Ask an Expert: How can we verify the authenticity of receipts, diamond certificates or valuations?

Question: How can we verify the authenticity of a receipt, diamond certificate or valuation and ensure they haven't been edited or fabricated?

There are some simple and effective ways to validate jewellery documentation when you know where to look and who to ask.

Receipts and valuations

Most documentation can be confirmed by contacting the original jeweller or valuer. Many chain stores and luxury brands have dedicated insurance teams who, with a receipt number, can verify the item details, but also check if the item was ever returned or exchanged.

They may be able to provide item specifications that are typically missing from a standard receipt — such as diamond quality, manufacturing details, or gram weights.

These details are usually needed to determine the correct replacement cost.

Going straight to the source saves your customer’s time, reduces the risk of unintentional (or intentional) upgrades, and confirms whether the piece is still available and what the current cost is.

Diamond certificates

There are quite a few diamond certification labs, and most offer verification by phone, email, or online. Gemological Institute of America (GIA) reports are the most common and their Report Check tool confirms the diamond’s characteristics and identifies if it’s lab-grown.

It doesn't show ownership details (won't have a customer name), but it does validate the diamond specifications, to ensure the document hasn't been tampered with or substituted.

Emerging methods

It's a brave new world, and there are emerging technologies that can help too; digital file-editing detectors, image-recognition software, and blockchain — are all helping improve authenticity for documentation. 

It can be daunting if you aren't familiar with jewellery terminology though, so when in doubt you are welcome to run something by our team.

We have jewellery experts, including gemmologists, diamond graders and registered valuers in Australia and New Zealand, here to help you and your customer without sales bias.

Attributable to Matthew McHutchison, Managing Director, IVAA Claims.

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