, our reports are available through most jewellers.  Just state your request for an AGL appraisal.

Q: What does "Appraisal" and "Valuation" actually mean? What is the difference?

A: These terms can cause confusion, as in NZ some people tend to use the terms "Valuer" and "Valuation" to cover the whole area covered by an Appraisal and a Valuation.
Strictly speaking, an Appraisal is the judgment, assessment and quantification of the piece of jewellery and its component parts. This is the first part you read, and will include things like the quality and weight of the gold or platinum, the workmanship, the quality of the gemstones, their weight and dimensions etc.
The ‘Valuation’ is the calculation that you see at the end of the document/s, or, the item's financial value. 

It can be seen that it is impossible to have an accurate valuation without an accurate appraisal, the appraisal is the foundation on which the value is calculated. This is why we place a great importance on the appraisal part of our appraisal/valuation report.

We have tried to answer the most commonly asked questions. If you feel we have missed one, we would be grateful if you could contact us and let us know.

Book your appriasal today