The JVA

Our valuer Karra Ellison is a Fellow of both the Jewellery Valuers Association and the NAJ’s Institute of Registered Valuers.

The Jewellery Valuers Association (JVA) is the premier body in the UK and Ireland exclusively for valuers of jewellery, watches, silverware and gemstones. It is the only independent association of its kind, run by valuers for valuers and is completely not for profit.

The Institute of Registered Valuers is the UK’s longest established valuation trade body, regulated by the National Association of Jewellers. The IRV has been at the cutting edge of training, educating and raising the industry standard in the jewellery appraisal profession for more than three decades.

Valuations today more than ever are required to be precise legal documents which your Insurer can rely on – Insurance fraud is sadly prevalent; therefore more and more insurers are turning to both the JVA and the IRV for their professionalism, experience and high standards. The documents produce by valuers of both these organisations follow a strict code of conduct, ensuring their documents will stand up in court if required.

The JVA and IRV are both professionally recognised bodies, comprising many of the most qualified and experienced jewellery and allied industries valuers.

To become a JVA or NAJ’s Institute of Registered Valuers valuer, the candidate must have a number of pre-requisites and be able to demonstrate their ability to produce a fully researched document and working notes, to the highest standards.

Pre-requisites

  • A gemmological qualification, such as the FGA, from the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A)
  • A diamond grading diploma, such as the DGA from Gem-A
  • The Certificate of Appraisal Theory (CAT) from the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ) or the National Association of Jewellers Professional Valuers Diploma (PJValDip)
  • At least five years valuing experience

Once the above pre-requisites have been achieved the valuer must submit samples of their previous valuations to the panel. If these valuations meet the standards of the JVA or the NAJ’s IRV, they are then invited to become a member

Continued Status

For a valuer to keep their ’JVA Member/Fellow’ or ‘NAJ’s IRV Member/Fellow’ status, yearly Continuing Professional Development (CPD) must be undertaken, evidencing their learning and upskilling.

Both organisations monitoring panels also require sample Insurance and Probate valuations, along with working notes every five years, to ensure the valuer is still working to the expected high standards. A panel of selected JVA’s/ IRV’s review the sample documents, which are anonymously labelled to ensure no bias towards any member.

Once a Member has been with the JVA or IRV for three years, he/she is able to achieve Fellow status, providing they meet the criteria to do so. This involves achieving 85% or above in the monitoring program. This can fall in line with the valuers next monitoring assessment, or the valuer can choose to be monitored.

To learn more about the JVA, click here

To learn more about the IRV, click here